Renewables generated 25% of UK’s electricity in 2015

Electricity generated from renewable sources increased by 29% in 2015. That’s according to new data released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which added 25% of […]

Electricity generated from renewable sources increased by 29% in 2015.

That’s according to new data released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which added 25% of power was generated by green sources in the UK.

In total, renewables accounted for 8.3% of energy consumption last year.

Nuclear generated 21% of the country’s electricity during the same period.

Among fossil fuels, natural gas accounted for 30% of the UK’s power while oil rose by 13.4% compared to 2014.

However, coal production dropped by 26% following the closure of mines and an increase in low carbon sources. Demand for coal also decreased by 23%, the report stated.

Overall, primary energy consumption rose by 9.6% and final usage rose by 0.4%, reflecting the cooler weather last year.

BEIS added: “The domestic sector was the largest electricity consumer in 2015 (108.2TWh) while the industrial sector consumed 92.3TWh and the service sector consumed 97.8TWh. Industrial consumption fell by 0.4%, while domestic consumption fell by 0.2%.”

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