Data from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has revealed a boom in solar energy generation.

In the three months to December 2016 electricity generated from solar photovoltaics (PV) increased from 0.8 terawatt hours (TWh) to 1.4 TWh when compared to the same period in 2015. The government attributed it to a boom in capacity, and in particular the installations that took place in the first quarter of 2016.

However electricity from offshore wind fell over the same period from 5.8 TWh to 4.4 TWh due to lower wind speeds. Onshore declined from 7.1 TWh to 6.2 TWh. The government noted that wind speeds were the lowest they have been for the last fifteen years.

Meanwhile hydroelectricity generation dropped from 34% to 1.2TWh. With a total of 338.6 TWh generated over the period renewables comprised 24.4% of the mix.

The installed capacity for solar PV rose to 34.7 gigawatts (GW), a 14% rise on the final quarter of 2015.

Onshore wind increased its capacity to 1.4 GW in 2016, with major openings over the year including Wales’ largest wind farm Pen y Cymoedd.