A new onshore wind farm on the Shetland Islands will connect 500,000 UK homes to renewable energy, Interesting Engineering reported.
Shetland is the windiest region in the UK, making it an apt choice for wind energy production, the publication explained. The Viking Wind Farm there is expected to generate around 1.8 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity annually, significantly upping the country's clean energy capacity. Viking is set to be the UK's most productive onshore wind farm and will provide electricity to the islands, as well as mainland UK.
This is the first time that Shetland has been connected to the Great Britain grid. Central to the project is a 161.6-mile subsea transmission link, which transports electricity from Shetland to the mainland.
According to Greenpeace UK, wind energy can save people money, as it is quite cheap once installed. Onshore wind is particularly affordable and is the cheapest source of energy in the country, the organization added. Meanwhile, offshore is a close rival, having dropped significantly in cost.
Wind is also a renewable and clean alternative to dirty energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas, which are responsible for more than 75% of all planet-warming pollution, according to the UN. Integrating more clean energy into grids across the globe will help us in the fight against an overheating planet, which threatens communities through increased risk of natural disasters like flooding, more intense hurricanes, and wildfires.
To that end, some exciting renewable energy projects are popping up across the world. For instance, towns in rural Virginia are adding over one million new jobs by focusing on clean energy instead of coal. Meanwhile, India is placing solar panels over its canals to increase access to clean energy while saving space and reducing evaporation. You too can join the renewable revolution by signing up for community solar.
Scotland's first minister John Swinney highlighted the impact of the Viking Wind Farm.
"The completion of these projects is a significant step in unlocking the green energy potential of the Shetland Islands," Swinney said, per Interesting Engineering. "These developments will not only aid us in our efforts to decarbonize our energy system but help to stimulate sustainable economic growth in the local area."
UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband added, "By Switching on Viking, hundreds of thousands of homes in the Shetlands and right across the country will benefit from cheap, homegrown energy, and this project has created jobs and growth for local communities."
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