Engineering news
British households and businesses are paying less for electricity thanks to increased energy output from cheaper wind and solar sources, according to data from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
A separate government report suggested that the average home electricity bill decreased by 1.4% to £8, with falling expenses attributed to lower energy costs and reduced demand.
Official figures show that electricity produced from renewable sources hit a record high of 24.7% in 2015, up by 5.6% on 2014. Wind sourced electricity powered 9.8 million homes last year, representing a 26% increase in wind generated energy, while solar and bio energy production increased by 86% and 28% respectively.
The figures come after the closure of Scotland’s last coal plant Longannet, which ceased operations on 24 March, and illustrate part of Britain’s transition to using more renewable energy after the government announced plans to close all coal-fired power plants by 2025.
RenewableUK’s deputy chief executive, Maf Smith, said: “These excellent figures show that renewable energy is delivering huge amounts of clean electricity right now, and that overall energy costs are coming down – including wind energy.
“Putting the consumer first means putting renewables first. As old coal turns off, renewables are quietly taking its place, delivering energy security and value for money. It makes more sense than ever to fully support and take advantage of our natural resources”.
Figures have also revealed that renewable energy performance was particularly strong in the last three months of 2015 with renewables providing 26.9% of the UK’s electricity, up from 21.8% in Q4 of 2014. Offshore wind generation was shown to have risen by 23% compared to Q4 2014, and onshore wind was up by 21%.