RENEWABLE energy sources generated enough power to meet half of Wales’ needs in 2018, a new report has revealed.

Last year the equivalent of 50 per cent of the country’s electricity consumption, came from renewable sources - up from 48 per cent in 2017. The Welsh Government has set a target of generating at least 70 per cent of the country's power by 2030.

The Energy Generation in Wales 2018 report showed Wales generated twice what it consumed in electricity last year, making Wales a significant exporter of electricity to England, Ireland and the wider European network.

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Among the report's findings:

A quarter of electricity generated last year was from renewable sources, up from 22 per cent in 2017. Wales consumed 14.9 terawatt hours - or twh - of electricity and generated 7.4 twh from renewable energy sources over the year.

Approximately 67 per cent of renewable electricity generated in Wales came from wind.

There are nearly 69,000 renewable energy projects in Wales with a combined capacity of almost 3,900 mw (megawatts). Of this, 83 per cent was renewable electricity, and 17 per cent was renewable heat capacity.

The largest renewable electricity project to commission in 2018 was the 57.4 mw Brechfa West wind farm in Carmarthenshire.

Wales produced approximately 2.2 twh of renewable heat, equivalent to 13 per cent of Welsh domestic heat demand.

Wales now has 783 mw of locally owned renewable energy capacity against a target of 1,000 mw by 2030.

The number of renewable energy projects across Wales is continuing to grow. Solar photovoltaics is the technology with the most installations with 54,560 projects, while onshore wind is the technology with the largest installed capacity with 740 projects amounting to 1,106 mw.

Welsh Government minister Lesley Griffiths said: “It is very encouraging to see the performances of the renewable energy sector as we continue towards our ambitious targets.

“However, there remain significant challenges to meeting our targets, notably the lack of available price support for renewable generation and problems with new projects connecting to the network.

“We understand the importance of transforming our energy system in Wales as we strive to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, in pursuit of a more prosperous and cleaner Wales.”