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Released April 18, 2016 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Renewable energy continued its rapid growth in the U.K. last year, accounting for almost a quarter of all electricity generated.
For 2015, renewable energy supplied a record 24.7% of all electricity, an increase of 5.6 percentage points on 19.1% recorded in 2014, according to provisional figures released by the government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). For the year, 35% of renewables generation came from bioenergy, 28% from onshore wind, 21% from offshore wind and 7.6% from hydro. A further 9.1% was generated by solar photovoltaics (PV), compared to 6.3% in 2014.
Renewable electricity capacity stood at 30 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, a 22% increase from 2014. For the last quarter of 2015, renewables accounted for 26.9%, up 5% from fourth-quarter 2014, which reflected high renewable generation on low overall generation.
Taken together, wind energy supplied the bulk of the country's renewable energy, with 49% from both offshore and onshore sources. Offshore wind generation grew by 30% in 2015, from 13.4 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2014 to 17.4TWh. Onshore increased by 24% from 18.6TWh to 23.0TWh in the same period.
Hydro generation increased by 7.4% from a year earlier, from 5.9TWh to a record 6.3TWh, with rainfall levels in the main hydro areas jumping by 17.5%.
Generation from bioenergy increased by 28% last year, from 22.7TWh in 2014 to a record 29TWh. The amount from plant biomass increased by 44%, largely due to the full conversion of a third unit at the Drax Group plc power plant from coal to biomass in July 2015.
The U.K.'s continued strong growth in renewables is reflected in a global trend towards more renewable investment. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has just reported that renewable power generation capacity grew 8.3% -- or 152 -GW --in 2015, the highest rate ever recorded. Its Renewable Capacity Statistics 2016 report found that as of the end of 2015, 1,985 -GW of renewable generation capacity existed globally.
"Renewable energy deployment continues to surge in markets around the globe, even in an era of low oil and gas prices," said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. "Falling costs for renewable energy technologies, and a host of economic, social and environmental drivers are favouring renewables over conventional power sources. This impressive growth, coupled with a record $286 billion invested in renewables in 2015, sends a strong signal to investors and policymakers that renewable energy is now the preferred option for new power generation capacity around the world."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
For 2015, renewable energy supplied a record 24.7% of all electricity, an increase of 5.6 percentage points on 19.1% recorded in 2014, according to provisional figures released by the government's Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). For the year, 35% of renewables generation came from bioenergy, 28% from onshore wind, 21% from offshore wind and 7.6% from hydro. A further 9.1% was generated by solar photovoltaics (PV), compared to 6.3% in 2014.
Renewable electricity capacity stood at 30 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2015, a 22% increase from 2014. For the last quarter of 2015, renewables accounted for 26.9%, up 5% from fourth-quarter 2014, which reflected high renewable generation on low overall generation.
Taken together, wind energy supplied the bulk of the country's renewable energy, with 49% from both offshore and onshore sources. Offshore wind generation grew by 30% in 2015, from 13.4 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2014 to 17.4TWh. Onshore increased by 24% from 18.6TWh to 23.0TWh in the same period.
Hydro generation increased by 7.4% from a year earlier, from 5.9TWh to a record 6.3TWh, with rainfall levels in the main hydro areas jumping by 17.5%.
Generation from bioenergy increased by 28% last year, from 22.7TWh in 2014 to a record 29TWh. The amount from plant biomass increased by 44%, largely due to the full conversion of a third unit at the Drax Group plc power plant from coal to biomass in July 2015.
The U.K.'s continued strong growth in renewables is reflected in a global trend towards more renewable investment. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has just reported that renewable power generation capacity grew 8.3% -- or 152 -GW --in 2015, the highest rate ever recorded. Its Renewable Capacity Statistics 2016 report found that as of the end of 2015, 1,985 -GW of renewable generation capacity existed globally.
"Renewable energy deployment continues to surge in markets around the globe, even in an era of low oil and gas prices," said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. "Falling costs for renewable energy technologies, and a host of economic, social and environmental drivers are favouring renewables over conventional power sources. This impressive growth, coupled with a record $286 billion invested in renewables in 2015, sends a strong signal to investors and policymakers that renewable energy is now the preferred option for new power generation capacity around the world."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
