Abdullah Shoaib
Managing Director
6 mins read
Last Updated January 16, 2025
How much of the UK’s energy is renewable?
Over recent years, climate pledges and green targets have led to a push for larger proportions of the UK’s total energy requirements to be fulfilled by renewable energy sources. This is part of an overall effort to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and greenhouse gases, thereby limiting the damage we do to our environment.
Where there is a target, there must also be a measurement, which is why the government regularly releases information regarding renewable energy in the UK. Below, we take a look at the progress being made and why these efforts are so important.
What percentage of UK energy is renewable?
In the third quarter of 2024, spanning from July to September, the UK generated 32.2 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity, up 6.5% from the same period in 2023. That’s equal to 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) kilowatt-hours – the unit we usually use to measure individual consumption on a domestic or commercial basis.
Large numbers such as those are hard to understand, so it can be helpful to hear the stats in terms of percentages. Of the total amount of energy the UK generated from July to September 2024, just over 50% of it came from renewable energy sources – an encouraging proportion.
But what does that mean for the UK’s energy targets? The UK’s main goal in terms of renewable energy is to reach net zero by 2050 – that is, to produce no more greenhouse gases than we remove from the atmosphere. Within that, there is another target for all electricity to come from 100% zero-carbon generation by 2035.
Now, renewable energy sources aren’t the only forms of zero-carbon generation, so we don’t need to hit 100% renewable electricity in that time frame. Other low-carbon sources, such as nuclear energy, can help to fulfil some of our energy requirements. However, it’s clear that increasing our production of renewable electricity will be a key factor in achieving our energy goals.
To do this, the government is backing various schemes to invest in renewables, such as by creating new renewable energy plants and improving our infrastructure to make creating this vital energy faster and more efficient. Although there’s still a way to go before we hit net zero, the future of renewable energy in the UK looks promising.
Why is renewable energy important?
We’ve already touched on the government’s goals to reach net zero by 2050, but why are we so keen on relying on renewables in the first place? Here are some of the top reasons:
Reducing import-dependency
In the third quarter of 2024, the UK imported 641 thousand tonnes of coal alone. This came from various sources including Colombia, South Africa and the European Union. Currently, these imports are necessary for the country’s energy needs to be met, but they’re not ideal.
In contrast, renewable energy could help us to become import-independent in the energy sector – meaning that we produce 100% of the energy we need. That’s because renewable energy sources, particularly solar, wind and tidal power, exist right here in the UK.
By increasing the amount of renewable energy we produce, we decrease the amount we have to rely on other countries. This means that we as a nation become more resilient in the face of economic crises and conflicts such as the invasion of Ukraine, which can currently have a big impact on our energy prices.
Improving the nation’s health
According to figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO), as many as 99% of the world’s total population live in areas exceeding air quality limits. Air pollution is a huge contributor to this, and the burning of fossil fuels in turn leads to high levels of air pollution.
Switching to cleaner energy sources like solar and wind power could lead to an improvement in quality of life for a vast majority of the population, and especially for those with existing respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
Creating jobs
One thing those close to the energy sector have concerns about is jobs. Nobody wants to lose their job, and if fossil fuel production becomes extinct or even just significantly reduces, the fact of the matter is that there will be job losses.
However, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the transition to renewable energy will in fact lead to the creation of around 14 million jobs itself – vastly outpacing the number of losses. And those are just jobs directly related to the energy sector; areas such as automotives and construction could see further job creation to the tune of 16 million positions.
Renewable energy is here to stay, with advances being made all the time to help us rely more on these cleaner, greener energy sources. We’re not all the way there yet, but the UK is fast on its way to achieving its renewable energy goals.