Renewable Energy Provided More Than 50% Of UK Electricity In 2024

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Final Up to date on: twenty ninth March 2025, 02:22 am

Key headlines

Renewable technology was a report 144.7 TWh in 2024, up 6.5 per cent from 2023, with new capability greater than offsetting much less beneficial climate circumstances. Elevated technology was pushed by report ranges of technology from bioenergy, wind, and photo voltaic PV.

Renewable’s share of electrical energy technology was 50.8 per cent in 2024the primary time that greater than half of technology has come from renewables. This was the results of development in renewable technology and a fall in nonrenewable technology.

A complete 4.2 GW of capability was added taking the whole put in capability to 60.7 GW, up from 9.3 GW in 2010. The brand new capability was largely made up of wind (1.4 GW offshore and 0.8 GW onshore) and photo voltaic PV (1.6 GW).

Technology for 2024 Quarter 4 was 37.5 TWh, down by 2.6 TWh (6.4 per cent) on 2023 Quarter 4primarily attributable to much less beneficial climate circumstances. Particularly, offshore wind technology was down by 14 per cent on final yr, this was partly right down to decrease common wind speeds within the South East, curtailment and a fault with a subsea export cable early within the quarter. This fall was partly offset by a rise in plant biomass technology.

Renewables share of technology was 48.6 per cent in 2024 Quarter 4, 1.8 share factors down on 2023 Quarter 4.

Chart 6.1 Renewable technology from 2018 (Energy Trends Table 6.1)

Since 2018, renewable technology has elevated by 31 per cent with offshore wind accounting for nearly two thirds of the rise. For the primary time, in 2019, offshore technology overtook onshore and the divergence has continued since then. That is largely attributable to new capability which noticed sturdy development from 2017 onwards. Though offshore capability continues to be decrease than onshore, the hole has closed to simply 0.6 p.c decrease in 2024. It’s capacity to outperform onshore wind technology relative to put in capability is right down to newer, bigger generators put in off the coast. Moreover, wind speeds are sometimes stronger offshore. In 2020, unusually excessive wind speeds and rainfall resulted in a 12 per cent enhance in renewable technology in comparison with 2019, although the next yr climate circumstances reversed and as well as, there have been unusually low solar hours. Though 17 climate circumstances stabilised and new capability was added (notably in offshore wind), general renewable technology development was subdued in 2022 and 2023 largely attributable to decreased output at two giant biomass energy vegetation (output resumed to extra traditional ranges in 2024, see subsequent paragraph for extra info). Chart 6.2 exhibits in additional element the tendencies between 2023 and 2024.

Chart 6.2 Change in renewable technology and capability between 2023 and 2024 (Energy Trends Table 6.1)

Most notable this yr is the excessive enhance in bioenergy technology, up 18 per cent attaining a report in 2024. Though new capability contributed to the expansion, the sharp enhance was principally attributable to plant biomass returning to extra traditional ranges following decreased output at two main vegetation in 2022 and 2023. Though plant biomass stays 1.7 p.c decrease than in 2021, elevated technology from power from waste and anaerobic digestion facilitated the report for general bioenergy. The tendencies in wind technology are totally different between onshore and offshore wind. Though each noticed a rise in capability, solely onshore wind displayed a rise in technology (by 7.6 per cent, in contrast with a 1.5 per cent lower in offshore technology). Trade attributes a fault with a subsea export cable, curtailment, and decrease wind speeds within the South East as contributory components to the autumn in offshore wind technology. General, the rise in onshore wind offset the drop in offshore wind and resulted in a report for general wind technology.

Photo voltaic PV technology additionally achieved a report with a 9.9 per cent enhance in put in capability greater than offsetting fewer solar hours. The 1.6 GW of latest capability was the biggest added since 2016. Hydro technology elevated by 4.1 per cent regardless of a slight lower in rainfall, and no change in capability.

New capability added in 2024 was 4.2 GW, the very best since 2017. Since 2020, new offshore wind has represented nearly half of the whole new put in capability, with photo voltaic PV accounting for 32 per cent and onshore wind, the majority of the rest. New capability for offshore wind included Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) (448 MW) and Moray West (882 MW) in Scotland. Each of those vegetation got here on-line later within the yr so whereas they’ve added 1.3 GW of capability between them, they’re but to have a big affect on technology.

Chart 6.3 Added capability for the main applied sciences (Energy Trends Table 6.1)

In 2024, new wind capability represented simply over half of the whole added capability, the same share to 2023, with offshore wind accounting for nearly two thirds of this. In 2023, new photo voltaic PV capability represented nearly half of the whole, and though development in photo voltaic PV capability for the yr was sturdy (9.9 per cent), in 2024 it made up 39 per cent of latest capability. This was partly attributable to a rise in bioenergy capability.

Whereas offshore wind websites are typically few in quantity however giant scale, the expansion in photo voltaic PV has been dominated by quite a few installations of lower than 50 kW, together with 147,000 new home installations in 2024. These figures could also be lacking some unsubsidised photo voltaic installations beneath 150 kW capability that aren’t registered on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). For extra particulars see the photo voltaic deployment tables (opens in a brand new window).

Within the fourth quarter, 0.8 GW of latest capability was put in, round two thirds of which was accounted for by wind. Photo voltaic PV capability elevated by 1.4 per cent, barely greater than Quarter 3 however lower than the primary two quarters of 2024. There was no new bioenergy capability within the fourth quarter, for the second quarter in a row. The bulk for the yr was put in within the first quarter and included Teesside (plant biomass- 250 MW).

Chart 6.4 Renewables’ share of electrical energy technology — This fall 2023 and This fall 2024 (Energy Trends 6.1)

In 2024 Quarter 4, renewable’s share of technology was 48.6 per cent. This was 1.8 share factors decrease than 2023 Quarter 4, when renewables’ share exceeded 50 per cent for the primary time. This was partially pushed by decrease common wind speeds within the latter a part of the yr, with offshore wind’s share lowering by 2.4 19 share factors and onshore wind’s share by 0.4 share factors. Bioenergy’s share elevated by 1.4 share factors, and Photo voltaic PV’s share was up marginally to 2.3 per cent, however clearly decrease than the summer season peak of 8.9 per cent within the second quarter of the yr

By Will Spry | 0782 519 4608 | renewablesstatistics@energysecurity.gov.uk

Article from UK authorities’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.