UK hits record 42% of renewable electricity consumption in 2020 with 12% bio

February 1, 2021 |

In the UK, a record 42% of the UK’s electricity was generated by renewables in 2020, compared to 41% by fossil fuels. Nuclear plants generated the remaining 17%.

This was mainly driven by an increase in wind power. For the first time, a quarter (24%) of the UK’s electricity was generated by wind turbines in 2020, doubling its share since 2015 and up from 20% in 2019.

While wind showed impressive growth, solar and hydro were unchanged since last year, making up only 4% and 2% of the UK’s electricity production respectively. This is the second year running that solar has remained stagnant, reflecting the lack of a supportive policy environment for the technology.

Bioenergy generated 12% of the UK’s electricity in 2020, posting slight growth since 2019. However, bioenergy is a much higher risk source of renewable electricity – for both climate and environmental outcomes – than the other sources such as wind and solar. Further wind and solar growth will enable the UK to stop burning wood for power.

Category: Fuels

Thank you for visting the Digest.