High winds were strong enough to power Scotland for a day

HIGH winds on Sunday were strong enough to power the equivalent all of Scotland's electricity needs for the day, claim environmentalists.

High winds could have powered Scotland for a day. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The Met Office issued a ­yellow “be aware” weather warning covering much of the country on Sunday as wind speeds reached 115mph on the top of the Cairngorms and gusts of more than 60mph hit towns in the north.

Environmental group WWF Scotland said an analysis of data by WeatherEnergy shows wind turbines provided 39,545 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity to the National Grid on Sunday while the country’s total power consumption was 37,202 MWh – meaning wind power generated 106 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs.

WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “While Sunday’s weather caused disruption for many people, it also proved to be a good day for wind power output.”

Karen Robinson, of WeatherEnergy, said: “Electricity demand during weekends is usually lower than the rest of the week.”

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