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Britain Hits New Renewable Energy Record

  • Publish Date: Posted over 4 years ago
  • Author: Steve Walia

The UK has achieved a new high for its renewable energy generation thanks to a new record achieved through wind energy, which smashed through its 16 GW previous threshold.

The new record was set in early December, when wind power produced over 40% of the UK's power needs.

According to figures produced by National Grid, both onshore and offshore wind generated over 16 GW, representing 43% of electricity needs. This was over half of the power produced by nuclear power, which was responsible for 20%.

Gas-fired generation was responsible for 13% of the energy mix, and biomass hit 8%. Imported energy was responsible for 7%, coal was 3%, hydro was nearly 2% and finally solar was just over 1%. 

The last record for wind energy production was set in February this year at 15 GW.

A spokesperson for RenewableUK, Luke Clark, the communications director, said that the new clean energy record was a fantastic early Christmas gift for Britain and demonstrated the value of wind energy in a rapidly evolving energy system.

He added that wind was able to keep producing vital energy even at times when the weather was bad and winter storms were in full swing.

The Economist Intelligence Unit produced a new report to show that energy consumption from renewable energy sources is set to spike next year, although the considerable increase will still not be sufficient to meet global climate change goals. 

Renewable funds are also set to be one of the hottest targets for investors in 2020, as green energy projects become increasingly profitable and not just commercially viable. This will certainly be a long way from the days when government subsidies were necessary to get clean energy projects off the ground.