Ember has predicted that 2024 will be the first full year where UK low-carbon renewables generate more electricity than fossil fuels, with wind power close to becoming the single largest source of UK power for the first time.

Low-carbon renewable sources reached a record high, generating 37 per cent of UK electricity (103TWh) in 2024, overtaking fossil fuels (97TWh, 35 per cent) for the first time. Just three years ago, in 2021, fossil fuels generated 46 per cent of UK electricity, while low-carbon renewables generated 27 per cent.

Wind power alone, at 29 per cent, is close to becoming the single largest source of UK power for the first time. The increase in UK wind generation in 2024 (up 1.5 per cent) is mainly due to a large increase in generation from onshore wind. There was a 23 per cent increase in onshore wind generation in the first three quarters of 2024, the second largest percentage growth since 2017, a result of slightly increased capacity and improved wind speeds.

Ember sees gas power use decreasing by 13 per cent (or 13TWh) in 2024 compared to the previous year, displaced by electricity imports and clean power. This is the lowest level of gas-powered generation since 1996, and the second largest annual reduction outside of the Covid-19 pandemic.

If one includes biomass, renewables overtook fossil fuels in the UK in 2020, falling below fossil power the following year as biomass production fell, and again overtaking it in 2023. However, Ember’s analysis raises concerns about biomass being categorised as clean power in the UK, given the significant emissions risks and lack of domestic pellet production. Bioenergy, which includes biomass and biogas power, is set to provide 14 per cent of UK electricity in 2024.

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