Britain is well on its way to fully ‘clean’ energy, new figures have revealed.
Wind officially overtook gas to become the UK’s biggest source of power for the first time in 2024.
Figures released by the National Energy System Operator show that wind was responsible for 29.4 per cent of Britain’s power last year.
In contrast, gas represented just over a quarter (25.9 per cent) of Britain’s power.
According to the data, seen by Bloomberg, the last time gas made up such a small share of the UK’s power was in 2013.
Back then, coal dominated the system, while wind accounted for just 6.6 per cent.
The new record comes as the government plans to make Britain’s energy system ‘clean’ by decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030.
The UK has several different sources of energy thrown into the so-called ‘mix’ – from wind to gas, solar, biomass and nuclear.
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Wind officially overtook gas to become the UK’s biggest source of power for the first time in 2024
Our energy mix fluctuates daily depending on demand and the amount of energy generated from each source.
In 2024, 29.4 per cent of Britain’s power came from wind, while 25.9 per cent came from gas, 15.7 per cent from imports, 13.7 per cent from nuclear, 6.7 per cent from biomass, five per cent from solar, 0.6 per cent from coal, 1.3 per cent from hydro, and 3.1 per cent from other sources.
The energy mix has changed hugely through the years.
For example, back in 2014, just 8.2 per cent of Britain’s power came from wind, while 27.7 per cent came from gas, 24.4 per cent from coal, and 21.6 per cent from nuclear.
Wind power is an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source, contrasting with the likes of coal and gas, which are both fossil fuels.
Dotted around the UK, wind turbines harness energy from the wind using mechanical power to spin a generator and create electricity.
For example, on a windy day, we might generate more wind power than on a non-windy day – which is why we can’t solely rely on wind for the UK’s energy needs.
Gas, coal and oil are all considered fossil fuels because they were formed from the fossilized, buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Wind power is an environmentally friendly, renewable energy source, contrasting with the likes of coal and gas, which are both fossil fuels
When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), which traps heat in our atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
It’s unclear when exactly the UK will stop using gas, although the government aims to phase out 80 per cent of gas boilers from UK homes by 2035.
Dr Simon Evans, senior policy editor at Carbon Brief, expects wind to overtake gas in the mix as soon as this year.
‘By 2030, if the government’s clean power target is to be met, then gas would be below 5 per cent and wind would be well over 50 per cent,’ he previously told MailOnline.
‘The UK already gets nearly as much electricity from wind as from gas – and wind will dominate our supplies by the end of the decade.
‘While we’ll still need gas-fired capacity for when it isn’t windy, the rise of wind means we’ll be burning much less fuel bought on volatile international gas markets.’
Already, there are an estimated 11,000 wind turbines in and around the UK and the government is considering thousands more to be built around England as an another way to increase the amount of energy from wind.
England and Scotland are also set to collaborate on the construction of a ‘superhighway’ that transports clean energy generated by wind.
Despite its continuing reliance on gas, the UK marked a huge milestone last year when it finally phased out coal.
The UK’s last ever operating coal power station, in Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, was shut down for good on September 30.
It ended a nearly 150-year reliance on coal power by the UK, dating back to the Holborn Viaduct power station in London in 1882.
