Britain’s grid had its ‘second greenest’ year on record in 2022

Wind power hit new highs last year, according to data from the grid operator

Electricity produced across the UK was close to the greenest it has ever been in 2021, National Grid has confirmed.

The report suggests zero carbon electricity sources played an increasing role in delivering electricity, with more than 50% of electricity coming from these sources in February, May, October, November and December.

National Grid said the greenest month was February, with a carbon intensity of 126gCO2/kWh.

Electricity from wind turbines has continued to grow in importance to the operation of the grid.

In November 2022, more than 20GW of electricity was produced by wind for the first time, representing more than 70% of electricity generated on that day.

Since then, this record has continued to tumble, with 30th December delivering the largest generation to date of 20.9GW.

Jess Ralston, Head of Energy at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: “New offshore wind farms are helping to limit bill increases this year but we are still some way behind countries like Germany that got around 45% of their power from renewables in the last year.

“A 2015 decision to ban onshore wind has proven short-sighted in the gas crisis and our old-fashioned energy grid urgently needs investment to maximise the opportunity that wind and solar offer to continue to reduce bills.”

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