July, August, and September of 2019 represent the first-ever quarter where renewables outpaced fossil fuels since the UK’s first public electricity generating station opened in 1882! According to an analysis by Carbon Brief, renewables generated an estimated total of 29.5 terawatt hours (TWh), compared with just 29.1TWh from fossil fuels during these months.
This great achievement is yet another symbolic milestone in the stunning transformation of the UK’s electricity system over the past decade. The fact that renewable energy sources provided more electricity to UK homes and businesses than fossil fuels means the UK is on its way to becoming a carbon-free society.
At the beginning of the year, the National Grid had made a prediction stating that 2019 would be the first year since the Industrial Revolution that zero-carbon electricity – renewables and nuclear – overtakes gas and coal-fired power. Now, that prediction has come true!
Carbon Brief wrote in a report of the analysis:
There have already been nearly as many higher renewable days in the first three quarters of 2019, at 103, as there were in the whole of 2018, which saw 107 such days. There were only 58 such days in 2017, just 16 in 2016 and 12 in 2015. The first ever day when UK renewables generated more electricity than fossil fuels was 11 April 2015.
The biggest reason for the rise in renewable generation has been an increase in wind power from new wind farms opening. The launch of the world’s largest offshore wind farm – the Hornsea One project – off the coast of Yorkshire in February definitely helped nudge renewables past fossil fuels. As well as the opening of the Beatrice wind farm off the north-east coast of Scotland over the summer. Together these schemes almost doubled the 2,100MW worth of offshore capacity.
Overall, wind power is the UK’s strongest source of renewable energy, making up 20% of the electricity generated. The second runner up is renewable biomass plants contributing 12% to the energy system, while solar panels came in third contributing 6%.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the minister for energy and clean growth, said:
The renewables record is yet another milestone on our path towards ending our contribution to climate change altogether by 2050. Already, we’ve cut emissions by 40% 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.
Luke Clark, of Renewable UK, said the industry plans to triple the size of its offshore wind sector by 2030. That should generate more than a third of the UK’s electricity, easy. The Guardian reports: “Under the Labour party’s plans for Green Industrial Revolution the offshore wind industry would grow five-fold in a decade, with the addition of an extra 37 giant offshore windfarms and 70,000 new jobs.”
Less than ten years ago fossil fuels – gas and coal – made up 80% of the country’s electricity. Now, coal-fired power is less than 1% of all electricity generated revealed the latest analysis. This is because British coal plants are shutting down ahead of a 2025 ban. Only four coal plants will remain in the UK by next spring: The West Burton A and Ratcliffe-on-Soar plants in Nottinghamshire, Kilroot in Northern Ireland and two generation units at the Drax site in North Yorkshire, which are earmarked for conversion to burn gas.
As far as the rest of the shares of fossil fuels in the energy system go, gas-fired power is the highest making up 38% of UK’s electricity last quarter, while nuclear power is second providing slightly less than 25%.
According to Renewable UK, the growth of the renewables industry is not only good for the environment, but it’s good news for energy bills, as well! “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,” Clark said. “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.”
