TENS of thousands of megawatts per hour of renewable energy were produced in Barrow and South Lakes last year, figures show.

The data was revealed as the Prime Minister pledges a green industrial revolution across the UK.

PM Boris Johnson said the coronavirus crisis should be used as a catalyst to make the UK the world leader in offshore wind power generation, creating thousands of jobs in the process.

But with the plans focusing largely on offshore wind farms, the Solar Trade Association said solar energy has a significant role to play, and was “noticeably absent” from the speech.

Figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show 29,028 megawatts per hour (around 29 gigawatts) of renewable electricity were generated in Barrow in 2019 compared to 111,780 megawatts per hour (around 112 gigawatts) of renewable electricity in South Lakeland.

In Barrow, this was 88% more energy than the 15 GWh produced in 2014, the earliest year of data available.

In South Lakeland, this was 58% more energy than the 71 GWh produced in 2014, the earliest year of data available.

The biggest producer of energy in Barrow last year was solar power, which generated 13,067 MWh – 45% of the total.

This was followed by onshore wind farms (39%), and landfill gas, which is created by the decomposition of organic materials in a landfill – which generated a further 4,774MWh (16%).

However, in South Lakeland the biggest producer of energy was onshore wind farms, which generated 85,898 MWh – 77% of the total.

This was followed by solar power (12%), and hydroelectric energy – which generated a further 12,403MWh (11%).

Renewable electricity generated around a third of the UK’s total energy last year (120,675 GWh) – almost double the amount it did in 2014.

Offshore wind farms, which are turbines located at sea, and onshore wind farms, based on land, were each responsible for 27% of the UK’s total, but the Government’s plan focuses largely on those in the water.

Renewable electricity generated around a third of the UK’s total energy last year (120,675 GWh) – almost double the amount it did in 2014.

Offshore wind farms, which are turbines located at sea, and onshore wind farms, based on land, were each responsible for 27% of the UK’s total, but the Government’s plan focuses largely on those in the water.

Downing Street said the £160 million investment will enable the sector to support up to 60,000 jobs by 2030.

Chris Hewett, of the Solar Trade Association, said: “It is encouraging that the PM is embracing renewables, but this must not be limited to large bits of kit.”