To help you keep up to date with this week’s events we’ve gathered together some of the top energy related news stories. You can follow us on twitter too.

Record output for UK wind farms

Monday saw UK wind farms generate around 5% of total electricity provided to the National Grid – a record output. A spokeswoman for the grid operator said that when embedded wind generation from turbines that are not connected to the grid is taken into account it is estimated that around 10% of the UK’s electricity was delivered by wind on Monday. “It’s a pretty big landmark for the industry,” she said.

This is yet more evidence that the grid can cope with growing inputs from intermittent energy sources such as wind farms. There is still a long way to go until we reach our target of a 100% renewable UK but records like this help to build confidence around these technologies and prove to people that it is an achievable goal.

Wind power's growth is blowing Europe toward green goals

The Guardian reported on Thursday that Europe is now installing more wind power than any other form of energy – for the past two years, 40% of all new electricity generating capacity in the continent came from wind turbines. There are so many new turbines being erected across Europe that the European Wind Energy Association believes the continent is on target to produce 15% of its electricity from wind by 2020. It expects that half of Europe’s electricity will come from wind by 2050. Moving from few, finite brown technologies to a variety of green technologies is central to Good Energy’s vision of achieving a 100% renewable UK. It’s great to hear that other organisations believe that 100% renewable by 2050 is achievable. Together we do this.

The Committee on Climate Change is rather less positive about renewable energy targets. Read more here.

SMEs are responsible for best green innovation, says business charity

The Mayday Network – a collaboration of businesses taking action on climate change – released its annual report highlighting some of the innovative green business ideas its members are implementing. It concludes that the majority originate from SMEs. “What we are hearing,” said Katie Webber, Mayday campaign director, “is it’s not easy for big business to do transformational change and its small businesses that are taking on that role.” The report confirms the need for more public money to help small businesses cut carbon emissions.

A study finds that UK ‘heat pumps’ fail as green devices

With speculation that the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) may become a victim of spending cuts due to be announced next month, a report from the Energy Saving Trust (EST) this week – the largest ever field study of heat pump devices in the UK – brings more bad news. It reveals that 80% of heat pumps perform so badly – primarily due to poor quality installation – that they would not qualify as renewable energy under proposed European standards. Read what our heat pump expert Alex Lockton of Freesource Energy had to say on the matter here.

And finally...Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary thinks that man-made climate change is“horseshit.” It’s a shame his planes won’t run on it, that might sort the problem!