Wind Lifts UK Renewables Q1 Output by 30%

Wind helped total renewables generation in the UK increase by 30% in the first quarter of 2020 to just over 40 terawatt-hours, compared with the same period in 2019, according to new Government figures.

Renewable electricity capacity was 47.4GW at the end of this year’s first quarter, a 5.2% increase on the same period in 2019.

This was mostly due to increased capacity for offshore wind which rose by 19%, or 1.6GW, BEIS said in its filing, UK renewable electricity capacity and generation, January to March 2020.

Wind generation increased “significantly” for both offshore (53%) and onshore (29%) to 13.2TWh and 12.8TWh, respectively.

Between January and March renewables’ share of electricity generation increased to 47%, up by 11.1% on the share in the first quarter of last year, reflecting increased capacity and high load factors for wind technologies, BEIS said.

In total wind generated 7.5TWh more than the first quarter of 2019 BEIS found, supplying 30% of total electricity generation.

Solar generation decreased by 11%, from 2.2TWh in the first quarter of 2019 to 1.9TWh in the first quarter of this year.