As we reflect on 2024, it’s important to acknowledge both the successes and setbacks in the UK’s journey toward net zero. This article highlights one of the year’s biggest milestones: the UK’s electricity grid reaching its cleanest level on record.
The UK’s Clean Energy Revolution
One of the major positives for the UK to celebrate in 2024, is that the electricity grid in the UK was the cleanest it’s ever been, thanks to surging renewables and the closure of the country’s last coal-fired power plant. This is according to fresh analysis by Carbon Brief, which showed that CO2 emissions per unit of electricity have fallen by more than two-thirds in the last decade. [1] In total, fossil fuels made up just 29% of the UK’s electricity in 2024 – the lowest level on record – while renewables reached a record-high of 45%. Nuclear accounted for 13%.
Figure 1: Image of a plant growing inside a lightbulb. [2]
“Because coal is so polluting it became much more expensive to generate [electricity with] and just couldn’t compete with renewables,” Frankie Mayo, lead UK analyst at the energy thinktank Ember, told Positive News. “Interestingly, coal was replaced by wind and solar, not gas. It shows the speed at which this transition can happen.”
- As of 2024, there are around 11,700 wind turbines in the UK, split fairly evenly between onshore and offshore farms. [3]
- As of November 2024, 1.4 million homes with solar installations, [4]
- There are over 1,576 hydropower plants active in the UK. [5]
- The UK has now reached 250,000 all-time certified heat pump installations. [6]
- Renewable sources more than doubled from 65TWh in 2014 to 143TWh in 2024.
We are hopeful to see the statistics that 2025 produces and look forward to the continued transition to 100% renewable, clean energy in the coming years.
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References
[1] https://www.positive.news/society/good-news-stories-from-week-02-of-2025/
[2] Image of a plant growing inside a lightbulb. Image accessed 17/02/2025. Photo credit: Singkham. https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light-bulb-planter-on-gray-rock-1108572/
[3] https://www.geographysouthwest.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/wind-energy-final_A-level-v2.pdf
[4] https://www.sunsave.energy/solar-panels-advice/cities-and-regions/homes-with-solar
[5] https://www.statista.com/statistics/518390/uk-hydro-energy-sites/
