New UK record for wind power set today – 21.81 GW between 0900-0930 GMT

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A powerful winter storm has helped the UK set a new wind generation record of 21.81 GW, with wind at times supplying over 60% of electricity and driving wholesale prices close to or below zero. Commenters see this as evidence that the UK and North Sea region could be a renewable energy powerhouse, but highlight bottlenecks in transmission from Scotland to England, limited large-scale storage, and reliance on gas during calm, cold spells. The conversation contrasts wind, solar, tidal, hydrogen, and nuclear roles in a future grid, and notes how interconnectors and dynamic tariffs are already reshaping power flows and consumer bills.

Record wind output and weather context

  • New UK wind record (21.81 GW) attributed to Storm Pia’s strong winds.
  • Over the past day, wind reportedly supplied ~61% of power and ~78.5% came from “zero carbon” sources (wind, hydro, nuclear).
  • Some note the irony that wind output was low during a recent cold spell, highlighting seasonal and meteorological variability.

Geography, Scotland, and interconnection

  • UK seen as a potential wind/wave “superpower,” especially around Scotland and the North Sea.
  • Debate over how much Scottish independence would matter:
    • One side: many best wind sites are in Scotland, independence could let Scotland sell surplus power and water.
    • Others: most current offshore capacity now in English waters; assets are privately owned and cross-border trade would likely continue.
  • Major constraint is transmission from Scotland to England; ~10 GW of new HVDC links and an eastern Scotland–England interconnector are in development.
  • New interconnectors like VikingLink (UK–Denmark) and existing links to Europe and Ireland are key to balancing supply.

Other renewables: tidal, wave, and nuclear

  • Mixed views on tidal/wave:
    • Technically promising (high energy density, predictability), but corrosion, biofouling, maintenance costs, and ecosystem impacts are major issues.
    • Historic tidal barrages (e.g., Rance) work but would likely be blocked today on environmental grounds.
  • Some argue tidal isn’t truly “renewable” at extreme, far-future scales; others dismiss that as based on unrealistic assumptions.
  • A minority argues wind/solar are “terrible” long term and prefers celebrating new nuclear; others counter that new wind/solar already undercut coal on cost.

Storage, grid stability, and flexibility

  • Widespread agreement that storage and grid capacity are the main bottlenecks, not generation.
  • Current and planned solutions:
    • Large grid batteries, mainly for short-term balancing and inertia replacement, not multi-day backup.
    • Repurposed gas plants run as synchronous machines to provide inertia without generation.
    • Experimental/early-stage options: low-cost flywheels, hydrogen or ammonia for long-duration storage, underground hydrogen storage.
    • Vehicle-to-grid and home batteries (e.g., “Powerwall-like” systems) proposed as distributed buffers; some concerns about battery cycle life and economics.
  • Consensus that for extended low-wind periods the UK will continue to rely on gas (LNG) plus imports for the foreseeable future.

Pricing, consumer experience, and tariffs

  • On very windy days, wholesale prices collapse from an annual average near £98/MWh to single digits or even negative.
  • Some consumers on dynamic tariffs (e.g., half-hourly “agile” pricing) report:
    • Getting paid to use electricity during negative-price periods.
    • Average retail prices of ~£0.19–£0.22/kWh over months, compared with ~£0.28–£0.36/kWh standard tariffs.
  • Others note that standing charges are a big slice of bills and that headline wholesale price drops don’t automatically translate into “lower bills”; bills are still expected to rise for many.

Heating demand and electrification

  • Thread notes that electricity demand (30 GW) is currently small compared with direct fossil heating (150 GW).
  • Heat pumps are highlighted as a major lever:
    • Typical coefficients of performance around 3× mean the same heat with ~⅓ the energy.
    • Anecdote from a UK 1920s house shows total winter energy use falling to ~30–40% of prior levels after switching from gas boiler to heat pump, especially when combined with solar PV and a home battery.

International and regional comparisons

  • Germany reported >50 GW wind during a concurrent storm, plus meaningful solar even in poor weather.
  • Ireland is operating with a ~75% real-time renewables share, with a current technical limit for stability and a target of 95% by 2030.
  • The UK recently became a net electricity exporter for the first time in decades, partly by importing LNG, burning it domestically, and exporting power when gas pipelines to Europe were constrained.

Overall sentiment

  • Strong enthusiasm for the scale and pace of UK and European wind deployment and interconnection.
  • Repeated emphasis that without parallel investment in storage, transmission, and flexible demand, records like this will keep producing negative prices and curtailment rather than fully displacing fossil fuels.