National Grid data has confirmed this week that 52% of electricity generation this Summer – between 21st and 22nd Sept – was delivered from low carbon sources; making it the greenest ever Summer on record, increasing significantly from the reported 35% back in 2013.
Whilst low carbon sources include nuclear power, energy technologies such as solar panels and wind were responsible for generating around 24% of the UK’s total power this Summer; an increase from 9% in 2013 and up from 19.5% this time last year.
These impressive statistics show that renewable energy continues to make a meaningful contribution to the UK’s energy mix, evidenced further by a number of records being made over the past 12 months alone;

As the amount of low carbon energy produced has continued to increase over the years, less carbon emissions are subsequently emitted in to the atmosphere, helping the UK lower its carbon footprint and meet its environmental obligations, such as the COP21 Paris Agreement.
In the four years prior, the average carbon dioxide emissions for each unit of energy produced on the National Grid has since reduced by around 56%. Back in 2013, National Grid data shows that 491 grams of carbon dioxide was emitted per each kWh of energy generated compared to 216 grams today.
With more low carbon systems expected to come online in the future, together with a decline in the use of coal for electricity generation, the National Grid are also launching a new system that can forecast how much carbon dioxide is being emitted per kWh produced up to 2 days in advance. This software and communication of its data is expected to help businesses and the general public understand and better manage their energy use to further reduce consumption during peak times in addition to reducing emissions.