Wind became the largest source of electricity generation in Great Britain for the first year ever in 2024, providing 30% and surpassing gas, which accounted for 26.3%, data from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) showed.
For the first time, renewables generated more than 50% of British electricity for four consecutive quarters, from the fourth quarter of 2023 through the third quarter of 2024, averaging 51% during 2024, NESO said.
The electricity mix last year also included imports -14.1%, nuclear - 14%, biomass - 6.8%, solar - 5%, hydro - 2%, storage - 1.2% and coal - 0.6%. Ratcliffe power station, the UK's last coal-fired power plant, ceased operations on September 30.
Last year, Britain’s electricity system also achieved record low carbon intensity. NESO further highlighted the maximum wind records of 22,243 MW and 22,523 MW set on December 15 and 18, respectively.
December was the windiest month, when 38.9% of electricity came from wind, RenewableUK noted as it hailed the figures.
RenewableUK’s director of Future Electricity Systems, Barnaby Wharton, said the role of wind is set to grow as new projects go live in 2025. “But to meet the Government’s target of clean power by 2030, we will need to maximise the amount of new capacity we secure in every annual auction for Contracts for Difference across all renewable sources. This must include innovative technologies such as floating offshore wind, which we need to scale up fast to maintain our position as a global leader in the international clean energy sector. To make the most of this clean power we also need to add more flexibility into the system. This means building new large scale energy storage and green hydrogen projects,” Wharton added.
