The results are in for Northern Ireland's renewable energy generation in 2020, with the region continuing significant growth after hitting its 2020 target.
Following the successful end of its ten-year-long strategy to boost renewable energy generation in the region, Northern Ireland is continuing to grow renewable power at rapid pace. The Executive's 2010-20 Strategic Energy Framework included a target of generating 40% electricity consumption in Northern Ireland by 2020, and our capacity is now up to 49.2%.
We already knew that Northern Ireland was set to beat its 2020 target for renewable growth when it hit 38% in May of 2019, but the latest data collected for the year ending December 2020 shows a significant increase beyond the target. For the 12 month period from January to December 2020, 49.2% of NI electricity consumption was generated by renewables.
RELATED: Inside Northern Ireland's plans to decarbonise its electricity grid
Most of the renewable energy generated by Northern Ireland comes from wind power, representing around 84.9% of all renewable energy sources. Investment in wind power has been one of the biggest contributing factors in increasing Northern Ireland's renewable electricity generation capacity.
A new renewable energy strategy for Northern Ireland is expected to be published by the end of this year as part of the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy 2050. To read the full report for the year ending December 2020, head over to https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/articles/electricity-consumption-and-renewable-generation-statistics
Source: Written based on press release
