Renewables make up quarter of UK energy generation

Renewable energy made up 25% of UK generation in the third quarter of 2016. That’s according to new government statistics, which suggest the 1.3% rise from the same period the year before was due […]

Renewable energy made up 25% of UK generation in the third quarter of 2016.

That’s according to new government statistics, which suggest the 1.3% rise from the same period the year before was due to increasing renewable capacity, higher wind speeds and rainfall and lower overall electricity generation.

The report breaks down the change over the year-long period into generation types.

Renewable electricity generation rose to 18.8TWh from 18.1TWh, an increase of 4.3% – however, this was more than a fifth lower than the peak quarterly generation of 23.7TWh in the last quarter of 2015.

Onshore wind generation grew by 19.4%, significantly more than offshore wind’s 3.8% increase.

Solar power increased by nearly a third, from 2.7TWh to 3.5TWh, largely as a result of increased capacity. Conversely, bioenergy generation fell by 14.5% due to outages at Drax.

Renewable electricity capacity stood 33.4GW during the same period last year, 3.4GW higher than a year earlier, with strong growth in solar and onshore wind.

Liquid biofuels consumption rose by 6.0%, driven by a 21% increase in biodiesel.

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