Renewables overtook fossil fuels for first time in 2020

Renewables furnished a bigger share of UK electricity generation than fossil fuels for the first full year ever in 2020, according to new government statistics.

The latest edition of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)’s Energy Trends, published today (25 March) shows that renewables generated 42.9 per cent of the UK’s electricity and fossil fuels 38.5 per cent over the year.

Stormy conditions in the spring of 2020 helped to push renewable generation to record levels with offshore wind generation accounting for most of the increase. The 38.5 per cent proportion of electricity generated by fossil fuels was a record low and down from 75.4 per cent in 2010.

This strong performance continued into the final quarter of the year when, while down from record levels reached earlier in 2020, renewables continued to provide a greater share of generation than fossil fuels.

The overall reduction in electricity use also contributed to the increased share accounted for by renewables as reduced demand led to gas-fired plants being switched off.

The year also saw offshore windfarms outstrip their onshore counterparts for the first time.

Despite low output from nuclear, the strong performance by renewables pushed low carbon generation up to a record 59 per cent share of the total.

However the slow-down in the growth of renewable capacity, which BEIS figures show began in mid-2019, continued during 2020. Less than 1GW (two per cent) of renewable was added during the year, the lowest percentage increase seen since 2010 and well below the average growth of almost 20per cent during the preceding ten years.

No new offshore wind capacity, which had previously seen large increases, was added in the second half of the year.

Energy consumption

Overall energy consumption was down ten per cent across 2020 compared to the previous year. While energy requirements for industry and services, like shops and offices, fell by eight per cent compared to 2019, domestic demand was up two per cent.

This subdued level of demand continued into the fourth quarter of 2020 with consumption down eleven per cent per cent on the same period in 2019, driven by reduced transport and commercial demand.

Demand for gas electricity generation fell by 14 per cent due to the combination of reduced demand for electricity and increased renewables output.

Despite warmer weather during the year, stay-at-home orders fuelled a 0.8 per cent increase in domestic demand for gas to 301 TWh.

Overall consumption of electricity was 281 TWh in 2020, a decrease of 4.7per cent on 2019, driven by a nine per cent and 10.4 per cent drop in demand from industrial and other non-domestic users respectively.

Domestic consumption increased by four per cent meanwhile.  The total electricity generated in 2020 was 313 TWh, 3.7 per cent less than in 2019.

Commenting on the statistics, RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive Melanie Onn said: “Today’s record-breaking figures, set despite the pandemic, show that renewables are keeping this country reliably powered up during the most challenging period any of us have faced for many decades.”