Amazing finding: Wind power UK has saved consumers £104 billion since 2010

Here’s something to celebrate: a new study by University College London (UCL) has found that wind power in the UK has saved consumers an incredible £104 billion over the past 13 years.

That’s right—from 2010 to 2023, Britain’s investment in clean, indigenous wind power has paid off massively, with gas and electricity prices falling dramatically.

A UCL wind power study shows that wind power has saved electricity bills by £14.2 billion and natural gas prices by £133.3 billion. And astonishingly, after paying out £43.2 billion in green subsidies, the country is celebrating being £104.3 billion ahead—a significant win for the UK, both for the economy and the environment.

Needless to say, in the 13 years between 2010 and 2013, the UK’s wind power capacity grew from just 5 terawatt-hours (TWh) to 80 TWh, accounting for almost 30% of total electricity generation. This has driven gas generators out of the market and directly reduced electricity prices for millions of customers.

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Wind power UK: From humble beginnings to national power

In 2010, the UK was generating just 5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of wind power. In 2023, this figure is expected to grow to 80 TWh, providing around 30% of the country’s clean electricity on the national grid.

Researchers argue that this rapid growth has not only boosted clean electricity—showing the world that clean power is not just a fantasy—it has also pushed gas generators out of the market forever, reducing pressure on demand for one of the world’s most important fuels and lowering prices for both households and businesses.

Lead author Colm O’Shea, from UCL Geography, put the finding in perspective:

“Far from being a financial burden, this study shows how wind power has consistently delivered substantial financial benefits to the UK. This £104 billion net benefit is more than the £90 billion extra the UK has spent on gas since the war in Ukraine in 2021.”

Next, rather than focusing on short-term subsidies or market fluctuations, the study shows how wind power has reshaped the UK’s entire energy landscape—from delivering sustainability, affordability, and security. The researchers argue that wind power should be considered a public good, like roads or schools, where shared government support leads to national prosperity.

“Energy transition is not an expensive environmental luxury,” the authors write. “It is a sound financial investment that strengthens our economy while protecting our planet.”

Experts agree: It’s time to reward renewables

Professor Mark Maslin, co-author and leading climate scientist at UCL, believes the time has come for market reform:

“The UK government needs to double the price of gas and electricity. Gas should follow the global market, while electricity prices should reflect real savings from wind and solar.”

Anna Musat, policy director at RenewableUK, highlighted the importance of homegrown renewables:

“The only way to sustainably reduce energy costs is to reduce our exposure to volatile global fossil fuel prices and increase clean, domestic electricity generation.”

Their message is clear: wind power is not just good policy—it’s smart economics. Meanwhile, Will Glover of Gowling WLG sees this finding as a wake-up call for policymakers:

“This research reinforces the case for accelerating renewable investment. The scale of savings highlights the strategic value of wind power—not just for energy security, but for financial stability.”

Professor Christopher Vogel of the University of Oxford has another impressive piece of information:

UK wind power turbines pay for their production and installation in just 12-24 months and continue to generate clean electricity for up to 25 years—a return on investment that most industries can only dream of.

Wind Power UK’s journey is an incredible tale of foresight, creativity, and enduring influence. Wind power has completely changed the UK energy market landscape in just over ten years, demonstrating that renewable energy sources do more than just power homes; they also reduce costs, generate employment, and ensure a cleaner future.

What happens when a nation commits entirely to wind power?

Here’s a powerful answer from the story of Wind Power UK — a country that has built on ambition, innovation and real-world evidence of rewards.

In just over a decade, the UK has transformed its energy system, built on its trust, built on its commitment and today shows the world how renewable energy can reduce costs, create green jobs and strengthen energy independence. The result has been savings of more than £104 billion for UK consumers since 2010 — a milestone that is reshaping energy thinking globally.

Why does it matter now?

Because Wind Power UK’s success is not just a national achievement — It is a message and a lesson for a global community. The thought-provoking question is if the UK can save billions by embracing wind power, what could the US, Germany or Japan achieve with a similarly bold commitment to clean, indigenous energy?

Jerin Ismot

Ismot Jerin is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of WindNewsToday, an independent publication covering offshore wind, renewable energy policy, and clean power markets with an analytical focus on the United States and global energy transition.

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The UK is at risk of losing thousands of offshore wind jobs by 2030, prompting urgent and concerted action, RGU has warned in a report titled “Ballasts – Building a Sustainable UK Offshore Energy Workforce”.

The UK stands a crucial watershed moment in the energy transition journey. With the decline of oil and gas jobs, an alternative opens up: the offshore wind investment and green jobs boom. While fossil fuel employment continues to shrink, renewables energy are emerging as the underpinning of energy security and economic recovery.

A new report on the offshore energy workforce from Robert Gordon University identifies an important trend: while UK offshore energy total employment was stable between 2023 and 2024, the internal churn is changing quite dramatically. It is a sector changing from one based on oil and gas, to one powered increasingly by clean energy, renewable energy such as offshore wind power.

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UK Offshore Wind Jobs Fuels Employment Growth

They also found that UK offshore jobs was relatively stable, sitting at about 154,000 workers each year between 2023 and 2024. But buried within that number is the elephant in the room: a massive shift. A drop of about 5,000 jobs to 115,000 workers dented the oil and jobs workforce in the traditional sector, which fell from 120,000 positions. It continues a trend of decreasing employment across fossil fuels on the back of declining production and growing decarbonization pressure on both products and firms.

By comparison, jobs in the offshore renewables industry in the UK grew sharply — up from some 34,000 to just under 39,000 within a single year. This expansion is linked directly to increased development of offshore wind energy, particularly for early-stage activities like pre-construction work and new wind farm construction phases.

This rebalancing of the workforce internally is driving an identity change of the sector. Of the offshore wind workforce, oil and gas accounted for 80% in 2023, compared to only 20% for renewables. And by 2024 that balance had changed to around 75 per cent oil and gas and 25 per cent renewables, a clear indicator of the shift in green energy jobs UK.

Green Jobs Will Exceed Fossil Fuel Jobs This Late 2020s

Forecasts looking forward indicate that green energy jobs UK—the vast majority offshore wind jobs—will boom in the coming years and outstrip oil and gas employment. The number of offshore renewables workers in the UK is expected to rise from 31,000 in 2022 to between 84,000 and 153,000 by 2035, depending on investment levels and policy commitments.

Conversely, the UK oil and gas workforce is projected to keep declining, falling to 57,000–71,000 people by the early 2030s. This transition is not just a structural realignment in energy, but also a significant opportunity for retraining and workforce development. By acting in a coordinated fashion, we can train thousands of oil and gas workers to migrate into offshore wind and other cleaner and more sustainable roles.

Transport shifts in the UK are entering a crucial time – referred to as a “Goldilocks zone” between 2025 and2050 in the report – where appropriate investments now and plans in place can help to capitalize on the fact that workforce skills will remain highly transferrable and levels of employment can remain stable as the sector pivots.

Skills, Training, Infrastructure Needed

To maintain the existing size of the offshore workforce and that of a growing green energy economy in the UK, the proceedings report makes a number of pivotal recommendations. It must deliver a minimum of 40GW of operational offshore wind by 2030. Achieving this bold target will underpin thousands of opportunity for jobs — from wind farm construction, to operations and maintenance, to supply chain services.

“Offshore wind farm in the UK – 75,000 green jobs at risk”

Increasing the UK content — is the proportion of offshore wind capital investment that remains within the UK economy — is another important element. Currently, we deliver about 25% of the capital activities for renewables in country. This could unlock significant employment upside if UK capex content is increased up to 40%. More domestic capital expenditure in offshore wind projects translates into more jobs between 7,000 and 12,500 in fact for every 10% of capex by 2030.

Achieving this target will involve large scale transition of UK operational capacity, and operational capability — at least in manufacturing, engineering, logistics and vocational training. To ensure projects proceed and jobs are created when planned, much of this new infrastructure will have to be built before final investment decisions are made.

Finding the Way Through the Just Transition with a Workforce Plan

Supply and demand of the workforce: this is where it becomes important as the UK works its way to a just transition towards a net-zero economy. While representing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gases, the UK is providing a template for how developed countries can transition away from fossil fuels without sacrificing jobs and communities.

Declining offshore workforce in UK wind energy sector

This means a new kind of offshore employment ever — flexible and project-based. Labor will likely transition between major renewable projects and also between regions and companies. The emerging jobs market will demand a much greater emphasis on vocational skillsets, which will in-turn require new pathways and re-skilling in areas such as offshore wind and decommissioning.

Still, before 2027, there simply might not be enough room in renewables to accommodate all the oil and gas workers being fracked out by sector decline. It emphasizes the need for early investment and targeted policy intervention to scale up renewables quicker and gear up for bigger movements of the labor force in the late 2020s.

Offshore Wind as a Foundation for the Future Green UK Economy — UKERC

UK offshore wind investment: how to make the most of it Everyone with a stake in this must know that making more clean energy at lower cost is not just about clean energy. It is about creating an adaptive and affordable economy built on better pay, our own energy independence, and a resurgence in climate leadership. Offshore wind can help raise up regional economies, establish new manufacturing centers, and build a diverse and inclusive green workforce, if the correct policies are adopted.

UK offshore wind turbines with workers – 2030 job loss warning — “Offshore wind turbines Technicians – 2030 job loss warning”

In fact, with as much as 85% of current O&M work for renewables already performed by UK companies, the skills base is already here. The question now is whether this can be emulated in capital development activities, where domestic participation remains under international levels.

Both McCarthy and his think tank saw a clear opportunity for the UK to lead the world in offshore renewable. But time is of the essence. Haqq-Misra said that postponements in action, or the lack of cooperation between government, industry and education, would lead to the loss of job and lost opportunity. But without concerted action, the offshore energy workforce could shrink from 154,000 to only 125,000 by 2030 — increasing the challenge of reaching net zero.

Conclusion: Bet on the Future of a Green Economy

This shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewables is underway. It is now up to the UK to decide if it will drive this or simply flail, trying to keep up. So, with oil and gas jobs diminishing, the offshore wind sector growing, and decarbonization around the world accelerated, we must seize the opportunity to invest in green jobs and domestic renewable infrastructure today.

By:

by investing in skills-based learning,

And investing in UK-based supply chains,

Adding to the UK capex basket, and

On delivering large scale offshore wind projects,

…Britain can do to safeguard its energy future, protect good jobs, and become a clean energy superpower.

The UK offshore energy sector is on the verge of a new industrial revolution. By capitalizing on new opportunities, the country can increase its energy security and strengthen its position as a world leader in offshore energy.