UK renewables generation soars as solar, storage pipelines grow rapidly

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image: Lightsource BP.

Generation from renewables in the UK soared in the first quarter of 2020, official statistics show, as the country’s shovel-ready renewables pipeline continued to grow rapidly.

Official stats from the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), published late last week, show that in the first three months of the year output from renewables sources reached 40.8TWh – a leap of nearly 30% on the 31.5TWh renewables generated in Q1 2019.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Offshore wind was a significant driver in producing that figure. Generation from offshore wind sources grew by nearly 20% year-on-year, while the UK’s solar fleet actually produced less energy in Q1 2020 than it did in the first three months of 2019 owing to fewer sunlight hours, BEIS said.

More analysis on the UK’s Q1 2020 renewables figures can be read on PV Tech sister publication, Current±.

BEIS’ stats were released after UK trade body Regen published analysis of the UK’s renewables and energy storage project pipeline, which it said had grown to a “huge” 61GW following a rush of new projects entering planning.

Of that 61GW, around half are offshore wind, indicating the size of offshore wind farms now entering the planning process. Around 8.6GW of utility-scale solar projects are currently at various stages of planning, Regen said, with around the same amount (8.5GW) of energy storage also at the planning phase.

Just less than one-third (18GW) of renewables and storage projects are considered ‘shovel ready’, Regen said.

PV Tech publisher Solar Media’s in-house market research team places the UK’s utility-scale solar pipeline slightly higher, at 9GW, with head of market research Finlay Colville indicating there to have been a particular rush of projects entering the planning stage in recent months. More than 600MW of new planning applications for solar farms were submitted in the UK last month alone.

Solar Media’s in-house market research team charts both the UK’s active utility-scale solar pipeline and its built assets, providing detailed analysis of both. More information regarding those reports, and others in the Solar Media Market Research portfolio, can be found here.

Read Next

September 2, 2025
Spanish construction firm GES (Global Energy Services) has secured a contract to build a roughly 700MW solar-wind-storage hybrid project in Chile.
Premium
September 1, 2025
The UK’s new Labour government took power last summer, promising a renewable energy revolution, with solar playing a lead role.
August 29, 2025
The first half of 2025 has been the strongest year for UK solar energy generation on record, according to a new report think tank Ember.
August 28, 2025
Latin America has the potential to unlock billions in clean energy investment if it aligns national policies with global sustainability goals and investor expectations.
August 28, 2025
Venture capital firm Pacific Channel has launched Fund V, which targets 10GW of solar, wind, and energy storage in New Zealand.
August 28, 2025
Developer Pacific Energy has successfully commissioned a 26MW solar-plus-storage site at the Atlas-Campaspe mine in NSW, Australia.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines