In the second quarter (Q2) of 2017, renewable power generation soared to account for nearly a third of the UK’s total energy mix, new research has revealed.
The latest official Government data suggests that the nation’s share of renewable electricity produced an impressive 29.8 per cent of energy in Q2.
Interestingly, coal only accounted for 2.1 per cent of the total energy mix during the same period – representative of a 50 per cent fall over figures recorded during the previous quarter (Q1).
Sector bodies and groups have welcomed the news – which marks yet another win for renewable energy.
It comes shortly after officials announced that £557 million in funding would be opened up to renewable energy projects and organisations in the next set of Government auctions in spring 2019.
James Court, Head of Policy and External Affairs at the UK Renewable Energy Association, said that the new data should be considered “another milestone” for the renewable sector.
He said that the success demonstrated by the Government’s quarterly Energy Trends report had been “facilitated by the rapid fall in cost for renewable technologies such as solar and wind,” which he described as increasingly “effective” methods of new clean power generation.
His comments come after the last round of Government contracts for difference (CfD) auctions revealed that the cost per megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity produced by offshore wind had fallen by approximately half – equating to considerably less than the typical costs associated with nuclear power generation.
Going forward, he said that the Government ought to extend greater support to the UK on its journey towards “a more affordable, flexible, and consumer-focused energy system.”
“The Government must address the policy barriers which have unnecessarily impeded their deployment over the last year and give the industry clarity around how the market will be structured in the 2020s,” he said.
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