In the first quarter of 2017, renewable’s such as solar, wind and hydro generated more than a quarter of the UK’s electricity setting a new record.
Data which was released by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), revealed that within the first quarter of 2017 renewable’s produced 26.6% of the UK’s electricity demand. In total 24.8 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity came from wind, solar, hydro and other renewable energy sources, which sees the figures rise by more than 5% compared to last year.
Onshore wind generated the most electricity thanks to increased capacity, providing 7.7 TWh which is a 20% increase in comparison to 2016, however offshore wind decreased by 2% to 5 TWh due to lower wind speeds, in total wind generated 12.7 TWh of electricity. Solar power increased by 16% compared to last year, producing 1.7 TWh for the first quarter. Due to low rainfall levels, hydro power decreased by 15%, however still generated more power than solar at 1.8 TWh for the first quarter. Bioenergy increased by 1.4% from 8.5 TWh in 2016 to 8.6 TWh in 2017.
Emma Pinchbeck, Executive Director of RenewableUK said:
“Renewable energy is a mainstream technology, which is cheaper and more advanced than ever. It’s great to see that onshore wind has set a new record producing more electricity than ever at a time of year when we need to most.”
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