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Renewables have replaced coal as the predominant source of electricity generation for the first time in the UK, annual government figures have revealed.
Renewable energy accounted for 25 per cent of the UK’s electricity in 2015, compared to 22 per cent from coal.
Statistics show electricity from renewables last year increased by 29 per cent compared with 2014, while coal dropped by 30 per cent.
Nearly half of the total renewable generation was from wind alone (48 per cent) and the contribution of offshore wind grew by 30 per cent in 2015, while onshore wind grew 23 per cent.
Renewable UK deputy chief executive Maf Smith welcomed the news, saying: “The government took the right decision when it announced the phasing out of coal. Now we can see renewable energy filling the gap, replacing old technology with new. 2015 was the first year that renewables outperformed coal.
“A quarter of Britain’s power is now coming from wind, wave and tidal power and other renewable energy sources. Renewables are now part of our energy mainstream, helping us modernise the way we keep the lights on by building new infrastructure for the generations to come.”
The government’s poll on the public’s views on energy was also published today and found that 76 per cent of people support renewable energy generation.
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