More UK electricity was generated by renewable sources in the third quarter of 2019 than at any other time since the Industrial Revolution, research from Carbon Brief has revealed.
Published today (14 October) the research found that renewables generated an estimated total of 29.5 terawatt hours (TWh), compared with just 29.1TWh from fossil fuels.
The quarter is the first time renewables have overtaken fossil fuels since the UK’s first public electricity generating station opened in 1882.
In total 39 per cent of UK electricity generation was from fossil fuels, including 38 per cent from gas and less than 1 per cent from coal and oil combined.
This is compared to 40 per cent from renewables which consisted of 20 per cent wind, 12 per cent biomass and 6 per cent from solar. Nuclear contributed most of the remainder, the report added.
The increase is attributed to the rise in renewable capacity as new offshore windfarms have opened.
Carbon Brief cited the 1,200MW Hornsea One project and the 588MW Beatrice offshore windfarm, with the two schemes adding more than 2,100MW of offshore capacity.
In total, government contracts for offshore wind will take capacity from nearly 8,500MW today to around 20,000MW by the mid-2020s.
The government and industry are jointly aiming for at least 30,000MW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, with two further contract auctions already expected.
Despite the good news, the report does warn that a lack of progress in other areas of the economy means the UK is “far off track” in meeting its upcoming carbon targets, let alone the 2050 net-zero goal.
Responding to the report energy and clean growth minister Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The UK is a world leader in renewables, and hitting our first quarter ever with more renewables than fossil fuels on the grid is proof of that.
“It’s also yet another milestone on our path towards ending our contribution to climate change altogether by 2050.
“Already, we’ve cut emissions by 40 per cent while growing the economy by two thirds since 1990. Now, with more offshore wind projects on the way at record low prices we plan to go even further and faster in the years to come.”
Lawrence Slade, chief executive of Energy UK, said: “This research confirms how the power sector has been world-leading in reducing the UK’s emissions, delivering benefits for the economy, the environment and customers with renewable and zero-carbon sources growing to the point where they will meet the majority of our electricity demand this year and in to the future.
“But new records should not mask the fact that we have much further to go – not just in power generation but in other areas like heating and transport.
“Our industry is ready to continue to play a pivotal role in decarbonising our economy but we urgently need the government to back up its net zero pledge with the policies and plans that will enable us to deliver.”
Meanwhile RenewableUK’s director of strategic communications Luke Clark said: “The massive growth of renewable power in the UK is great news not just for the environment, but also for consumers.
“The cost of new offshore wind projects, for example, has just fallen to an all-time low, making onshore and offshore wind our lowest-cost large scale power sources.
“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.”