news
Summary
In 2024, the UK’s electricity generation achieved its cleanest record ever, marked by a significant reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per unit of electricity produced. The country’s transition away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, has been a major driver of this improvement. Coal-fired generation has dropped to zero, while renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, have surged, now contributing a record 45% of electricity supply.
Highlights
- 🌍 Record Low Carbon Intensity: The UK’s carbon intensity of electricity generation reached an all-time low of 124 gCO2/kWh in 2024.
- 🔋 Phasing Out of Coal: The UK has completely phased out coal power, making it the first G7 country to do so.
- 🌬️ Renewable Energy Surge: Renewables contributed a record 45% of the electricity supply in 2024, marking a 122% increase since 2014.
- ⛽ Gas Power Dominance: Gas-fired power remains the largest source of electricity generation, generating approximately 28% of the total.
- 🚗 EV Emission Savings: Electric vehicles (EVs) now have lifecycle CO2 savings of 70% compared to petrol cars, up from 50% in 2014.
- 🏡 Heat Pump Efficiency: Households using heat pumps have reduced their CO2 emissions from heating by 84% compared to 45% in 2014.
- 📈 Projected Growth in Demand: Electricity demand is projected to rise as more sectors electrify, including transport and heating.
The UK’s electricity was the cleanest ever in 2024, new Carbon Brief analysis shows, with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per unit falling by more than two-thirds in a decade.
This is because the UK has phased out coal and is now getting less than half as much electricity from burning fossil fuels as a decade ago, while renewable generation has more than doubled.
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 45% and nuclear was another 13%.
As a result, each unit of electricity generated in 2024 was associated with an average of just 124g of CO2, compared with a “carbon intensity” of 419gCO2 per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2014.
[...]
Read the full post at Carbon Brief.
