When it comes to electricity generation in the UK, renewables have surpassed gas for the first time ever, according to new figures released today by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Electricity powered by renewables hit 38.9% of all electricity forms during the third quarter, according to the new figures—just a hair above electricity generated from gas at 38.8%--which had fallen by 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Electricity from nuclear fell to just 18.4% during that period, while coal accounted for just 1% of all electricity—a 61% fall from Q3 2018.
The total electricity generation from all fossil fuels came in at 40.1% of all electricity—a record low for the quarter. Renewables and nuclear, on the other hand, rose to 57.3%--a record high.
For renewables, hydro power saw an increase of 58% year over year for the quarter, and wind power grew too. Solar power, however fell by 2.8%.
All told, renewable electricity capacity hit 46.9 gigawatts for the quarter—an increase of 3.2 GW year on year.
“More goo news on the road to #netzero – between July and Sep this year the UK generated: Record high levels of renewables, Record high levels of low-carbon energy, Record low levels of fossil fuels” a Thursday tweet read from the Dept for BEIS.
The reason for the rise in renewable electricity generation was capacity increases, and favorable weather conditions—something wind, hydro, and solar power rely on.
The record high for renewables and record low for fossil fuels marks the ushering in of a new energy era for the UK, at a time when overall energy demand fell to the lowest quarterly level since BEIS began to publish data, the report said.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
- The Best And Worst Oil Predictions Of 2019
- US Proved Oil & Gas Reserves Hit New Record High
- Have Oil Prices Reached An Inflection Point?
I previously knew that Scotland was far along, so I looked up what's going on there, and the Scottish contribution to the UK mix:
"At the start of 2019, Scotland had 11.0 gigawatts (GW) of installed renewable electricity capacity. Renewable electricity generation in Scotland was 26,708 GWh in 2018, making up 74% of gross electricity consumption. Scottish renewable generation makes up approximately 25% of total UK renewable generation."
I previously knew that Scotland was far along, so I looked up what's going on there, and the Scottish contribution to the UK mix:
"At the start of 2019, Scotland had 11.0 gigawatts (GW) of installed renewable electricity capacity. Renewable electricity generation in Scotland was 26,708 GWh in 2018, making up 74% of gross electricity consumption. Scottish renewable generation makes up approximately 25% of total UK renewable generation."
I previously knew that Scotland was far along, so I looked up what's going on there, and the Scottish contribution to the UK mix:
"At the start of 2019, Scotland had 11.0 gigawatts (GW) of installed renewable electricity capacity. Renewable electricity generation in Scotland was 26,708 GWh in 2018, making up 74% of gross electricity consumption. Scottish renewable generation makes up approximately 25% of total UK renewable generation."