The United Kingdom has made significant progress in shifting towards renewable energy sources over the past few years. However, despite this progress, the country still heavily relies on fossil fuels to meet its energy demands. In 2020, renewable energy accounted for around 37% of the UK’s electricity generation, up from 33% in 2019. But how much of the world’s energy is renewable in 2020?
Globally, renewable energy sources accounted for around 11% of the world’s total energy consumption in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). This was up from 10% in 2017 and 9.3% in 2015. Although the growth rate of renewable energy has been impressive, it is still not enough to keep up with the growing demand for energy worldwide.
In 2020, the share of renewable energy sources in the world’s energy mix is expected to increase further, driven by the falling costs of renewables, supportive policies, and increasing awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of renewable energy sources. The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the shift towards clean energy, as governments and businesses look for ways to build back better and create a more sustainable future.
The UK has been a leader in renewable energy deployment, particularly in wind and solar power. The country has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change, including a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, the UK government has committed to phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2025 and has set a target to generate 40GW of offshore wind power by 2030.
In 2019, the UK generated 33.7 TWh (terawatt-hours) of electricity from wind power, making it the largest source of renewable energy in the country. Solar power accounted for 12.8 TWh, followed by biomass and hydro power, which generated 27.5 TWh and 5.7 TWh, respectively. Although the UK has made significant progress in deploying renewable energy sources, it still heavily relies on natural gas and nuclear power to meet its energy demands.
According to the IEA, the UK ranked third in the world in terms of offshore wind capacity, with 10.4 GW installed by the end of 2019. The country’s offshore wind sector has seen significant growth in recent years, driven by falling costs and supportive policies. In 2019, the UK announced plans to hold a new round of offshore wind auctions to encourage more investment in the sector and support its target to generate 40GW of offshore wind power by 2030.
The UK has also made progress in deploying solar power, which has seen a significant increase in capacity in recent years. In 2019, the country had 13.8 GW of solar capacity installed, up from just 2.7 GW in 2013. Although solar power is still a relatively small source of energy in the UK, it has the potential to play a more significant role in the country’s energy mix in the future.
In conclusion, while the UK has made significant progress in deploying renewable energy sources, it still heavily relies on fossil fuels to meet its energy demands. Globally, renewable energy sources account for around 11% of the world’s total energy consumption, and this is expected to increase further in 2020 due to falling costs and supportive policies. The UK has set ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change, and renewable energy sources are likely to play a key role in achieving these goals.
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