The United Kingdom is the best location for wind power in Europe and one of the best in the world. The combination of long coastline, shallow water and strong winds make offshore wind unusually effective.
By 2025, the UK had over twelve thousand wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 32Â gigawatts (GW): 16 GW onshore and 16 GW offshore, the fifth largest capacity of any country. Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the UK, but at under 5% still far less primary energy than oil or fossil gas. However, wind power generates electricity which is far more powerful in terms of useful energy than the same amount of thermal primary energy. Wind generates more than a quarter of UK electricity, and as of May 2024 generates more than gas over a whole year.