Monday 1 August 2022

UK generation mix moves increasingly toward renewables

Renewables continue to bring extra green juices into Britain's grid pushing gas out of the energy mix.

Government data shows renewable electricity generation totalled 38.2TWh in the first quarter of the year, up 9.3% compared to the same period in 2021.

The report suggests this increase was primarily driven by wind farms - wind generation rose by 15%.

Solar increased its generation by 21% in the first three months of the year.

The analysis estimates that low carbon electricity generation represented a 60.4% share of the UK's total generation.

Gas generation fell by 14% to 28TWh between the first quarter of 2021 and 2022.

Jess Ralston, a Senior Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said: "For every megawatt of renewable power this winter, that's basically a megawatt less of gas power we have to source and pay for.

"This trend is only set to continue with recently commissioned wind projects four times cheaper than current gas and new farms coming online every year. This will protect us from gas price shocks in the long term particularly as the North Sea is a declining basin and fracking is so unpopular with voters."