The government has produced its official figures that show how the UK enjoyed a bumper year for renewable energy generation.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showed that 37.1pc of Britain's energy last year was produced from renewable energy, with off- and onshore wind sources each representing 10pc of the total mix.

In the latest edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), the figures showed how the rate of 37.1pc represented a jump from 33.1% in 2018. This level of growth was attributed in the UK's coal plants continuing to go offline before the 2024 deadline, along with a rapidly growing wind sector.

The total combined output of renewable sources - including hydropower and solar - recorded a year-on-year increase of 11%. Bionenergy production rose by 1.6pc. The total output for fossil fuels dropped marginally by 0.3pc, with the scaling back of natural gas and closing of coal plants being offset by primary oil production.

When nuclear energy is added into the mix, over 54pc of Britain's energy is now being generated by clean sources. The rest of the energy mix is made up of natural gas at 40pc and coal at just 2pc.

RenewableUK welcomed the figures, with CEO Melanie Onn saying that they demonstrated just how far the UK had come in its quest for clean power generation and a low-carbon economy, adding that only ten years ago renewable energy accounted for just 7pc of the total energy mix.

She said that everyone in the industry should be proud of the success story, with record levels of energy investment and thousands of skilled jobs being created across the UK and a continually growing curve of green energy investment.