From January to March, renewable energy in the UK reached a new record level, according to official figures produced by the government. In fact, the generated electricity represented over a quarter (26pc) of the total amount generated in Britain during the quarter.

The total green energy electricity volume was around 24.8 TWh, which derived from solar, wind, hydro and other clean energy technologies and represents a 5pc year-on-year increase.

Onshore wind also set a fresh record for the period, generating an impressive 8.3pc of the UK's total electricity needs. When low-carbon sources that include nuclear energy are factored into the figure, renewable and clean energy represented just under half of the total amount used at 45.6pc.

RenewableUK said in a statement that clean energy is now mainstream and increasingly advanced in nature, allowing cost savings to be realised. They pointed to the innovative nature of the industry, which had now developed to a stage where it was possibly to reliably provide Britain with over a quarter of its electricity needs from clean sources.

Executive Director Emma Pinchbeck said that it was particularly promising to see the new record from onshore wind, which produced greater levels of power at a time when it was most needed. This particular record was also achieved despite the wind speeds being lower than in 2016. However, overall capacity increases compensated for the shortfall.

Government figures found that onshore wind grew to 7.7 TWh in Jan to March of this year, which was the highest recorded across the clean energy technologies. Solar grew by 15pc to 1.7TWh in the same quarter, from just 1.5TWh in the previous year. The figures show that renewable energy is continuing to grow in importance and help phase out damaging fossil fuels for good.