Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit’s (ECIU) Power Tracker found that between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023, power generated by wind, hydro and solar reached over 90TWh (terawatt hours), which is more than enough power for all of the UK’s 28 million homes.
Renewable generation increased in each quarter of 2023, compared to 2019, including an increase of around a quarter and a fifth in Q1 and Q4 2023 respectively. Gas generation has fallen by 20-30% in each quarter of the year, compared to the same quarter in 2019. Falls in other sources of generation, such as biomass and combined heat and power, are also seen.
Other sources of generation, including nuclear and biomass, have generated around 60TWh over 2023. Using gas power plants instead would require around 120TWh more gas, equivalent to almost 10 million homes’ annual gas demand, or gas contained within around 140 LNG tankers.
Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at ECIU, said:
Every turn of an offshore wind turbine’s blades reduces our dependence on gas. As the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, we’ll need to import ever greater quantities of gas, undermining our energy independence. The choice for the UK is stark. Boost British renewables or import more gas at a price we can’t control.
There are several large new wind farms in the pipeline which would help to meet the UK’s growing demand for electricity. However, the government failed to secure any offshore wind bids in the last Contracts for Difference auction in September. Changes have been made to the scheme’s parameters for the next auction round in 2024 with the hope that the construction of these windfarms will begin shortly after the auction.
In addition, there are concerns around grid infrastructure and the process to connect to the grid keeping pace with the quick rate of buildout. Ofgem and the National Grid Future System Operator have committed to accelerating the process for grid connections and both the Conservatives and Labour parties have also made it a priority ahead of the next election.
National Grid has announced it will accelerate 10GW of battery storage projects, with 20-30GW more storage capacity expected to connect by 2030 in its most ambitious scenarios. Between winter 2021/22 and winter 2022/23, the pipeline of battery storage projects increased five times. For example, Europe’s largest grid scale battery storage facility came online near Hull in 2022 and the largest battery storage scheme in the world recently had planning permission granted for a site near Manchester.
The UK has a higher gas dependency than any other country in Europe with 40% of our power and 85% of our home heating coming from gas.
