July was record-breaking summer month for wind power
July was the best summer month on record for wind power generation in Belgium, according to figures released on Thursday by high-voltage grid operator Elia. Thanks to increased production capacity, solar power also performed well despite cloudy weather.
At sea, 692 GWh of wind energy was produced last month. Onshore production reached 464 GWh, bringing the July total to an unprecedented 1,156 GWh. The previous record, set two years ago in August 2021, was 787 GWh.
More solar panels
Despite persistent rainy weather, solar power did not fare badly last month either. At 905 GWh, the figure was just below that of July last year. According to Elia, this is mainly because more and more solar panels are being added, meaning that fewer hours of sunshine are needed to achieve the same figure.
Solar and wind together provided 35 per cent of the country's electricity last month.
All-time high
So far this year, solar and wind have provided a total of 12.7 TWh of energy. At the same time last year, the figure was 10.3 TWh. In terms of daily production, Belgium's wind power production reached its all-time high on the morning of 28 December last year, when grid operator Elia reported wind power production of 4,505 MW - equivalent to the capacity of about four nuclear reactors.
"Renewables are breaking one record after another"
In May 2023, wind and solar power generated more electricity than fossil fuels in the EU for the first time. "Europe's electricity transition is moving at lightning speed," said Sarah Brown of energy think tank Ember Europe. "Renewables are breaking one record after another."
(BRV)
© BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER
Related news:
