Renewable energy sources across the United Kingdom generated a record 53.1 per cent of the country’s electricity during the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 7.4 per cent, driven by increased wind energy generation.
New figures published by the UK government’s department for energy security and net zero this week revealed that record wind generation in the first quarter drove electricity generation from renewables to new highs, helping to push generation from fossil fuels fall to a share of only 32.8 per cent.
Generation from both onshore and offshore wind was up 30 per cent for the quarter, compared to the same quarter in 2025, thanks to increased capacity and higher wind speeds compared to the record low wind speeds recorded in early 2025.
Wind energy alone accounted for 36 per cent of all electricity generated in the quarter, with bioenergy, solar PV, and hydroelectricity accounting for 12, 3, and 2 per cent, respectively.
Renewable installed capacity reached 66 gigawatts (GW), up 3.4 GW than in the first quarter of 2025 with solar PV accounting for 2.4 GW of all new capacity installed.
