Following the historic overtaking of coal by wind power last February, renewable energy in Great Britain has taken another significant step forward. In June, wind and solar, with the help of nuclear, generated more energy than all fossil fuels combined. And the renewables industry is growing despite the end of public support.

British energy is increasingly renewable

On 26 May, solar panels produced more than a quarter of all the electricity needed by households and businesses across the country, thanks to exceptional weather conditions that allowed solar to shatter every previous record. And for the first time, on 7 June, electricity generation from coal, oil and gas was surpassed by that from renewable sources.

A great achievement built step by step

Britain's clean energy feat is an important result that the country has reached step by step. The falling costs of renewable technologies, in particular wind and solar, have encouraged the energy industry to install tens of thousands of solar panels. British households have also embraced the idea of photovoltaics, and today rainy Great Britain finds itself with a market of around 900,000 photovoltaic systems installed on rooftops and connected to the grid. It is a major programme of renewal initially supported by significant public subsidies, which can now — in the face of a more mature renewables industry capable of operating independently in the market — be redirected towards different investments, in other areas of clean energy that need to grow.

The next step: clean energy storage

On the subject of clean energy, the British government is thinking about the next stages of a sector that demonstrates, once the first step has been taken, its ability to create jobs and economic development while preserving the environment and air quality. Recently, ministers have allocated hundreds of millions of pounds to develop storage systems, a topic on which analysts agree will become increasingly central and strategic.

Electricity storage is the key to the next phase of development, and on this the United Kingdom is trying to move in good time. "Renewables don't always produce when we want them to — storage will help solve the problem, not just for transmission networks, but also for domestic energy generation. It's already possible to buy a battery smaller than our boiler and be able to store electricity generated at home; this will change the entire market," said James Court of the Renewable Energy Association.

Renewables financially attractive

The advance of renewables is undeniable not only in the United Kingdom but also across the rest of the world. Innovation has played a fundamental role in this process. When the wind blows and the sun shines, the cost of electricity produced from renewable sources falls very close to zero, which drives people to use it instead of any other source.

The management of Dunsfold Aerodrome, near Guildford in Surrey, also known as the 'Top Gear' racing circuit, is of the same view. A solar installation made up of 8,500 photovoltaic panels has been built there. It is a demanding project from a financial standpoint as well, one that would not have come to fruition without available funding. Jamie McAllister, director of the centre, told Sky News: "Like all large renewable infrastructure projects, it's a multi-million-pound project, but it works because it produces cheaper energy on site rather than taking it from the grid. It's not just a renewable source but it's financially attractive, which means it's good for us and good for the businesses based here."

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