All you need to know about wind power

The potential of wind power is enormous! Bringing clean energy to power homes across the UK. But what are we doing about it, you ask? Well, lots, actually! We're investing, innovating and providing some of the much-needed new, affordable, low-carbon electricity to the UK.

Breeze through the basics

What is wind power?

Wind is a type of solar energy. Wind is caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the differences in the earth's surface and the earth's rotation. Wind flow can be harvested by wind turbines to generate electricity.
 

How does wind energy work?

Wind turbines convert kinetic energy from the wind into power. A generator is then used to convert the mechanical power into electricity, powering homes and businesses across the UK. Find out exactly how a wind turbine works here. 

What is a wind turbine? 

A wind turbine is simply the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to create wind, they use wind to create electricity. 

What is a wind farm?

We group our wind turbines together to generate bulk electrical power. The power is then fed into the national utility grid and renewable energy is distributed into thousands of our customer's homes all over the UK. 

Onshore vs. Offshore wind farms

We have 36 on and offshore wind farms – but what's the difference?

The verdict:

It's a draw! Both wind farms provide clean and low-carbon energy. And most importantly – wind is a renewable source that'll never run out!

The life of a wind turbine

Wind farms can be built quicker than any other type of power station. The average time to assemble a wind farm that's capable of generating 50 MW of energy is only 6 months!

Wind turbine's are built to last between 20–25 years. Some parts may need replacing during this time.

The future of renewable energy

We have more than 1 GW of renewables projects in planning and development – that’s 1000 MW. So to give you an idea of the power – just 7.2 MW can power up to 4,000 homes!

One of the largest onshore wind farms is in Europe as part of the EDF Renewables group. The 177 MW Dorenell wind farm near Dufftown in the Scottish Highlands is home to:

Our long-term approach – what's next?

We've partnered with the communities where our wind farms reside to create opportunities for the future. Here's how: 

• Creating apprenticeships at Burnhead.
• Supporting local education and training for the life of the wind farm by developing the fund at Corriemoillie.
• Developing the environment fund at Fallago Rig, which is now 5 years old and has shared more £1 million across many local projects in the Scottish Borders.

What does it mean for you?

We’re one of the UK’s leading renewable energy companies, with 36 wind farms in operation and one of the largest operational battery storage units in Europe. Discover how we’re planning to build a sustainable future through wind power.