During the first quarter of this year (2024), the United Kingdom witnessed a historic achievement, represented by renewable energy sources – represented by wind and solar energy – topping the electricity generation scene, recording their highest levels ever.

Data from the Ember Research Company, which was reported by the specialized “Energy” platform, showed that the total electricity generated from wind and solar energy during this period amounted to 27.1 terawatt-hours; This represents 42% of the total electricity consumed in the country, which is also a record number.

For the first time, wind energy has overtaken fossil fuels as the main source of electricity in the UK; Wind energy alone contributed 39.4% of the total electricity generated, compared to 36.2% for fossil fuels. Wind recorded a production of 25.3 terawatt-hours during the first quarter, equivalent to more than 85% of the total solar wind energy in the United Kingdom during this period.

Expectations indicate that wind energy will maintain its lead during the summer, with its peak generation expected at 5 terawatt-hours in the second quarter, compared to 2 terawatt-hours in the first quarter. Despite the expected decline in wind energy generation during the summer, the British authorities It hopes to compensate for this through other sources such as solar energy, and increased reliance on nuclear reactors, bioenergy and hydroelectricity.

These efforts aim to reduce fossil fuel consumption, achieve carbon neutrality, achieve economic gains amounting to 70 billion pounds sterling annually (87.7 billion US dollars) and create 279,000 job opportunities.