There were 847 sites in England generating electricity from renewable sources, compared with 362 in Scotland, 119 in Wales and 108 in Northern Ireland.
Using hydro-based
capacity, Scotland has the ability
to generate 20% more electricity from renewables than
England because it has 88% of the UK’s hydro
resource (Chart
1 and Chart
3). Hydro accounts for 57% of the renewables generation
from Scotland.
Because biofuels-based
capacity was used more intensively
than hydro, which is subject to seasonal variation
of precipitation in the catchment area, generation
from renewables in England was over 17% higher than
Scotland.
In England,
the number of sites varies from 17 in London
to 140 in the North West (Chart
2) but in capacity terms the North West and the East jointly have the greatest ability to generate, and the South East is the third largest (Chart
4). In the North West, 58% of this capacity is from wind with two thirds of this being two large offshore wind farms. In the East, 39% of renewable sources capacity is from wind (one large offshore wind farm) and in the South East, 28% is from wind (one large offshore wind farm). In the East region the predominant technologies tend to be those that have large capacity plants; 20% of the UK’s landfill gas capacity and 14% of the UK’s capacity to generate from other biofuels and wastes are to be found in East region. The North West has 18% of the UK’s landfill gas capacity whilst the South East (17% of the UK’s landfill gas capacity and 12% of the UK’s other biofuels and wastes capacity) and the West Midlands (17% of the UK’s other biofuels and wastes capacity) are other English regions with notably large shares. East, North West and the South East together accounted for 55% of UK generation from landfill gas.
The only English regions to generate more than 10 GWh from hydro in 2007 were the South West (20.7 GWh), the North East (19.2 GWh), the North West (15.0 GWh) and the East Midlands (14.2 GWh).
Scotland had 46% of the capacity to generate from wind and also produced 50 per cent of the output from wind (Chart
3 and Chart
5). Wales was the next largest (15% of capacity and 16% of generation) followed by the North West of England (11% of the capacity but 9% of the output), Northern Ireland (8% of capacity and 7% of generation) and the East of England (7% of capacity and 7% output) (Charts 4 and Chart 6).
A map of wind farm capacities in
the UK at the end of 2007 is now available on the Map
Pages of this site.
90% of the generation from other biofuels (including biofuels used for co-firing) took place in England with Yorkshire and the Humber (22%) the largest, followed by the East (12%) and the South East (11%). Excluding biofuels used for co-firing, (which cannot be allocated to regions – see note 4 to Table 3), the West Midlands has the largest capacity to generate from biofuels (17% of the UK total) followed by London (14%) and the East of England (14%).
In terms of total renewables generating capacity, Scotland (+274 MWe), the North West (+123 MWe), Northern Ireland (+93 MWe), East (+78 MWe) and North East (+43 MWe) have shown considerable growth in the most recent year. This growth has primarily come from wind; Scotland (+203 MWe), the North West (+127 MWe), Northern Ireland (+93 MWe) and the East (+63 MWe) but in the case of the North East, 36 MWe of growth was from Other Biofuels. |
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Comparison
with economic activity
Charts 3, 4, 5 and 6 do
not take into account the level of economic activity in each country or region.
This can be readily measured in terms of Gross
Value Added (GVA). Chart
7 show that Scotland not only has the largest generating capacity from renewables, it is the largest in terms of capacity per unit of GVA and generation per unit of GVA. Wales is larger than England in capacity per unit of GVA terms although it has less than a third of England’s total renewables generating capacity.
Northern Ireland is also larger than England in terms of both capacity per unit of GVA and generation per unit of GVA. Among the English regions East is highest in generating capacity per unit of GVA terms followed by North West then the North East. In terms of Generation/GVA, East is followed by the North West and South East. Note that co-firing capacity has not been allocated to individual regions.
Comparison
with 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006
Between 2003 and 2007 there was a 86% increase in generation from renewables in the UK, but faster rates of growth were recorded in Northern Ireland (188%), Scotland (121%), Yorkshire and the Humber (109%), and the South East of England and East Midlands (each 96%) (Chart 8 and Chart 9). For the individual technology groups some very large increases are recorded in percentage terms because in 2003 there was very little use of some of the technologies in various regions. For example wind generation in the South East in 2007 was more than 50 times its low level in 2003 mainly because of offshore developments in the Thames Estuary that are linked to the electricity network in the South East. In Northern Ireland the substantial growth was from low levels in 2003 for wind, hydro and biofuels. The apparent absence of growth in London is mainly due to the suppression, before 2007, of wind generation data for disclosure reasons.
The South East of England became the leading region in generation from renewables in 2006 not only through the expansion in offshore wind, but also through increased co-firing of biomass with fossil fuels at two of its power stations. At the same time a reduction in the co-firing of biomass led to generation from renewables in Yorkshire and the Humber and in the North East and the West Midlands showing a fall between 2005 and 2006. In 2007 a reduction in the co-firing of biomass in the South East saw that region’s generation from renewables fall back behind the East and North West regions.
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Notes
to following Tables:
Solar photovoltaics have
not been included in the tables below because they are estimated
on a UK-wide basis that cannot readily be broken down into
regional components. In total solar PV amounts to only 14.3
MWe capacity and 11.0 GWh of generation.
Components may
not add exactly to totals because of rounding.
Instead the data are included under Other sites (see
note 2).
... Data cannot be shown because of the small number of sites providing information
for these cells.
- Nil or less than half the final digit shown.
1 At the end of December 2007.
2 21 of these sites are sites that co-fire renewables with fossil fuels (see also note 4, below).
3 These figures were not available when DUKES 2008 was published at the end of July 2008 and estimates of 14.3 MW and 11.0 GWh were used. Consequently the UK totals in these tables are higher than the figures published in DUKES.
4 This is the proportion of non-fossil fuelled capacity used for co-firing of renewables based on the proportion of generation accounted for by the renewable source. This estimate has not been disaggregated into region values because to do so could disclose data that relate to individual companies.
5 Includes biofuels co-fired with fossil fuels.
Comparison
with 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 installed capacity figures
Notes to following Tables:
Components may not add exactly to totals because
of rounding
... Data cannot be shown because of the small number of sites
providing information for these cells. Instead the data are
included under Other sites (see
note 1).
- Nil or less than half the final digit shown.
1 “Other sites”are sites that have not been attributed to a region
so that data related to individual companies are not disclosed.
2 This is the proportion of non-fossil fuelled capacity used for co-firing
of renewables based on the proportion of generation accounted for by the renewable
source. This estimate has not been disaggregated into region values because
to do so could disclose data that relate to individual companies.
3Includes biofuels co-fired with fossil fuels.
Comparison
with 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 generation figures
Comparison
with economic activity, 2007
GVA is provisional gross value added in 2006 (workplace based) as publishere
2 Excludes capacity attributable
to co-firing of biomass which has not been allocated to regions
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