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UK-based renewables generated over 90TWh of energy in 2023, which is more than enough to power all of the UK’s 28 million homes, an analysis has found.
According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), generating the same amount of power using gas stations would have required more than 180TWh of gas – the same amount needed to heat more than 15.5 million UK homes.
The figures show that renewable electricity generation, which includes wind, hydro and solar, is up by more than a tenth in 2023 compared to 2019, while gas generation is down by around a quarter.
The UK has committed to decarbonising the entire electricity system by 2035 as part of efforts to reach net zero carbon by 2050. However, a 2023 report from Energy UK warned that the country risks squandering its lead in the renewables sector due to the increased costs of low-carbon projects and “poorly-designed” windfall taxes.
Jess Ralston, the ECIU’s head of energy, said: “Every turn of an offshore wind turbine’s blades reduces our dependence on gas. As the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, we’ll need to import ever greater quantities of gas, undermining our energy independence. The choice for the UK is stark – boost British renewables or import more gas at a price we can’t control.”
The UK currently has a higher gas dependency than any other country in Europe, with 40 per cent of our power and 85 per cent of our home heating using the fuel. According to the International Monetary Fund, this – combined with the UK having the least efficient housing stock in western Europe – has meant UK households have been worst hit by rising energy costs.
Nevertheless, gas generation has fallen by roughly 20-30 per cent in each quarter of 2023 compared to the same quarter in 2019. Falls were seen in other sources too, such as biomass and combined heat and power.
Nuclear and biomass were found to have generated around 60TWh in total over 2023, replacing the gas demand from an estimated 10 million homes.
There are also several large new wind farms in the pipeline such as an £11bn 3GW project led by Germany’s RWE and UAE’s Masdar, which followed the opening of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm yet in October.
However, a contract for difference auction in September for new wind projects failed to attract any bids, which forced the government to raise the price paid for the energy generated by 66 per cent.
There are also ongoing concerns around grid infrastructure and the process to connect to the grid keeping pace with the quick rate of buildout. A report from Centrica found that the UK’s existing connection queue is massively oversubscribed, with many projects forced to wait years before exporting the electricity generated.
National Grid has announced plans to accelerate 10GW of battery storage projects, with 20-30GW more storage capacity expected to connect by 2030 in its most ambitious scenarios.
