Renewables rollout making UK electricity supply ‘more British', analysis finds
The UK's rollout of wind and solar power over the last decade has made its electricity supply 'more British', with significantly less reliance on imported gas, analysis has found.
Last year, just under half of Britain's electricity supply was powered by foreign energy imports, said researchers at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), down from 65% in 2014.
The figures come as energy security is increasingly in the spotlight in the UK, after the bills crisis in 2022 and 2023 caused primarily by spiking international gas prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Experts say if the UK had been less reliant on imported energy, prices would not have jumped as high.
The issue is also the subject of a major summit in London this week, hosted by the Government and the International Energy Agency.
It comes as Labour seeks to massively ramp up the amount of green power generated in the UK over the next five years, as part of a push to improve energy security.
Simon Cran-McGreehin, head of analysis at the ECIU, said: 'UK electricity is becoming more British and this is the net zero emissions target in action, decreasing our demand for foreign gas by boosting homegrown renewables.
'Gas output from the North Sea has been falling for decades, but British renewables like offshore wind are stepping in to help generate more British electricity.
'The regulator's own figures show any new drilling for gas will make minor difference to output, so it's renewables that will have to do the heavy lifting on energy security, protecting us from the geopolitics around energy and actors like (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin.
'Just like British households, UK industry has suffered from the ongoing gas price crisis which started in 2021 pushing up energy bills, but new renewables will also help to stabilise bills.'
The International Monetary Fund said the UK was the 'worst hit' country in western Europe by the energy crisis because of its reliance on gas for heating and electricity.
Gas accounted for around 30% of the UK's electricity supply in 2024.
Labour has said it will decarbonise the power grid by 95% by the end of this decade, mainly by building more wind and solar farms.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Clean homegrown power is the only route to true energy security and this analysis demonstrates exactly why this government is sprinting to clean power by 2030.
'Every wind turbine and solar panel we install will help to cut our reliance on foreign dictators, protecting both family and national finances from fossil fuel price spikes.
'Our Clean Power Action Plan provides the foundation for the UK to build an energy system that can bring down bills for households and businesses for good.'
The energy security summit will take place in London on Thursday and Friday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Russia's Putin calls for quick development of drone forces
(Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that drones had played a major role in the conflict in Ukraine and called for the rapid development and deployment of separate drone forces within the military. "We are currently creating unmanned systems troops as a separate branch of the military and we need to ensure their rapid and high-quality deployment and development," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying at a meeting on arms development. Drones have played a leading role for both sides in the more than three-year-old conflict pitting Moscow against Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has since the outbreak of the war in February 2022 stressed the importance of developing a domestic drone development and production industry. Putin told the second day of the gathering that Russia was well aware how Ukraine was dealing with the issue. "But on the whole, I do not believe we are lagging behind on anything," he was quoted as saying. "More to the point, it seems to me we are bringing together good experience with a view to creating just such forces." Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov proposed the creation of a drone force late last year, setting a target date of the third quarter of 2025. Putin also stressed developing air defences, which he said had destroyed more than 80,000 targets during the conflict that Russia still calls a special military operation. "In this respect, a new state armaments programme must ensure the construction of a versatile air defence system capable of operating in any circumstances and efficiently striking air attack weapons, regardless of their type," he said. On the opening day of the meeting, Putin called for due attention to be paid to the nuclear triad of land-based, sea-based and aircraft-launched weapons.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump vowed to make the world safer - has he?
When Donald Trump was sworn in as US president for a second time in January, he made a promise. "My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier," he told his audience at home and far beyond. Then, a little more than a hundred days on, during his first foreign tour – which took him to three wealthy Arab states – he boasted that he was making good on that vow. "I will tell you that the world is a much safer place right now," he said in reference to Ukraine. "I think in two or three weeks we can have a much safer place." But how much progress is the self-styled "world's best peacemaker" really making? Is Trump turning the world into a safer, or a more dangerous, place? There are many angles to the answer. It is difficult to ignore the reality on the ground in perhaps the world's two most prominent conflicts. President Trump boasts that he is the only one who can reach a deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin - but Russia is now pounding Ukraine with the largest number of drones and missiles since its full-scale invasion in 2022. And he has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but this week staff at the Red Cross Field Hospital say they are receiving the highest number of weapons-wounded patients since they established their clinic more than a year ago. Trump's frantic peace brokering hints at what he really wants Trump says rare earths deal 'done' with China Kremlin calls Trump 'emotional' over Ukraine comments On other fronts, however, there are some glimmers of light in the dark. Nuclear talks between the US and Iran are underway, pushed by an American president who insists that he wants to reach a good deal and avert a bad destructive war. The next round of those talks, mediated by Oman, is expected to take place on Sunday, although there is intense speculation that Israel may be preparing its own military strikes on Iran. Syria has more of a fighting chance to tackle dangerous internal tensions, as well as deep poverty, after President Trump suddenly announced last month that punishing sanctions on the country would be lifted on the urging of his Saudi ally. "It's the worst of times and the best of times," David Harland, executive director of the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, told me. "There are now more wars than ever in the world, but more conflicts are on the negotiating table and some are moving forward." There is truth in Trump's claim that only he can bring some players to talk peace. He is the only world leader that Putin and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among others, know they need to listen to – or else. "You bet, they're scared of him," said K. T. Mcfarland, Trump's former deputy national security adviser who will join a BBC World Service debate on whether the president is making the world safer or more dangerous that will be broadcast on Friday. His motto "peace through strength" rests on his belief that his sheer force of personality, bold threats, and direct telephone calls can end wars. He even said he could end wars in a day – but clearly hasn't. Trump has, however, pushed Russian and Ukrainian officials back to the negotiating table, but there's been little progress beyond some important prisoner swaps. President Putin shows no signs he is ready to end this grievous war. Trump's threats of "hell to pay" ultimatums to Hamas, as well as pressure on Israel, helped get a Gaza ceasefire deal over the line in January, even before he was sworn into office on 20 January. But the truce, described by Trump as "epic", collapsed in March. "He doesn't like to get into the detail," one Arab diplomat told me, underlining the president's preference for quick easy deals in what are deeply complex conflicts. "We all want deals, but we know deals don't work or don't last, if they're not peace deals, as opposed to end-of-war deals," said Martin Griffiths, a former UN Under-Secretary General who is now the Executive Director of Mediation Group International. Trump, who prides himself on being the world's disruptor-in-chief, has also dissed the skills of seasoned career diplomats. "They may know the rivers, the mountains, the terrain, but they don't know how to do a deal," he said. Instead, his preference is to use the deal-makers of his own property world, most of all his golf buddy and former real estate lawyer and investor Steve Witkoff, who is juggling all the tortuous and tricky files on Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, and more. President Trump's Make America Great Again crusade goes beyond individual deals. He has run roughshod through the rules-based world order that forged the foundation for global stability and security in the aftermath of World War II. His repeated threats to seize control of the Panama Canal, buy Greenland, and turn Canada into the 51st US state have stunned - and scared - capitals the world over. His steep tariffs imposed on both ally and adversary have unleashed retaliatory taxes and fears of a debilitating global trade war, while also straining age-old international alliances. But he's also galvanised others, including in the NATO military alliance - whose own chief is now amplifying Washington's order for members to significantly step up their own military spending. The American president also took credit for a ceasefire brokered between India and Pakistan after days of cross-border strikes between the neighbours last month. The US's belated intervention made a big difference, but many other players pitched in. His business-oriented "America First" approach has also meant that other conflicts, including the terrible killing fields in Sudan, are not beeping loudly on his own radar. But warring sides in many regions are now courting him, wielding their mineral wealth and investment potential as a bargaining chip. The president's proposed security-for-minerals deal in war-torn Congo, for example, has provoked a chorus of concern that it doesn't tackle the root causes of the conflict. "If you could use a mineral deal to end decades of war, then there are countries who would have fixed that already," International Crisis Group President Comfort Ero said. His administration's cuts to UN aid agencies, and his dismantling of the American aid agency USAID, have also deepened the suffering of displaced and marginalised people in many regions and exacerbates tensions. And, after only a few months of his second presidency, Trump's frustration with intransigent actors has led him to issue threats to "take a pass" and walk away from conflicts like Ukraine. "Deals take forever," Martin Griffiths, the former UN Under-Secretary General, told me. "You have to start and you have to stay." The BBC World Service Debate – Is Donald Trump making the world safer or more dangerous? The BBC World Service Debate considers the rapidly changing international landscape during Trump's presidency. Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet is joined by a panel of guests to discuss whether the new international order emerging will make the world a safer place. You can watch the debate on the BBC News Channel at 21:00BST on Friday 13 June and it will be streamed on the BBC News website. It will air on BBC Radio 5Live and World Service radio on Saturday 14 June.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'No Kings' rallies planned June 14 in metro Phoenix to counter DC military parade
Thousands of 'No Kings' demonstrations against President Donald Trump are poised to take place on June 14 across the country and in Arizona. The 'No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance' was scheduled as counterprogramming to a military parade marking the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary. The date also coincides with Trump's 79th birthday. Now, more than 2,000 protests and rallies are planned across the country, according to organizers of the 'No Kings' events. Amid escalations of protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles, the organization reiterated in a statement on June 8, 'all No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety.' Here's what to know about the demonstrations happening on June 14 in Arizona and across the country. "No Kings" day marches and other demonstrations were scheduled across the state on June 14, according to a map of events shared by The list was not exhaustive; some cities have multiple events scheduled. Phoenix: Arizona state Capitol, 9 a.m., 1700 W. Washington St. North Phoenix: 8 a.m., 2505 W Happy Valley Road Tempe: Pedestrian bridge, 7:30 a.m., 2000 E. Carson Drive Scottsdale: Old Town, 8 a.m., Camelback and N Scottsdale roads Scottsdale: U.S. Rep. David Schweikert's office, 8:30 a.m., 14500 N Northsight Blvd. Surprise: 8 a.m., N Civic Center Drive and Bell Road Mesa: 9 a.m., E Southern Avenue and S Stapley Drive Chandler: 8 a.m., 3 S Arizona Ave. North Glendale: 8 a.m., 24831 N 67th Ave. Peoria: 8 a.m., N Lake Pleasant Parkway and W Happy Valley Road Tucson: 2 p.m., 905 S Concert Place The parade was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. MST and was expected to end at 7:30 p.m. MST. All the events from the 250th birthday celebration, including the parade, will be shown via livestream on all U.S. Army social media platforms. While the parade coincides with Trump's 79th birthday, event organizers and administration officials insist the parade is solely a celebration of the U.S. Army. The Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, "as a united colonial response against the British enemy," according to the National Museum of the United States Army. The parade will feature Army equipment, flyovers, musical performances and thousands of soldiers in uniforms from the past and the present. It will cap off a week of programming designed to celebrate the country's military might. The parade was estimated to cost between $30 million and $45 million, according to reporting by USA TODAY. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: See where the 'No Kings' day rallies are happening in metro Phoenix
