Over a year ago, on the 7th June 2017, the UK witnessed an energy record where renewables provided more than half of all electricity for the first time. On this day, power from wind, solar, hydro and wood pellet burning supplied 50.7% of the UK’s energy.
This year a new energy record has been set. The start of 2018 saw Britain’s windfarms generate more electricity across three months than its eight nuclear power stations. Wind power produced 18.8% of the UKs energy needs from January to March with nuclear close behind at 18.76%. This marks the first time that wind power has overtaken nuclear power across a quarter.
Reaching this milestone has been hailed as a positive sign that the UK’s electrical system is moving towards a future of cheap, domestic, green energy. However, government policy changes have resulted in a collapse of green energy investment since 2015. This includes a drop in annual investment by over 50% in 2017. Consequently, there is now a real threat to the government’s ability in meeting legally binding climate change targets.
(Source: The Guardian)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/16/wind-power-overtakes-nuclear-for-first-time-in-uk-across-a-quarter