Renewables made up close to a third of electricity in Britain during the second quarter of 2017, breaking the country's previous record (Q1 2017) for the highest percentage of electricity generated from sustainable sources, according to a government report.
Wind energy saw the most growth, with onshore wind rising by 50% (2 terawatt hours) to 6 TWh and offshore wind up by 22% (0.7 TWh) to 4 TWh compared to figures from the same period of last year. This is thanks to an increase in capacity and wind speeds, IFL Science reported.
Electricity generation from biodegradable waste has also grown dramatically. Over the past year, it has risen by 30% to provide the country with 0.8 TWh.
Hydro saw the least growth. After an exceptionally dry year, hydro-generated electricity dropped by 12.4 percentage points to 0.8 TWh.
While the share of electricity output met by renewables is at a record high, the total amount generated in Q2 (April to June) is lower than in Q1 (January to March). But this is to be expected, as electricity usage tends to drop as temperatures rise.
"It’s terrific to see that nearly a third of Britain’s electricity is now being generated by renewables, with wind power leading the way," said Emma Pinchbeck, executive director for Renewable UK, in a statement. "Britain’s renewable energy sector is an industrial success story, attracting investment, creating new jobs, and powering our economy."
The European Union's goal is to generate 20% of its energy (not just electricity) from renewable sources by 2020.
Britain has been set a target of 15% and, as of 2015, it is achieved 8.2%. To give that some perspective, it puts Britain in the bottom four of the EU-28 countries. That same year, it produced 22.4% of its electricity from renewables.
