According to Renewable UK, “Renewables provided a record 46.4% of the UK’s electricity in 2023.”
That’s good but it’s for one month. Government Statistics for 2023, show less that 10% was from wind, solar, and hydroelectricity.
A little under 10% was from nuclear plants. About 15% was from bioenergy and waste.
A little over 30% was from natural gas and 35% from oil. About 2% was from coal.
There’s more to the picture:. Following a downward trend of previous years, in 2023:
“Energy production fell by 8.3 per cent to a record low level. Oil production fell by 11 per cent to the lowest level since the late 1970s. It is down by 36 per cent on pre-pandemic (2019) levels. Nuclear output fell by 15 per cent, to levels last seen in the 1960s. That is due to reduced capacity and outages. And coal reached another record low. Wind, solar and hydro output rose by 2.2 per cent to a record high level due to increased capacity”
Remember the picture is affected by reduced household consumption that reflects higher prices. There are unanswered questions.
How much does that reduced household consumption reflect more careful use? How much reflects households denying themselves basic comfort because they can’t afford it?
How much does reduced industrial consumption reflect more careful use? How much reflects a shrinking economy?