Electricity from green sources rose by 21% in 2014

Electricity generated from renewable sources increased by 21% in 2014 compared to the year before. That’s according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s latest annual UK Energy Statistics. […]

Electricity generated from renewable sources increased by 21% in 2014 compared to the year before.

That’s according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s latest annual UK Energy Statistics.

The report shows the rise accounted for 19.1% of the total UK electricity generation – up from 14.8% in 2013.

This was 7% of energy consumption as a whole in 2014 – an increase from 5.6% in 2013.

Last year, bioenergy accounted for 72.2% of renewable energy, with most of the remainder coming from hydro and wind generation. Wind accounted for 20.3% and hydro 3.7%. Solar increased to 3% last year.

The use of renewable energy grew by 15% between 2013 and 2014 and is now nearly five and a half times the level it was in 2000.

The government recently set out proposals cut subsidies for onshore wind and support for solar and biomass projects to rein in the cost of green energy subsidies.

The report also showed primary energy production fell by 1.7% in 2014 – its lowest rate of fall since 2002.

Production has now fallen each year since 1999 and is now at 38% – an average annual rate of decline of 6.3%.

3rd AUG - UK Production annual growth rate

The report found gross natural gas production increased 0.2% in 2014.

It states: “Although small the increase contrasts with the long term decline in UK natural gas production which has fallen by an average of 8% from the peak production in 2000 to the end of 2013.”

The report went on to say crude oil production in 2014 was 1.8% lower than in 2013, at 40 million tonnes – a 71% fall from its 1999 peak.

It also states coal production fell by 8.1% to a record level in 2014 compared to 2013, following the closure of a number of mines.

RenewableUK’s Director of Policy Dr Gordon Edge said: “The case for supporting wind, onshore and offshore, is backed up by today’s excellent generation statistics as evidence of good progress.

“In the face of this evidence, many will ask why the renewable energy sector has been bombarded by a series of punitive government announcements ever since it took office, including scattergun retrospective changes which will force currently viable energy projects into the red.”

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