UK, Germany record cleanest electricity in 2024

Britain and Germany produced their cleanest electricity on record last year, with renewables reaching record highs, according to data released on Thursday.

Renewable energy like wind and solar accounted for 59 per cent of production in Germany, while in Britain it stood at 45 per cent, the data showed. In Germany, where 2024 marked the first year without nuclear energy, the share of renewables increased to 59 per cent from 56 per cent the previous year, the country’s energy regulator said in a statement. Wind power retained its place as the nation’s main electricity producer at 31.9 per cent of the total, while the share of coal continued to decrease to less than 23 per cent from 26 per cent in 2023, it said.

The share of natural gas increased to 13.2 per cent of the total, up from 8.6 per cent. Germany aims to have renewables make up 80 per cent of its energy supplies by 2030 and to phase out coal by 2035, according to Agence France-Presse. Overall, Germany produced 431.7 TWh of electricity in 2024, a decrease of 4.2 per cent compared with the previous year.

Imports increased to 13.8 per cent, while exports declined to 10 per cent. In Britain, oil, gas and coal together produced 29 per cent of the UK’s electricity in 2024 while renewables made up 45 per cent, according to a report on Thursday from the climate and energy website Carbon Brief. Britain’s last coal-fired power station closed in October, making the country the first G7 member to end its reliance on the fossil fuel for electricity. The Labour government followed this up in November with plans to ban new coalmines. Carbon Brief added that nuclear energy was used to produce 13 per cent of Britain’s electricity last year. A total 11 per cent of Britain’s electricity was imported. Gas-fired power stations remained Britain’s single-largest source of electricity in 2024, the analysis found, the AFP report adds. However, Carbon Brief forecast that the country’s wind power would likely generate more electricity than gas this year. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has pledged to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 81 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035, as part of plans to reach net-zero by 2050.

Britain has spearheaded a push into low-carbon energy also as part of its strategy to combat sky-high electricity and gas bills, which rocketed after key producer Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022 and sparked a cost-of-living crisis. Energy bills remain at elevated levels in Britain as the country faces freezing temperatures at the start of the year. Renewable energy was the leading source of electricity in the EU in 2023, accounting for 44.7% of all electricity production, according to WAM. Renewables generated 1.21 million Gigawatt-hour (GWh), marking an increase of 12.4% compared with 2022, according to preliminary data published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Conversely, electricity generated from fossil fuels decreased by 19.7% compared with the previous year, contributing 0.88 million GWh, or 32.5% of the total electricity production.

Nuclear plants produced 0.62 million GWh or 22.8% of the EU energy production, reflecting a 1.2% increase in production in 2023. In a recent report, Ryan McPherson, Regional Director, Middle East and Africa at the Energy Industries Council (EIC), hailed the UAE’s rapid progress in clean energy. He highlighted the nation’s bold, all-encompassing strategy that harnesses solar, wind, green hydrogen, and carbon capture technologies, positioning the UAE as a leader in the global shift towards sustainable energy.

In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), McPherson said the UAE has shown a strong commitment to expanding its portfolio of renewable energy projects, adding seven renewable energy projects worth $2.16bn between the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024. “These projects include a variety of renewable technologies including energy from waste and geothermal energy,” he said.