UK grid smashes new green record with ‘longest time’ on record

Britain’s electricity grid ran on 100% clean power for 25 hours, according to a new report

The UK grid ran on 100% clean electricity for 25 hours in December.

That’s according to a new report by the Imperial College London which suggests that was the longest period on record.

The data shows that clean power, which includes renewable energy sources – biomass, hydro, wind and solar – as well as nuclear has broken the record for the volume of clean surplus power produced, an estimated 2.9GW.

The report notes there were nearly 100 hours where the grid delivered more clean power than it needed last year.

Analysts added that on 30th December, Britain saw a record of 3GW of surplus clean power produced – clear power sources produced more than 26.4GW while demand was only 23.4GW.

Dr Iain Staffell of Imperial College London and Lead Author of the quarterly Drax Electric Insights report, said: “Britain’s power grid has undergone a remarkable transformation over the last decade with surplus clean electricity having switched from being a pipe dream to becoming a reality.

Electricity is the only form of energy where we produce more than we consume – in comparison to our coal and gas requirements where 60-75% are still imported from abroad.

“Completely eliminating fossil fuels during periods of high renewable output and low demand in the next two years requires significant policy and infrastructure decisions to be made now.”

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