Another record year for UK renewables, but growth may now be ‘stalled’

National Grid ESO is the business within the National Grid Group that balances supply and demand for electricity in Great Britain second by second. May saw a record 9,550 MW of power produced by solar panels, while June saw over 18 days of coal-free operations for the ESO – the longest period without coal being burnt for electricity generation since the industrial revolution. 

On 17 August the carbon intensity of electricity generation dropped to a record low of 57 gCO2/kWh, with low carbon sources generating 87% of the nation’s power – making this the ‘greenest day’ for the electricity system since that revolution. 

To finish the year, at the beginning of December, the tail end of Storm Atiyah saw wind power generate a record 16,873 MW, roughly 45% of the country’s electricity, added National Grid ESO. 

National Grid ESO Director Fintan Slye said: ‘Our number one priority is running an efficient system in the best interests of consumers, but we are proud to have played our part delivering these records too. As we move towards our ambition of operating carbon-free by 2025, we expect more milestones in the years to come.’ 

Yet, the website Carbon Brief pointed to what it called a ‘stalling’ of the growth of renewable electricity in 2019, reporting that low carbon electricity output from wind, solar, nuclear, hydro and biomass rose by just 1 TWh, less than 1% in 2019. 

This represents the smallest annual increase in a decade, in which annual growth averaged a more impressive 9 TWh. This growth will need to double in the 2020s to meet UK climate targets while replacing old nuclear plants as they retire, says Carbon Brief. 

Nevertheless, some 54% of UK electricity generation in 2019 came from low carbon sources, including 37% from renewables and 20% from wind alone. A record low 43% was from fossil fuels, with 41% from gas and just 2% from coal, also a record low. By contrast, a decade ago in 2010, fossil fuels generated 75% of the total. 

The analysis of UK electricity generation in 2019 is based on figures from BM Reports and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, says Carbon Brief. The numbers differ from those published by National Grid, which were for electricity supplied in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland), including via imports from other countries.

The National Grid ESO Carbon Intensity website (carbonintensity.org.uk) shows the carbon intensity and generation mix of electricity consumed regionally across Great Britain, as well as showing users when electricity is at its cleanest.