Analysis has shown that UK renewables generated more electricity than gas-fired power stations this winter. Enough clean power was produced to power every UK home through the winter which helped to significantly reduce gas imports.
The new report details how record renewables generation provided the ‘backbone’ of the electricity system and displaced expensive gas imports this winter.
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit’s (ECIU) latest Winter Power Tracker has confirmed that wind, solar and hydro generated 47TWh of energy, a year-on-year increase of 4TWh, between 1 October 2022 and 28 February 2023 which is enough to power all UK homes throughout the winter or over half (55%) of UK homes for an entire year.
Approximately 95TWh of gas would be required to generate the same amount of power in that same time period. The ECIU says that this amount of gas is equivalent to 110 tankers of liquified natural gas imports (LNG), or the amount that more than 10 million UK homes would burn over the winter.
COMPARE PRICES FROM LOCAL INSTALLERS
Compare prices from local companies fast & free
Enter your postcode to compare quotes from leading professionals. We promise to keep your information Safe & Secure. Privacy Policy
This means that winter renewables generation displaced over a third (35%) of the UK’s annual gas demand for power generation according to the ECIU.
The ECIU’s headline conclusion was that renewables exceeded electricity generation from gas between 1 October 2022 and 28 February 2023 making them the leading source of electricity on the grid this winter.
Without renewables the UK would have had to burn more gas for power generation which would have potentially increased net gas imports by more than a fifth (22%), including increasing gas imported via pipeline by 28%.
In 2022, UK renewables provided 38 per cent of the country’s electricity generation, nearly as much as gas at 40 per cent.
This increased renewable generation allowed the UK to supply surplus energy to the rest of Europe in 2022 making it a net electricity exporter for the first time since 2010. Exports were eight times higher in Q3 2022 than the same quarter the previous year alone.
It is important to note that most clean energy in the UK comes from wind power which is most productive during the winter when winds are stronger.
The ECIU also predicted that the UK’s battery energy storage (BESS) capacity will grow 14-fold this year with the storage pipeline having increased by five times between winter 2021/22 and winter 2022/23.
Europe’s largest grid-scale battery storage facility came online in 2022 and the UK’s pumped hydro storage capacity is also set to rise by 130 per cent to 6.5GW.
Other sources of generation such as nuclear and biomass generated a further 28TWh of low carbon power over the winter period. According to the ECIU, using gas power plants to replace this generation would require 56TWh more gas, equivalent to almost five million homes' annual demand, or more than 60 liquified natural gas tankers.
Jess Ralston, head of energy at ECIU, said:
“We’re seeing the old electricity system give way to the new, with renewables becoming the backbone and displacing more and more gas. Battery storage is ramping up faster than expected, boosting the UK’s energy security, and leaving us less exposed to international gas markets. Lifting the ban on the onshore wind will help. But with the US and the EU going gangbusters for renewables, eyes are on the Government, the Chancellor, and the Budget to decide on how the UK stays an attractive market for the investments that will ultimately bring down bills.”
The ECIU’s new report came out at the same time as separate analysis showed that the UK's electricity grid ran on 100 per cent clean power for 25 hours during December, setting a new monthly record and providing further evidence the grid can operate with near zero emissions when weather conditions allow.
Even though renewables have limited electricity wholesale costs, the ECIU warned that the UK still has the highest gas dependency in Europe, with 40% of its power and 85% of domestic heating supplied by gas. This has led to UK households being worst hit by rising energy costs because they are the least energy efficient in western Europe, according to the International Monetary Fund.
UK Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said that he wanted to commit the UK to greater energy independence through both nuclear and renewables during a recent meeting in London with his US counterpart Jennifer Granholm. Both Mr Shapps and Ms Granholm want to wean Western countries off Russian oil and gas to undermine Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. They said the huge rise in gas prices after the Russian invasion has shown the need to speed up the move away from fossil fuels.
Emma Pinchbeck, Energy UK’s chief executive, said:
“We must do everything possible to encourage and speed up investment in low-carbon power. This analysis confirms the ever-growing contribution that homegrown renewable generation is making to power our homes and our businesses. We’ve seen the effect that record wholesale gas prices have had on customers’ bills over the last 18 months and it’s underlined the urgency of expanding our supply of cheap, domestic, clean power in order to remove our dependency on expensive fossil fuels – which will strengthen the country’s energy security, cut bills and emissions, and boost economic growth.”
