The wind blew hard last Monday, 11 September. Hard enough to set a historic record for electricity generation from wind energy: 19.8 per cent of European electricity demand was covered by wind power, equivalent to 1.6 billion kWh.

The announcement was made by WindEurope, the European wind energy association, which monitors daily electricity production across European countries. "This share of electricity," writes Anev (Associazione nazionale energia dal vento) in a statement, "is capable of covering the needs of 162 million households or 56 per cent of that consumed on average by European industry." Offshore wind also set a record, with output of 251 GWh. Topping the rankings is Denmark, which has for years been investing in wind as the main source of national energy production — so much so that on Monday this source covered 82 per cent of demand, with output of 74 GWh.

Wind energy in Italy, a promising source

With 101 GWh generated, wind power covered 12.4 per cent of electricity demand, equal to 33 per cent of national industry's needs or the consumption of 10 million Italian households. In Italy too, therefore, wind energy is making its weight felt in national energy production.

According to a recent study drawn up by Anev on the potential of wind energy, electricity production from wind could reach 36.4 TWh per year by 2030, with a target installed capacity of 17,150 MW, of which 950 MW offshore and 400 MW small wind. "The benefits that this level of production would bring should not be overlooked," the association stresses. "It would save 50 million barrels of oil equivalent, avoid 25 million tonnes of CO2, 75 million tonnes of nitrogen oxide, 55 million tonnes of sulphur oxide, and 9 million tonnes of particulate matter."

Wind energy is cheaper than nuclear in Great Britain

According to reports in the British national press, for the first time the cost of generating energy from offshore wind farms is lower than that of nuclear power stations: in the 2021/22 two-year period it will be around £74.75 per megawatt-hour, before falling further to £57.50 in the following period. The nuclear megawatt-hour, meanwhile, stands at £92.50. A sign that the energy transition and grid parity are no longer a distant dream — far from it.