<p><strong>2.2TWe</strong> on average in the seas...</p>
<p>The uk uses less than 350 Gigawatts every year, so the sea can provide about 6 times the current UK energy consumption:</p>
<p><strong>80 GW in shallow waters (0-25 m)</strong></p>
<p><strong>270 GW in seas of depth 25-50m</strong></p>
<p>(up to there is sufficient to meet all of the UK's 2016 energy consumption)... There is also:</p>
<p><strong>790GW in seas of 50-100m</strong></p>
<p><strong>1030GW at 100m-700m</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://claverton-energy.com/two-terawatts-average-power-output-the-uk-offshore-wind-resource.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://claverton-energy.com/two-terawatts-average-power-output-the-uk-offshore-wind-resource.html</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/323381/total-demand-for-electricity-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.statista.com/statistics/323381/total-demand-for-electricity-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/</a></p>
<p>For onshore resources, you can add another 100GWh.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-01T15:03:12.603Z
2020-12-02T03:47:51.153Z
2020-12-02T03:47:51.153Z
bandybabboon
<p>Regarding renewable energies, there is a great book freely available:
<a href="https://www.withouthotair.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.withouthotair.com/</a>
written by David MacKay. At the time he was the Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge.</p>
<p>He estimated that onshore you can produce (realistically)</p>
<blockquote>
<p>if we covered the windiest 10% of the country with windmills
(delivering 2 W/m2), we would be able to generate 20 kWh/d per person,
which is half of the power used by driving an average fossil-fuel car
50 km per day.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>(see <a href="https://www.withouthotair.com/c4/page_32.shtml" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.withouthotair.com/c4/page_32.shtml</a> and following pages)</p>
<p>Consumption in the UK was, at the time (2009), on average 195 kWh per day per person.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-09T14:47:19.573Z
2020-12-10T08:21:48.223Z
2020-12-10T08:21:48.223Z
EarlGrey
<p>Given the prominence of the climate crisis, it's important to get some estimates of how much wind power is available in Britain as part of a renewably energised future.</p>
<p><strong>Q. What is yearly average of wind energy available on the landmass on Britain.</strong></p>
<p><strong>And how much does this work per metre squared?</strong></p>
<p><strong>More, given that for some they can be unsightly, how much yearly wind energy is available on the island shelf around Britain, say up to 30 km; and again what is the average per square metre? How does this compare with the yearly energy consumption in Britain?</strong></p>
<p>Thank you.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-30T09:00:43.187Z
https://globalwindatlas.info/area/United%20Kingdom
Erik
<climate-change>
How much wind power is there roughly in Britain and its surrounding?
Mozibur Ullah
# How much wind power is there roughly in Britain and its surrounding?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-11-27)

Given the prominence of the climate crisis, it's important to get some estimates of how much wind power is available in Britain as part of a renewably energised future.

**Q. What is yearly average of wind energy available on the landmass on Britain.**

**And how much does this work per metre squared?**

**More, given that for some they can be unsightly, how much yearly wind energy is available on the island shelf around Britain, say up to 30 km; and again what is the average per square metre? How does this compare with the yearly energy consumption in Britain?**

Thank you.

**Tags:** climate-change

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: https://globalwindatlas.info/area/United%20Kingdom  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-12-01. Score: 4

**2.2TWe** on average in the seas...

The uk uses less than 350 Gigawatts every year, so the sea can provide about 6 times the current UK energy consumption:

**80 GW in shallow waters (0-25 m)**

**270 GW in seas of depth 25-50m**

(up to there is sufficient to meet all of the UK's 2016 energy consumption)... There is also:

**790GW in seas of 50-100m**

**1030GW at 100m-700m**

<https://claverton-energy.com/two-terawatts-average-power-output-the-uk-offshore-wind-resource.html>

<https://www.statista.com/statistics/323381/total-demand-for-electricity-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/>

For onshore resources, you can add another 100GWh.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-12-09. Score: 0

Regarding renewable energies, there is a great book freely available:
<https://www.withouthotair.com/>
written by David MacKay. At the time he was the Regius Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge.

He estimated that onshore you can produce (realistically)

> if we covered the windiest 10% of the country with windmills
> (delivering 2 W/m2), we would be able to generate 20 kWh/d per person,
> which is half of the power used by driving an average fossil-fuel car
> 50 km per day.

(see <https://www.withouthotair.com/c4/page_32.shtml> and following pages)

Consumption in the UK was, at the time (2009), on average 195 kWh per day per person.


---

