Low carbon generation accounted for nearly half of the total UK electricity supply in 2017, according to new government figures.
The provisional energy statistics, published by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department yesterday (22 February) show low carbon generation increased to a record high 47 per cent of supply, up from 42.5 per cent in 2016.
The main factors driving the increased low carbon share were higher wind and solar power generation.
These increases were driven by a combination of higher wind speeds and more installed capacity. Hydro, solar and wind output was up by 27 per cent.
Renewable energy accounted for 23.4 per cent of electricity supplied during the year up from 18.9 per in 2016.
Gas remained the biggest source of generation, although its share fell from 47 per cent to 45.2 per cent of electricity supplied.
Coal saw the biggest drop in consumption from 10.5 per cent in 2016 to 7.8 per cent, with production of the fuel down 27 per cent to a new record low.
Nuclear’s share of the generation mix was unchanged at 23.6 per cent.
Overall primary energy consumption on a fuel input basis decreased by 1.3 per cent. With GDP growing 1.8 per cent during 2017, the ratio between energy consumption and economic output is likely to have fallen by around 2 per cent between 2016 and 2017, according to the statistical release, continuing a long-term decline since the turn of the century.
A more detailed analysis of the energy statistics will be published in Energy Trends on 29 March.