More generation records broken

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a steadily growing electricity generation sector, record amounts of clean electricity were generated by wind power in 2014, according to statistics from National Grid. Wind generated enough electricity to supply the needs of more than 6.7mn UK households last year, a quarter of the total; a 15% increase on the amount generated in 2013 (up from 24.5 terawatt hours to 28.1 TWh in 2014). Wind farms feeding into the grid, as well as single turbines connected to local networks, provided 9.3% of the UK’s total electricity supply in 2014, up from 7.8% in 2013, quotes trade association RenewableUK.

Other records were broken in December, with a new monthly high of 14% of all UK electricity generated by wind, beating the previous record of 13% set in December 2013, as well as a new quarterly record of 12% of electricity from wind in the last three months of 2014.  

Meanwhile, electricity generated in Scotland from renewables accounted for the same as that from fossil fuels in 2013 for the first time. Final 2013 figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that renewables and fossil fuels both accounted for 32% of total electricity generated in Scotland. Scotland also continues to be a net exporter of electricity, exporting a record 28% of generation in 2013.

When taking the electricity exported into consideration, renewable sources of electricity accounted for 44% cent of Scotland’s electricity consumption in 2013 – up from 39% in 2012. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: ‘We remain on track for our targets of 50% of demand by 2015 and 100% by 2020.’