4 | MANE ENERGY | AUGUST 2017
Renewables made up 9% of UK energy consumption
in 2016
total of 9% of all energy consumption (renewables for power, transport and heating) in the UK came from renewable sources in 2016 – the figure easily exceeded the goals for the year. The UK remains on track to meet the 2020
EU targets of 15% renewable energy. Wind and solar electricity generation is up to 16% while the coal industry is down to nearly 11%, down from 36% only two decades ago – at this same time solar and wind energy made up 0.2% of electricity generated. The government has plans to eliminate coal power plants by 2025.
In the first quarter of 2017, renewable energy generated 26% of the total generated in the UK. Onshore wind broke electricity generation records for a three-month period generating 8.3% of UK's electricity to start 2017.
Meanwhile, the worlds renewable energy production also reached record levels in 2016. Of all the renewable capacity added in 2016, solar panels made up 47%, wind with 34% and hydro with 16%. The world, as a whole, generated enough electricity from renewable sources to power every house in the UK, Germany, France and Italy combined.
Renewable energy remains a low-cost option for energy generation as more renewable capacity was added than the total extra capacity from all fossil fuels combined. However, decarbonisation is still not happening quickly enough to meet the targets set by the Paris Agreement on climate change. ■
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