As Britain continues to swelter in the heat, the blades of the country’s wind turbines are turning incredibly slowly in the face of a nationwide “wind drought” which has seen a dramatic drop in the amount of energy produced.
New figures compiled by Imperial College London’s Rod Gross revealed July’s wind output was down by 40 percent so far compared with the same period last year.
He said: “We’ve been typically doing between two to three gigawatts of wind [generation].
“At a windier time of the year we might be doing nine or 10.”
The unusual stillness in the air is the result of a sustained period of high, dense pressure over the UK, according to the Met Office.
A Met Office spokesman said: “It’s like a lid, it keeps everything still.
“From the forecast looking out over the next couple of weeks, there doesn’t seem to be any significant change on the way.”
A National Grid spokesman said: “Between June 4 and July 15 wind generation was around 30 per cent lower compared to the same period last year.
“Electricity demand is low and we’re comfortable with the level of spare generation we have available.
“From the forecast looking out over the next couple of weeks, there doesn’t seem to be any significant change on the way.”
A National Grid spokesman said: “Between June 4 and July 15 wind generation was around 30 per cent lower compared to the same period last year.
“Electricity demand is low and we’re comfortable with the level of spare generation we have available.
This Met Office map shows the area of dense pressure over the UK
“As we continue to transition to a low carbon energy system, managing the intermittency of renewable power is an important role in balancing supply and demand.
“However, we have planned for these changes and ready to play our part.”
Nevertheless, the price of natural gas, being burned more to compensate for the lack of wind, has increased slightly.
Ireland is also facing similar problems with a lack of wind, and falling water levels have restricted hydroelectric power generation in July.
A study published in the Nature Geoscience journal in December suggested climate change might mean less wind being available for energy production in decades to come.
The report suggested wind power would decrease in the northern hemisphere but increase in the southern hemisphere.
This could mean the loss of as much as 18 per cent of wind over the central US by the year 2100.
Mr Gross stressed it was vital to plan for long periods without wind in the future – as well as pointing out a plus to the recent soaring temperatures – solar energy provided almost 10 per ent of Britain’s electricity in the week ending July 1.
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