The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said offshore and onshore wind energy generation had increased by 68% and 45% respectively in 2011. Output was also aided by higher than average wind speeds for the year.
Overall, the amount of energy generated from renewables during the year rose by 33%, accounting for 3.8% of energy consumption. The latter figure is a rise of 0.6% on 2010's amount.
Speaking about the figures, energy minister Charles Hendry said: "Today’s statistics show a clear increase on the first quarter of last year across all renewables – with rises in wind, hydro, solar and bioenergy generation.
"Alongside a 36% increase in renewables capacity in the last 12 months [Q1 2011 compared to Q1-2012], this shows that the UK is powering forward on clean and secure energy and is clearly a very attractive place to invest."
Last year saw substantial rises in the number of onshore wind farms coming online with, 521MW commissioned in the UK. While in 2010, 639MW was installed.
This figure could come down this year. According to “uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç Intelligence, only three onshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 64MW have come online in 2012.
UK wind output rises 56%
UK: The UK's wind energy output for 2011 rose by 56.5%, with the bulk coming from onshore wind, according to government statistics.
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