Wind power in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a strong location for wind power in Europe. The combination of long coastline, shallow water and strong winds make offshore wind unusually effective.

By 2025, the UK had over 12,000 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 32 gigawatts (GW): 16 GW onshore and 16 GW offshore, the fifth largest capacity of any country. In that year, wind generated over 85 TWh of electricity, almost 30% of Great Britain's total generation.

Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the UK, but at under 5% provides 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. Polling of public opinion consistently shows strong support for wind power in the UK, with nearly three-quarters of the population agreeing with its use in 2022, even for people living near onshore wind turbines.

The UK government has committed to a major expansion of offshore capacity to 60 GW by 2030, with 5 GW from floating wind; one reason for this is to improve energy security.