Britain today generating 90%+ of electricity from renewables
Great Britain's National Grid is seeing a historic shift as renewable energy sources contribute nearly 90% of total generation, driven by record-breaking wind and solar output following the complete phase-out of coal.
National Grid: Live
The National Grid is the electric power transmission network for Great Britain. Current data shows a significant milestone in the energy transition.
Generation Breakdown
89.1% Renewables
- Wind: 21.06 GW (64.4%)
- Solar: 7.80 GW (23.9%)
- Hydroelectric: 0.28 GW (0.9%)
6.7% Fossil Fuels
- Gas: 2.19 GW (6.7%)
- Coal: 0.00 GW (0.0%)
16.1% Other Sources
- Nuclear: 4.46 GW (13.6%)
- Biomass: 0.82 GW (2.5%)
Key Indicators
- Emissions: 26g/kWh
- Price: −£0.20/MWh
- Demand: 32.7 GW
- Generation: 36.6 GW
The Energy Transition
Between January 1882, when the world’s first coal-fired power station opened in London, and September 30, 2024, when Great Britain’s last coal-fired power station closed, the country burnt 4.6 billion tonnes of coal.
The introduction of a carbon price floor in 2013 made coal uncompetitive with gas, which rapidly replaced coal in the country’s energy mix. Simultaneously, renewable power generation has been steadily rising. Great Britain’s position in the north-east Atlantic makes it one of the best locations in the world for wind power, with the North Sea hosting several of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.
New wind power records are set regularly, with a recent peak of 23.94GW achieved on December 5, 2025.
Data Sources
Data is sourced from the Elexon Insights Solution, the National Energy System Operator Data Portal, and the Carbon Intensity API (a project by the National Energy System Operator and the University of Oxford Department of Computer Science).
Source: Hacker News
