Credit: iStock.com – Tuachanwatthana / Freezingtime
Homegrown UK renewable power will cross a ‘significant threshold’ in 2024, overtaking fossil-fuel generation for a full year for the first time, according to a new report.
The review of UK electricity generation by think tank Ember – based on 11 months of statistics and forecasts for December – says that low carbon renewable power hit a record high.
Renewables – comprising wind, solar and hydropower – generated 103TWh, equating to 37% of UK electricity output. For the first time, they overtook fossil fuels, on 97TWh (35% of total generation).
A decrease in gas-power use of 13% (minus 13TWh) in 2024 was the second-largest annual reduction outside of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the report. The total gas generation of 85TWh was also at its lowest level since 1996.
Wind is close to overtaking gas as the largest single source of UK power. Ember forecasts that it will generate 29% of UK electricity in 2024, totalling 82TWh, just 3TWh less than fossil gas.
