https://cleantechnica.com/2019/01/09/uk-electricity-generation-falls-to-1994-levels-as-renewable-generation-soars/
[links and images in online article]
UK Electricity Generation Falls To 1994 Levels As Renewable Generation Soars
January 9th, 2019 by Joshua S Hill
A new analysis from UK-based website Carbon Brief has found that
electricity generation in the United Kingdom last year fell to its
lowest level since 1994, while at the same time, renewable energy
electricity generation increased to another record high and accounted
for an estimated 33% in 2018.
Carbon Brief can be relied upon to provide regular analysis of the UK’s
electricity systems in addition to its news coverage of global climate
science, climate policy, and energy policy. The site is dedicated to
“improve the understanding of climate change, both in terms of the
science and the policy response” and, earlier this month, published an
analysis of UK electricity generation data from BM Reports, Sheffield
Solar, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
(BEIS).
Specifically, according to Carbon Brief, a total of 335 terawatt-hours
(TWh) of electricity was generated in the United Kingdom in 2018, down
slightly on the 339 TWh generated in 2017. The last time levels were
this low was 1994, when total electricity generation amounted to 326
TWh, which was followed a year later by 337 TWh.
Electricity generation in the UK in 2018 fell by 63 TWh, or 16%, from
2005 levels despite the fact the UK population increased by 10% over the
same period. Further, according to Carbon Brief, if per capita
electricity generation had continued at 2005 levels, then the total in
2018 would have measured 439 TWh, meaning that the country has saved 103
TWh relative to constant per capita generation.
Similarly, UK electricity generation continues to track away from
traditional economic orthodoxy, which states a growing economy must be
matched by a growing use of electricity. In fact, as can be seen below,
the break between generation and GDP split decades ago, in 1980, since
when the economy has expanded more than two-fold.
At the same time as this decoupling is taking place, so too is a
significant decline in the use of fossil fuels — especially coal, which
has taken a hard nosedive ever since 2012 (see below). Low-carbon
sources accounted for a record 53% of the total electricity generated in
2018, according to Carbon Brief, a new record thanks in large part to
strong growth in the UK’s wind sector, which increased by 16% to
generate 58 TWh in 2018. Offshore wind capacity nearly doubled over the
course of 2018 and more are set to open in 2019, while solar generation
increased by 11% to reach 13 TWh in 2018.
In response to Carbon Brief’s analysis, the UK’s renewable energy
industry crowed at the pace of growth seen in 2018, and the continued
decline of fossil fuels. The following comments were provided via email
upon request to CleanTechnica.
“We’ve seen an absolutely astonishing increase of 16% in the amount of
electricity generated by wind in 2018,” said RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief
Executive Maf Smith.
“Wind technology is advancing so fast, and costs are dropping so
rapidly, that we were able to install a record 2 gigawatts of new
offshore wind in 2018 – enough to power more than 2,300,000 homes a
year, smashing the previous record of 1GW. We’re looking forward to the
next auction for new power in which we expect offshore wind costs to
fall even further, which will benefit consumers.
“A record one-third of the UK’s electricity is now coming from
renewables, and fossil fuels are continuing to decline. This is one of
the best examples of our country taking real action against climate
change and we can all be proud of it. More than 50% of the UK’s power
now comes from low carbon sources thanks particularly to growth of
onshore and offshore wind, which is a great way to start 2019, but we
need to continue building renewables in the years ahead to maximise our
natural resources.” – Smith
“Carbon Brief’s analysis highlights some very welcome developments for
both energy efficiency and renewables in 2018, and shows that solar,
wind, and other technologies are no longer a niche alternative but are
in fact contributing towards a substantial chunk of the energy mix.
They’ve also brilliantly highlighted the value of demand reduction,”
said Jack Dobson-Smith from the UK’s Solar Trade Association.
“We saw another record-breaking year for solar PV last year, with a new
daily output record peaking at 9.42GW at 11:30am on May 14, and a new
weekly output record producing 533GWh between June 21 and 28. We hope to
see more record-breaking in 2019 and beyond, with a slew of new
large-scale solar projects in the pipeline. However, these super figures
unfortunately disguise the paltry deployment of new solar capacity in
2018 with only an estimated 200MW deployed.
“It is imperative that Government tackles the key barriers facing all
sub-markets in the solar industry and brings about a level playing field
in 2019. Fair treatment will greatly benefit consumers.”
“As far as the climate is concerned, the important thing is not only
using more and more renewables, but also less and less fossil fuels, and
energy efficiency has done just as much as clean generation to reduce
emissions from the power sector,” added Mel Evans, Energy Campaigner for
Greenpeace UK. “And it’s done so with none of the fanfare, or the
controversy. Loft lagging and better designed fridges might not have the
big kit glamour of new power stations, but they quietly and cheaply get
on with doing the same vital work. If Liz Truss is serious about getting
the most bang for the government’s buck when cutting emissions, she
should recommend a lot more support for efficiency measures.”
“The UK’s extraordinary progress on growing the economy while lowering
electricity use is the result of the most successful, and least well
known, European energy efficiency policy, called the Ecodesign
Directive,” concluded Dustin Benton, Policy Director at the UK’s Green
Alliance. “Over the past decade or so, it’s been staggeringly
successful: over a decade, refrigerators cut energy use by a third, and
lighting energy demand has fallen by nearly 80%. It’s the reason why UK
energy bills have fallen in real terms, and has helped low carbon power
become the backbone of the UK’s electricity mix.”