The strange weather in recent weeks may not have made for an ideal summer for holidaymakers, but it has provided a boost to energy generation from renewable sources.
Britain‘s fleet of onshore and offshore wind turbines met 22% of electricity demand on Sunday, setting a new record and outperforming coal, which met just 13% of demand.
“We’re seeing very high levels of generation from wind throughout August so far, proving yet again that onshore and offshore wind has become an absolutely fundamental component in this country’s energy mix. It also shows that wind is a dependable and reliable source of power in every month of year – including high summer.” – Jennifer Webber, RenewableUK’s director of external affairs
Across the Channel, Spain has reported high levels of summer clean energy output with over 55% of electricity generation coming from zero emission sources during July.
Likewise, Germany announced that it generated more than a third of its energy from renewable sources in the first half of this year, while energy from fossil fuel plants – gas and coal – declined.
These figures are the latest clear signals that renewables are increasingly stealing the limelight from dirty outdated fossil fuels. Earlier this year, onshore wind was revealed as the cheapest form of new electricity generation in Denmark and wind met over half of the country’s power demand last December.
Renewable energy is also becoming cost competitive elsewhere with solar power reaching grid parity in Italy, Spain and Germany. This trend clearly indicates to Europe getting ready to agree a climate and energy framework to 2030 that the transition from fossil fuels to renewables is happening and here to stay.