Great Britain’s electricity system has achieved a new milestone, recording its greenest summer ever as an increasing number of wind and solar farms significantly reduced the need for gas power plants. This marks a major step toward the nation’s goal of a low-carbon future.
According to energy generation data, which was commissioned by the *Guardian*, Britain’s reliance on gas power fell to a historic low in August, representing less than one-fifth of the total electricity generated for the month. The country only used 4 terawatt hours (TWh) of gas-generated electricity in August, marking its lowest level for a one-month period.
As a result, the carbon intensity of the power grid dropped to 144 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour in August, which is the lowest level ever recorded for a single month. This represents a 40% reduction in carbon intensity compared to the same month in 2022. The data analysis, conducted by the energy thinktank Ember, revealed that these record lows were not just a one-off event. When averaged across the entire summer from June to August, the grid’s carbon emissions remained low, marking this summer as the greenest in Britain’s history.
The current Labour government is working toward an ambitious goal of running the UK’s power grid almost entirely on zero-carbon electricity by 2030. This shift is being driven by the rapid development of wind and solar farms across the country. As part of this effort, the government held a flagship auction this week to allocate renewable energy subsidies, which resulted in contracts being awarded for 131 new projects. These new projects are expected to generate enough clean electricity to power 11 million homes in the UK. However, the auction secured only half the offshore wind capacity needed annually for the rest of the decade if the government aims to meet its net zero emissions target.
Frankie Mayo, an analyst at Ember, commented on the record-low reliance on fossil fuels, saying, “Having the lowest monthly fossil fuel share on record shows that homegrown wind and solar can reduce reliance on imports. This is a great starting point on the path to clean power by 2030 for the new government.”
While celebrating the progress, Mayo also highlighted the continued presence of gas in the energy mix, which poses a threat to energy bills. “Clean power is delivering cheap, low-cost power – ramping up deployment at scale can’t come soon enough,” Mayo added.
The analysis also confirmed earlier forecasts that Britain was on track for a record-breaking summer in solar power generation. Solar power generation reached an average of 1.86 TWh over the summer months, marking a 20% increase from the same period last year. Wind farms also reached record highs, generating 7.04 TWh of electricity in August alone, which is a 46% increase from August 2022. On average, between June and August, wind power output reached 5.6 TWh per month, an increase of 40% compared to the previous summer.
In addition to the surge in wind and solar power, Britain’s fleet of nuclear reactors also contributed significantly to the green summer. In August, the country’s nuclear power plants generated 3.89 TWh of electricity, the highest output from nuclear sources in nearly two years.
Emma Pinchbeck, the chief executive of Energy UK, an industry body, remarked on the shift toward greener energy sources, recalling a time when coal was responsible for 40% of the country’s electricity generation. She stated, “It wasn’t that long ago that coal was providing 40% of our electricity and the prospect of running the grid on predominantly low-carbon power would have been dismissed by many as impossible.”
Pinchbeck emphasized the rapid pace of change in the energy sector, noting that new records like these are being set regularly. “The regularity with which new records like this are set shows the pace at which cleaner homegrown sources are providing an ever-increasing share of our power,” she said.
Luke Clark, a director at Renewable UK, a trade association for green power, echoed this sentiment but cautioned that the UK must continue to accelerate its efforts if it hopes to meet the government’s 2030 decarbonization target. Clark explained, “These record-breaking figures show that we’re making great progress, but to achieve the new government’s target of decarbonising our electricity system by 2030, we’ll need to increase the rate at which we build new wind and solar farms by securing even higher volumes of new capacity in each annual auction for contracts.”
The UK’s Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, also praised the progress but acknowledged that there is still much work to be done. “While these figures are to be welcomed, we have a mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, with solar and wind power at the heart of our plans,” Miliband said.
Miliband pointed to the latest auction as a crucial step toward this goal. “Just this week we achieved a record-setting round of renewables projects, with enough power for 11 million homes – essential to give energy security to families across the country,” he said. He also highlighted the establishment of Great British Energy, a government-backed initiative aimed at unlocking billions of pounds in private investment. According to Miliband, this initiative will not only help deliver new energy projects but will also create tens of thousands of high-quality jobs and offer long-term protection for consumers against rising energy bills.
Overall, this summer’s record-breaking reductions in carbon emissions and increases in renewable energy generation mark a significant achievement for Britain. However, the government, industry leaders, and energy experts agree that continued investment in wind, solar, and other low-carbon energy sources is essential to ensure the country meets its ambitious climate targets by 2030.
The UK’s journey toward a fully decarbonized electricity grid is well underway, but there is still much work to be done in the coming years to ensure the transition to a cleaner, greener energy system remains on track.
