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- This week’s The Cut looks at the solar generation data for June
- They show that we desperately need to keep the clean energy momentum up and ignore the likes of Trump and Reform
- We’ve also got something on a solar spacecraft
Renewable energy is the future and solar will before long help turn the UK escape the chaos of the fossil fuel markets. Don’t believe us? Just look at the data from the government this week that shows how solar breaking generation records.
Last month solar accounted for more than 14% of all the energy created in the UK, smashing past the record that was only set in May this year. At one point, at the height of the heatwave on 12th July it was responsible for more than 18%.
On top of energy generation, installations are also flying quickly. Between January and June there 142,536 solar panel installations. This is the best six-monthly figure for 15 years.
That’s genuinely fantastic, and a sign that we should not slow down in our efforts to get panels on roofs and solar farms built. By the end of the month, plug-in solar panels will be available to buy from supermarkets. They will be an incredibly important part of the mix as people who have never been able to get panels on their roof will now have the chance to benefit from the cheapest energy there is.
In fact there’s so much innovation going on in solar right now we might even be able to get it from a spacecraft. Have a read of our features product to find out more.
The one cloud on the horizon is whether Andy Burnham will resist the very loud calls from to approve Rosebank and Jackdaw drilling sites in the North Sea. He’s being pressured by his backbenchers, the oil and gas lobby, and Reform UK to give in, even though doing so will prolong this country’s dependence on buying fossil fuels (whatever comes out of the North Sea we then have to buy at international market rates).
Even US president and fossil fuel superfan Donald Trump is doing his bit to convince the PM to give gas the greenlight. Trump claims the UK could be rich if it allowed drilling. Nothing could be further from the truth. The PM says he will take a “pragmatic” approach to the North Sea. If he wants to make the right choice he need only look at the solar generation data for guidance.
