Hundreds of gigawatts per hour of renewable energy were produced in Denbighshire last year, figures show.

Environmental groups have urged the government to expand the success of a significant increase in green energy across the UK, as part of the vital UN Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow.

Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that 695,562 megawatts per hour (around 696 gigawatts) of renewable electricity was generated in Denbighshire in 2020.

This represents 57% more energy than the 444 GWh produced the previous year, and more than double the amount produced in 2014, the first year of data available.

In the UK, 134,600 GWh of renewable energy was generated in 2020, an increase of 13% from the previous year and greater than the 9% increase from 2018 to 2019.

Renewable energy overtook fossil fuels for the first time last year, accounting for 43% of total production, up from 37% in 2019.

Friends of the Earth said it was good for both the planet and the economy, as renewables are now the cheapest source of energy.

Mike Childs, Policy Officer at the Environmental Campaign Group, said: “However, too much of our energy still comes from climate-destroying coal, gas and oil, and that has to change.

“The government must quickly accelerate our use of renewable energy to end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels. ”

Of the nine different types of energy in the figures, offshore wind has grown the fastest and is now responsible for a larger share of energy (30%) than any other producer – followed by wind terrestrial (26%) and biomass and waste (24 percent).

Climate think tank Ember said the huge drop in costs means growth in offshore wind power is expected to turn “parabolic” in the coming months.

Phil MacDonald, chief operating officer of the organization, added: “But the government is still missing out on the opportunity for a cheap onshore wind turbine and not doing enough to explore early stage technologies like geothermal energy. and the tides.

“To ensure a rapid phase-out of expensive imported fossil gas, there must be a stronger commitment to support innovative energy storage.”

Denbighshire’s largest energy producer last year was onshore wind farms, which generated 461 GWh, or two-thirds (66%) of the total.

Next are offshore wind farms (27 percent) and plant biomass – which generated an additional 24 GWh (four percent).

Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said wind power is a “British success story” and a key part of the government’s goal of decarbonizing the entire UK electricity system by 2035 .

He added: “This year alone we have attracted five new offshore wind plants to the UK, bringing jobs and investment to our industrial centers.

“We are applying this successful model to nuclear, hydrogen, solar and other renewables so that they become the obvious and affordable choice, helping to end our dependence on expensive and volatile natural gas.”