By Renewable Energy Focus staff

Figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) also showed that wind power’s contribution to energy supply grew 24% in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.

Alex Murley, Head of Technical Affairs at RenewableUK, says: “The contribution of wind in 2010 to the UK’s electricity supply was almost three times that of hydro, totalling over 10 TWh. This is sufficient electricity for well over two million homes. In terms of quarter 4, 2010, all indicators point to the fact that wind delivered a record contribution of electricity to the grid, both 20% higher than Q4 2010 and 24% higher than the comparable quarter of 2009.

“The message from the statistics […] is clear: Wind is becoming the dominant renewable technology in terms of consistent growth and units delivered to consumers. Further deployment is set to enhance our energy security and create new low-carbon industries.”

RenewableUK estimates that another 3 GW of wind power will come online by the end of 2012, increasing the annual contribution of wind electricity to around 22 TWh.