Constraint Payments to Wind Power in 2020 and 2021 – REF

Large volumes of wind energy are being discarded in Scotland in order to preserve grid stability, with a fleet average of over 13% of generation constrained off in the years 2015 to 2021, inclusive, with a high of 19% of generation in 2020. Some wind farms have been discarding between 20% and 50% of their output, while being rewarded with generous constraint payments from the electricity consumer for doing so. The reductions in environmental benefits are not given adequate weight in the planning system, where the low marginal benefit of additional wind capacity appears to be poorly understood. This blog offers detailed data on the volumes of wind energy constrained off at a fleet level in Scotland between 2010 and 2021, and for every individual wind farm in 2020 and 2021. Read on: https://www.ref.org.uk/ref-blog/371-constraint-payments-to-wind-power-in-2020-and-2021?fbclid=IwAR2DotEgZo-sHZD25bP8nN8K5-l0IjL14botVpPVaGyRbWSK3cDdQW3rIv0