Renewables overtake fossil fuels for first time
Renewables have overtaken fossil fuels as the main source of electricity in Britain for the first time, after a windy season and a slowdown in demand owing to coronavirus. Wind, solar, biomass and hydropower accounted for 44.6 per cent of electricity supplied between January and March, according to data from energy market analysts Enappsys, exceeding fossil fuels by 36 per cent. Renewable energy now provides more than a third of the world’s power.
RENEWABLES have overtaken fossil fuels as the main source of electricity in Britain for the first time, after a particularly windy season and a slowdown in demand owing to coronavirus.
Wind, solar, biomass and hydropower accounted for 44.6 per cent of electricity supply between January and March, according to data from energy market analysts Enappsys, exceeding fossil fuels by 36 per cent.
The figures are the latest milestone for renewable energy, which now provides more than a third of the world’s power.
The particularly windy winter was the main driver behind the change, said Rob Lalor, senior analyst at EnappSys, and contributed to a massive 19 per cent drop in gas-fired generation.
“I had to double-check the figures weren’t wrong,” he said. “The wind just never dropped off all quarter.”
National Grid has a duty to take the cheapest form of electricity at any time, and an abundance of wind drove down prices, increasing its share.
Rebecca Williams, the head of policy at trade body Renewableuk, said the data was “a clear demonstration that renewables are becoming the UK’S main power source, taking over from fossil fuels”.
A drop in demand after the coronavirus lockdown came in also increased the share of renewables.
The lockdown saw an estimated daily drop in demand of around 10 per cent in the last week of March, according to the group, as industry and shops shut down. Evening demand remained relatively stable as families continue their activities at home, but daytime demand dropped by nearly 20 per cent at some points.
The trend is likely to become more stark as the lockdown continues.
While this year’s results for renewables were far above expectations, Mr Lalor said that the trend was likely to continue even in less extreme weather.
“We forecast last year that renewables would overtake fossil fuels this year. This makes that pretty certain.
“As we keep building the big offshore wind farms, we keep getting more power,” he said.
The UK has the world’s biggest offshore wind market and earlier this year the Government dropped an effective ban on onshore wind as part of its drive to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
A steady drop in prices for renewable energy has boosted the industry and led to a decline in new fossil fuel production in Europe.
A report yesterday from the UKbased group Carbon Tracker suggested that nearly half of global coal plants will run at a loss this year.
It warned China against investment in the coal industry as the country seeks to stimulate the economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the UK, gas, previously the biggest single source of energy generation, accounted for 29.1 per cent of electricity generation, nuclear for 15.3 per cent, imports for 7.3 per cent and coal for 3.7 per cent, according to Enappsys.
The output from nuclear plants declined by 15 per cent – continuing a trend as the country’s ageing power stations suffer repeated outages.