Electricity generated by renewable technologies rose by 6.5% in 2024, accounting for 50.8% of the VK electricity generation.
The annual energy trend report of the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) shows that electricity generation has achieved a record 144.7WH from renewable technologies, good for more than half of the generation for the first time ever.
The generation of fossil fuels fell by 16%, accounting for 31.5% of electricity generation and achieved levels that were last seen according to Desnz in the 1950s. This was due to a decrease in gas generation of 15% and the termination of the generation of stone cabbage in the second half of the year.
The overall dependence on fossil fuels in 2024 – including heating, transport – dropped by 1.9% compared to 2023 and, with 75%, a record low since the energy trend reports have been published.
The total electricity generation in the UK had fallen, which fell by 2.6% to 285 TWH. This followed a decrease in 2023 that brought the generation to the lowest value since 1983. The demand for electricity had risen, but this was assumed by import.
Input of net electricity increased by 40% in 2024 and reached a record 33.4 TWH.
Renewable electricity generation
In 2024, slightly higher average wind speeds than the year prior to, combined with an increase in capacity, electricity generated by wind rise by 2.1% to a record 84.1 TWH. The share of the total generation by onshore and offshore wind was 29.5%, an increase of 1.4% compared to 2023.
The generation of solar energy rose by 6.5% to 14.8 TWh, a new record high in the period recorded by the government. This is the result of an increased capacity, which means that an increase despite the fact that the average daily sun hours in 2024 were lower than the previous year.
Desnz recently also announced that the UK had surpassed 18 GW of solar capacity. The 1.6GW added in 2024 was the largest added since 2016.
Renewable capacity added in 2024
The total increase in the capacity of renewable energy in 2024 was 4.2 GW, the highest since 2017. Desnz said that offshore wind has represented almost half of the annual new capacity since 2020, with solar PV for 32% and onshore wind for the bulk of the rest.
Although offshore windplaces are large and therefore a few in number, the growth in solar PV is dominated by installations under 50 kW, including 147,000 new domestic installations in 2024.
The Full version of this article was originally published about our sister publication, Current ± news.
