Some inspiring numbers
There’s a lot going on in renewables right now.
We’re all busy.
So you might have missed the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2016, released at the end of last month.
But its findings are worth a look. If only to remind us that, in the wider context, the shift to clean energy continues.
Here, we’ll let the numbers speak for themselves:
Electricity
- 87%: increase in UK solar PV generation, 2014-15.
- 29%: the increase in electricity generation from renewable sources in the UK between 2014 and 2015
- 5.5%: the change in the contribution of all renewables to UK electricity generation between 2014 and 2015 (up from 19.1% to 24.6%)
- 2.6%: the difference in the amount of electricity generated by renewables and the amount generated by coal in 2015 (24.6% and 22% respectively)
- 30%: the increase in UK offshore wind generation between 2014 and 2015 (when capacity also rose 13%)
- 6.7%: high rainfall drives a record rise in generation from hydro sources, 2014-15
Heat - 1/5: heat derived from renewable sources increased by 20% during 2015
- 26%: increase in the amount of warmth generated by heat pumps in 2015 (after a change in methodology to reflect the diversity of the sector)
- 2,102: the total number of CHP units working to provide low-carbon heat across the UK (a net increase of 21 schemes between 2014 and 2015).
All those numbers mean one thing: whatever happens at Hinkley or with new CCGT or shale gas – according to the UK Government’s own advisors, the shift to renewables HAS to happen. All stats from Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2016.