The UK received the most electricity from renewable sources in 2023

Renewable energy is becoming the backbone of the UK’s electricity sector. In 2023, renewable energy generated a record percentage of electricity in the UK.

This is evidenced by statistics released by the British government, Renews writes.

For the third time in four years, electricity generation from renewable sources has outpaced fossil fuel production and slightly exceeded previous records.

Renewables provided 46.4% of electricity, a new annual record (compared to 41.5% in 2022). Fossil fuels (mainly gas) accounted for 36.7% of generation, a record low annual figure (in 2022, fossil fuels accounted for 40.8%).

The growth was due to an increase in wind and solar generation capacity, which compensated for slightly less favorable weather conditions.

Wind remained the largest source of clean energy in the UK, generating a record 28.1% of electricity (a record 82.3 TWh) and breaking the 2022 record of 24.7% (80.3 TWh). 17% was generated by offshore wind farms, and over 11% by onshore wind farms.

Wind accounted for more than 60% of all renewable electricity.

“As these record-breaking figures show, renewables are now the backbone of the UK’s electricity system, powering the country as we move from expensive fossil fuels to low-cost electricity and meet our net-zero targets,” commented Renewable UK CEO Dan McGrail. ”The less gas we use, the more protection bill payers have from volatile gas prices, so every clean energy project takes us one step closer to energy independence.