Government confirms renewable energy provided half of the UK's electricity in 2024

UK wind, solar, hydro, and biomass plants collectively generated a record output last year, with renewables providing just over half of the UK's electricity in 2024.

The Department of Energy and Net Zero's (DESNZ) annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics published in July, confirmed electricity generation from renewable technologies reached 50.4% in 2024, an increase from 46.5% the previous year. Onshore and offshore wind output hit record highs, alongside increases in thermal bioenergy generation and hydropower. Despite lower-than-average sun hours in 2024, meaning solar generation dropped slightly from 2023, solar still delivered its second-highest output on record.

Electricity generation from fossil fuels fell 16%, accounting for just 31.8% of Britain's overall power mix. Oil and gas production is now 34% lower than pre-Covid production levels. This was largely due to the closure of Britain's last coal-fired power plant in September 2024 and reductions in oil and gas production in the North Sea. Of the 31.8% of electricity generated by fossil fuels, 30.4% of this was provided by gas-fired power plants, which remain the UK's biggest power generator despite a 15% drop in output from 2023. However, wind is set to soon overtake fossil gas, comprising 29.2% of Britain's power mix last year. The report also sets out that overall UK electricity generation fell 3.1% in 2023, leading to an increased reliance on electricity imports from Europe, with net imports rising by 40% in 2024.

The shift away from fossil fuels highlighted by the report is set to accelerate further over the next few years in pursuit of the government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.