Britain's turbines are producing 40% less energy as wind 'disappears' for six weeks across the UK causing record low electricity production

Britain got 15 per cent of its power from wind last year — twice as much as coal. Since the start of June, wind farms have been producing almost no electricity. The 'wind drought' has seen July 2018 be 40% less productive than July 2017. In the still weather, solar energy has increased by 10% to help cover the drop-off 

Britain's wind turbines have been at a standstill for the last six weeks.

The lack of wind is being caused by a large area of high pressure sitting over the UK, which is also responsible for making the summer one of the warmest on record, the Met Office confirmed to MailOnline. 

Compared to last year, the amount of electricity generated by wind turbines during the month of July has fallen by 40 per cent – despite of an increase in wind turbine infrastructure in the last 12 months.

'We've been typically doing between two to three gigawatts of wind [generation],' Rob Gross of Imperial College London, told New Scientist.  

'At a windier time of the year we might be doing nine or ten.'

The lack of wind can be blamed on the jet stream, which has shifted further north, trapping a large pocket of high pressure above the UK.

'It's like a lid, it keeps everything still,' says Graheme Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office.

'From the forecast looking out over the next couple of weeks, there doesn't seem to be any significant change on the way.'  

According to the National Grid, wind generation in the six weeks between June 3 and July 15 is around 30 per cent lower than the same period last year.

A drop-off like this in winter could be catastrophic should the UK become reliant on renewable energy sources.

While advances in the storage of energy has meant power can be kept for longer, the process is yet to be perfected.

Fortunately, a spokesperson for the National Grid said that the warm weather conditions has meant 'electricity demand is low'.

According to Dr Gross of Imperial College London, the UK needs to be prepared for periods of low wind levels in the future and look to alternative methods to meet demand.

The British government has invested heavily in the renewable energy sector, and has installed a host of new turbines within the last 12 months.

However, overall output has dropped despite the increase in infrastructure.

For example, the fifth-largest offshore wind-farm in the world was opened off the coast of Norfolk last month.

Dubbed the Race Bank development, the wind farm is capable of powering more than half a million UK homes, according to the Danish energy firm Orsted.

The turbines are the first to use the massive 250ft (75 metre) blades made at the Siemens Gamesa blade factory in Hull.

With an enormous 505 foot (154 metre) wingspan, each of Race Bank's 91 turbines is larger than the London Eye.

In July, when the weather was clear and warm across the UK, solar energy picked up some of the slack as wind energy produced minimal energy.

Solar panels provided nearly 10 per cent of Britain's electricity in the week ending July 1, for example.

In June, calm conditions first saw wind turbines across the UK come to a standstill.

The 'disappearing wind' meant turbines generated less than two per cent of the country's power - the lowest figure for more than two years.   

Britain got 15 per cent of its power from wind last year – twice as much as coal.

But on June 2, this figure fell to just 1.1 per cent, with only 0.3 gigawatts of energy being produced around 10am.

The figures were equally as dire the day before, with only 2.6 per cent of the day's electricity coming from wind turbines.

In a three day stretch, the amount of energy produced has hovered between 6.7 per cent and 8.8 per cent.     

A spokesperson for the Met Office told MailOnline: 'The reason winds are light at the moment is because of several high pressure systems over the UK.

'With a clockwise air current, the weather tends to be much calmer than when it is moving in an anticlockwise direction in a low pressure system.

'Recently, we have experienced a preponderance of high pressure systems, but it's not been constant.'

Britain has been trying to lighten its dependence on fossil fuels, and in 2017 wind produced twice as much power as coal.  

Unsurprising, during the 'Beast from the East' that besieged the UK in March, wind-generated power accounted for more than a third (35.7 per cent) of all the UK's power.

At times during the storm, wind was the main provider of the nation's electricity.

The next closest was gas, accounting for 20.3 per cent. Nuclear and coal made up just over 30 per cent between them (17.6 and 12.9 per cent, respectively).

It was during this period of time that wind power set a record amount of electricity produced, with 14.3 gigawatts of energy coming on one particularly blustery Saturday.   

Greg Clark, secretary of state for business energy and industrial strategy has previously signalled that the UK will take the next step toward agreeing to help Hitachi Ltd. finance a new nuclear reactor.

Responding to National Grid wind figures, Frank Gordon from the Renewable Energy Association, said: 'The renewable energy family continues to perform well, powering over 30 per cent of Britain's commercial and domestic needs over the last year, waste-to-energy, biomass plants, wind and solar are setting generation records and enjoy record levels of public support.

'Advances in energy storage technologies ensure energy stability to the grid, storing excess energy produced by renewables such as wind and solar for periods when we experience less wind or sun.

'Baseload renewable technologies such as waste-to-energy plants, and wave and tidal power also offer reliable sources of renewable energy for periods of high-demand or low generation from other sources due to weather conditions.'