UK Energy Sources

This distinction matters when comparing contributions. A figure showing the sources of UK electricity generation does not describe the whole energy supply: it leaves out fuels used directly for heating and transport.

Renewable and non-renewable sources

Renewable energy sources are naturally replenished fast enough to replace what is used. They include:

• Wind: moving air turns wind turbines to generate electricity.
• Solar: photovoltaic panels convert sunlight into electricity; solar heating systems use sunlight to heat water.
• Hydroelectric power: flowing or falling water turns turbines.
• Tidal power: moving tidal water can turn turbines.
• Geothermal energy: heat from within the Earth can provide heating or generate electricity.
• Bioenergy: biological material, such as wood, biogas and liquid biofuels, provides energy. It is renewable when the material used is replaced, for example through regrowth.

Renewable does not mean continuously available. Wind and solar output depend on wind conditions and daylight. Nor does it mean impact-free: burning biological material still releases emissions.

Non-renewable energy sources have finite stocks that are not replaced on a human timescale. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels, formed over millions of years and used much faster than new supplies form. Coal and gas can fuel electricity generation, while oil is particularly important for transport.

Nuclear fuel is also non-renewable. Nuclear power stations use energy released from a finite fuel supply to produce heat and generate electricity. Nuclear power is not a fossil fuel, and its low-carbon electricity generation does not make the fuel renewable.

How much does renewable energy contribute across the UK?

In 2024, renewables accounted for 16.2% of UK gross final energy consumption. This measure brings together energy used for electricity, heating and transport. Around 84% was therefore supplied by sources other than renewables, showing that non-renewable energy still dominated overall energy use.

The renewable contribution differed sharply between uses: 49.5% for electricity, 9.4% for heat and 6.2% for transport on this consumption measure.

Electricity had by far the highest renewable share. Gas remained important for heating, while oil-derived fuels remained important for transport. Consequently, a large renewable contribution to electricity did not mean that half of all UK energy use was renewable. The overall percentage is not a simple average of the three sector percentages, because the sectors use different amounts of energy.

The UK’s electricity generation mix

Looking specifically at electricity generated in the UK in 2024, renewables supplied 50.4%. This is a generation measure, distinct from the electricity consumption percentage above.

The main contributions were:

Wind and solar together contributed more than gas, but gas remained a major individual source. Nuclear provided a substantial non-renewable contribution alongside fossil fuels. Coal’s contribution was small; the UK’s last coal-fired power station closed in September 2024.

The categories need careful reading. ‘Oil and other fuels’ is a mixed statistical category that includes pumped-storage generation, so its entire share cannot be labelled fossil fuel. The separately reported fossil-fuel share was 31.8%. Small differences in totals can also result from rounding.

Different renewables serve different needs

Renewables are not limited to wind turbines and solar panels. Bioenergy accounted for about half of the renewable energy sources used in the UK in 2024, including energy used for heating and transport as well as electricity generation. Wind and marine energy accounted for roughly a quarter.

This explains why the leading renewable sources depend on what is being measured. Wind and solar were especially prominent in electricity generation, while bioenergy made the largest contribution across renewable energy use more broadly.