- Wind and solar power will supply 44% of Britain’s electricity by 2030
- The estimate shows an increase of roughly 10% up from 34.3% in 2023
- Low-carbon energy sources provided 56.2% of domestic UK electricity in 2022
The UK’s current target is to reach 100% clean power by 2030
Britain is likely to miss its clean power goal of decarbonising its power sector by 2030 unless there is substantial government action, according to energy market intelligence firm Cornwall Insight.
The company said that by 2030 it is likely that only 44% of Britain’s power will be supplied from renewable sources, such as wind and solar power.
Tom Edwards, principal modeller at Cornwall Insight, described the gap between Britain’s current policies and what it needs to do in order to achieve its 2030 goals as “substantial”.
“Without significant intervention, we risk falling far short of decarbonisation goals,” Edwards stated.
Analysis looked at deployment rates, time taken for developers to obtain planning permissions, connections to the grid and any necessary state subsidy contracts.
Edwards warned: “We could deliver all the renewables and still not hit the 2030 target.”
Sustainability consultancy firm Stonehaven also called on the government to give the National Energy System Operator (NESO) control over where large-scale energy projects are built, on top of automatically granting them planning permission.
Adam Bell, director of policy at Stonehaven and former head of energy strategy in the energy department, said that “radical action” was required to “tackle planning delays which are preventing vital developments from taking place”.
Bell said Britain needs “a National Energy Plan to streamline the process, making sure that new infrastructure is built in the right areas where the local appetite is strong and development appropriate.”
Although Britain isn’t currently on trend to reach its target, significant progress has been made towards a low-carbon future, with wind, solar and nuclear power supplying 56.2% of the UK’s domestic electricity in 2022.
Energy secretary, Ed Miliband has indicated he will review the budget to support new offshore wind projects in an increased effort to get more projects started.
The challenge of transitioning away from fossil fuels is part of 2050 net-zero ambitions. However, the 2030 target under the new Labour government has an ambitious five year earlier deadline than conservatives, who aimed to reach net-zero in 2035.
The government said it was “taking immediate action” to make Britain a “a clean energy superpower”.
