Published: 15 Feb 2021, 13:25
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Image: Andreas Gücklhorn (Unsplash).
Solar and wind generated 30% of Britain’s electricity in 2020 according to Drax’s latest Electric Insights report.
This was an increase of a sixth on 2019, with solar and wind suppling over 100TWh of electricity.
Last year was a bumper year for solar generation, breaking a number of records including peak generation hitting a high in April of 9.68GW. Similarly, wind had much to celebrate in 2020, including output hitting an instantaneous peak of over 17.4 GW according to Drax’s report.
Collectively renewables generated more than fossil fuels for the first time last year, with Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, lead author of the quarterly Electric Insights report 2020, hailing it as a step “closer to the power system of the future”.
The UK Set A Brand New Record For Electricity Generated By Wind Power This Week
Over half of the UK’s energy came from wind power on Boxing Day.
According to Drax Electric Insights, which tracks energy use in the UK, wind power accounted for 50.68% (15.06 gigawatts) of the UK’s total energy use on Boxing Day, December 26. Of that, 58.82% came from onshore wind farms, and the remaining 41.18% from offshore wind power, and resulted in the first day ever that wind power provided half the UK’s electricity needs over a 24-hour period. (Although unfortunately, I keep typing it “wine power”, perhaps because that was what powered me this Boxing Day.)
On the same day, nuclear power generated 21.1 per cent of Britain s electricity, while fossil gas provided 14.6 per cent. Wind generated 15.06 gigawatts.
In comparison, on Boxing Day 2019, the wind produced 32.94 per cent of electricity, equating to 10.02 GW of the electricity on the grid.
The previous record was set on 21 August where a touch beyond 50 per cent of electricity was generated.
Storm Bella created havoc over much of the UK with wind speeds reaching up to 100mph
This was due to a number of weather events in August with Storm Ellen hitting the UK from the 19th to 21st.
The news comes as there is a renewed focus on sustainable energy from both experts and the Government.