UK renewables generate more than fossil fuels for a quarter for first time

• 4 years ago (2019-10-14)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Renewables 751

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The climate analysts Carbon Brief has announced that the third quarter of 2019 was the first quarter in which renewables generated more electricity than fossil fuels in the UK. Carbon Brief said that during the third quarter, the UK’s wind farms, solar panels, biomass, and hydropower plants generated an estimated total of 29.5 TWh. That is higher than the figure for power stations fired by coal, gas, and oil, which generated 29.1 TWh over the same period.

In the third quarter of 2019, around 40 per cent of UK electricity came from renewables. On a monthly basis, renewables generated more than fossil fuels in both August and September, the first time this has happened in two consecutive months. In addition, during the first three quarters of 2019, renewables generated more than fossil fuels on 103 of the 273 individual days, more than one-third of the days in the year so far.

Earlier this year, Government statistics showed more than half of the UK’s electricity in 2018 was generated from low-carbon sources, with renewables and nuclear providing 52.6 per cent of power generation.

Luke Clark, Director of Strategic Communications for RenewableUK , said that the analysis shows a massive growth in renewable power in the UK. He said that this: “Was great news not just for the environment, but also for consumers, with the cost of offshore wind projects falling to an all-time low, making onshore and offshore wind projects the cheapest largest-scale power sources. The expansion of clean power is set to accelerate in the years ahead, as our offshore wind capacity will more than treble by 2030, generating more than a third of the UK’s electricity. The public wants to see faster action to tackle climate change and meet our net zero emissions target. If Government were to back a range of technologies – like onshore wind and marine renewables – in the same way as it is backing offshore wind, consumers and businesses would be able to fully reap the benefits of the transition to a low carbon economy.”