DECC figures show increase in UK renewable electricity

According to the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2009, published last week by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), overall UK energy consumption in 2008 also decreased by 1.1 per cent, helping lower emissions of carbon dioxide by two per cent between 2007 and 2008. The reduction since 1990 is 10.3 per cent.

The Digest gives a comprehensive overview of energy supply and demand in the UK over the last five years.

Installed electrical generating capacity of renewable sources rose by 19 per cent in 2008, mainly as a result of a 49 per cent increase in offshore wind capacity, a 38 per cent increase in onshore wind capacity and a four per cent increase in the capacity of sites fuelled by biomass and wastes. Meanwhile, in 2008 Combined Heat and Power (CHP) capacity stood at 5,469 megawatts of electricity – a small (0.3 per cent) increase on 2007.

Overall, the DECC report shows a decrease in indigenous energy production of five per cent and a decrease in primary energy consumption of one per cent in the UK compared with 2007.

Overall primary fuel consumption was not met by indigenous production; this continues the trend from 2004 when the UK again became a net importer of fuel. The UK imported more coal, manufactured fuels, crude oil, electricity and gas than it exported. However, the UK remained a net exporter of petroleum products.
 
Gross natural gas production fell 3.4 per cent in 2008, falling by 36 per cent since its peak in 2000. Net imports of gas accounted for 28 per cent of gas input into the transmission system. Crude oil production in 2008 was 6.4 per cent lower than in 2007 at 72 million tonnes, and now accounts for 44 per cent of indigenous energy production. Coal production was 6.2 per cent higher in 2008 compared to 2007, while imports of coal were also higher compared to 2007 (by 1.2 per cent).

Electricity supplied from nuclear sources continued to decline in 2008, accounting for 47.7 terrawatt hours (TWh) out of the total electricity supply of 379.0 TWh (13 per cent). This is its lowest proportion since 1981.