Government figures released at the end of March reveal that wind power generated a record amount of electricity in 2018.
The provisional statistics — published in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s quarterly Energy Trends report — show that wind provided a record 17.1% of the UK’s electricity last year (9.1% from onshore wind and 8% from offshore wind, both new annual records).
Overall, renewables generated a record 33.3%, while nuclear provided 19.5%, so low-carbon generation (renewables and nuclear) reached a record 52.8%.
Gas generated 39.4%, and coal generation fell to a record annual low of 5%.
In 2017, wind provided 14.8% of the UK’s electricity (8.6% from onshore wind and 6.2% from offshore wind), and renewables overall provided 29.3%.
RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive Emma Pinchbeck said (
www.renewableuk.com): “These record-breaking figures demonstrate the unstoppable momentum of renewables, with spectacular global cost reductions in onshore and offshore wind, as well as battery storage.
"Wind power in the UK is driving a transformation in energy — to clean, affordable and flexible power that works hand
in hand with exciting technologies of the future, like storage and EVs.
“We need Government to fully recognise that renewables are the future in our energy policy — from fair markets for flexible power and innovation funding for new technologies, to removing the obstacles in the way of our cheapest form of generation: onshore wind.”
BEIS has also released statistics covering the final three months of 2018, showing that renewables generated a quarterly record of 37.1% of the UK’s electricity from October to December.
The report notes that this was “driven by record generation from wind”. Overall, wind generated 21.5% of UK electricity in Q4.