Small wind and micro-generation enjoy renaissance in UK

By Paul Gipe on 23 October 2013

While the British government’s inexplicable decision to build two new nuclear reactors has dominated the headlines, Great Britain has meanwhile achieved two little-heralded milestones in renewable energy.

Revised statistics on the small wind industry indicates that the country surpassed 100 MW of installed small wind capacity in 2012. Total installed small wind capacity will approach 200 MW this year according to a recently issued report on Britain’s small wind industry by Renewables UK, formerly the British Wind Energy Association. Britain’s small wind industry is one of the world’s most dynamic.

More significantly, total installed capacity under Britain’s feed-in tariff program broke the 2,000 MW barrier at the end of August according to the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC).

Britain is now within striking distance of surpassing the USA – once a world leader in small wind – in total installed wind capacity if growth continues at the current pace. At the end of 2012, the US had an installed small wind capacity of 216 MW.

Growth Due to Feed-in Tariffs

Through the end of 2013, Britain’s innovative feed-in tariff policy will account for four-fifths of total small wind capacity installed in the country. Feed-in tariffs for what Britain calls microgenerators were implemented in 2010.

The remainder of the small wind capacity had been installed previously under subsidy programs.