Government reveals rise in 'green' electricity generation
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Figures released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that electricity generated by renewable energy rose in 2009 to 6.6 per cent, with wind accounting for 37 per cent of that total.
Total electricity generation from all renewable sources in 2009 was 25,222GWh, 17 per cent higher than in 2007, and installed capacity for renewable generation reached 8GW at the end of 2009, compared with 6.8GW in 2008.
The report further states that in 2009 the percentage of UK electricity sales that were from sources eligible for the Renewables Obligation (RO) was 6.6 per cent, up from 5.3 per cent in 2008.
Biomass sources are said to have grown by 14.5 per cent. Within this total, landfill gas, which comprises 47 per cent of biomass generation, increased by four per cent. Total biomass generation accounted for 44 per cent of all renewable electricity generation in 2009.
Generation from onshore wind grew by 31 per cent and generation from offshore wind grew by 33 per cent, with wind generation accounting for 37 per cent of total renewable electricity generation. Hydro generation increased by two per cent and formed 21 per cent of the renewable electricity generation mix.
A full set of renewables statistics will appear in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics, which will be published on 29 July 2010.
Readers' comments (6)
Brian Pollard | 28 Jun 2010 1:57 pm
Oh goody - in 360 years time the UK will have 100% renewable energy.
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Anonymous | 28 Jun 2010 2:06 pm
The figures look good on paper but in reality wind turbines only work around 1/3 time therefore we have to have an equivalent surplus of conventional generation capacity to make up for their down time and they also have to be powered on occasion to prevent brunelling of the turbine bearings.
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P Field | 28 Jun 2010 2:13 pm
And they also have to be shut down on occasions when too much wind is blowing at off-peak times!
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Sen Can | 28 Jun 2010 2:30 pm
Wind: It is known that noisy high towers needed for wind turbines and as Brian mentioned above the duration they run,
Sun: Environmental problems of photo-voltaic collectors, high cost of parabolic collectors, low efficiency of all.
Why are UK and US spending big money in subsidising the fruitless efforts instead of working on Natural gas foperated cars (many of them out there but not subsidised), and Hydrogen technology that many of us believe that is the best?
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Robin Brand | 28 Jun 2010 2:40 pm
The figure of 6.6% in your headline appears to be completely wrong according to the figures in your table - if the percentage of electricity from renewable sources has risen from 5.4 to 6.6%, that is a rise of about 1.2/5.4 = 22%, other things being equal.
Perhaps the headline should have read "to 6.6%"?
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Rita G | 28 Jun 2010 8:40 pm
It's not the whole story either. Note this direct quote from the DECC publication 'Energy Trends June 2010': "Wind, hydro and other renewables supplied 6½ per cent less electricity than in the same period
last year, with hydro down 44 per cent as a result of less rainfall. Wind, hydro and other renewables accounted for 6 per cent of the total generation." It is worrying that political leaders seem to underestimate the intermittency of renewables.
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