A new government report by the UK’s Department of Energy And Climate Change shows that the country has reached a record high in the amount of energy it derives from renewable sources. In the second quarter of 2013, a full 15.5% of the country’s electricity came from renewables – a jump of 5.8% compared to the same period last year.
Near half of the UK’s energy came from wind farms, at 48%. Onshore wind farms increased their energy output by 70% compared to last year, and offshore wind increased by 51%. Other renewable sources examined in the report include solar power, hydroelectric power, and energy from biological sources like landfills, food waste, and animal biomass. This is the second time this year that the UK has broken a record for the amount of renewable energy generated.
“This confirms what we have been seeing for some time, which is renewables steadily becoming more important in meeting our electricity needs, and wind being responsible for the lion’s share of the progress, said Maf Smith, the Deputy Executive of RenewableUK who praised the report. That this period coincided with one of the coldest springs on record means that wind was providing this power at a crucial time.
“The fact that we have seen the record for renewables generation broken twice in the space of a few months shows for itself the progress being made in the race to decarbonise our economy and secure our future electricity supply.”
Via Celsias
