The UK Grid Report
How green has Britain's electricity been, year by year? In 2009, wind, solar and hydro supplied 3.4% of GB generation and each unit averaged 445 gCO₂ per kWh. In 2025 the renewable share was 37.7% and carbon intensity averaged 127 g. Every year since 2009 has its own report, with the full generation mix, coal-free hours and downloadable data. You can also watch the grid live on our real-time grid map.
| Year | Renewables | Low carbon | Coal | Carbon gCO₂/kWh | Generation | Negative price hrs | Highest half hour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | 41.2% | 58.7% | 0.0% | 141 | 151 TWh | 101 | £561 | Full report |
| 2025 | 37.7% | 56.4% | 0.0% | 127 | 289 TWh | 244.5 | £1,353 | Full report |
| 2024 | 36.4% | 56.7% | 0.6% | 124 | 281 TWh | 247.5 | £605 | Full report |
| 2023 | 35.5% | 54.3% | 1.0% | 149 | 275 TWh | 214 | £580 | Full report |
| 2022 | 33.0% | 53.6% | 1.5% | 181 | 290 TWh | 66.5 | £1,562 | Full report |
| 2021 | 27.7% | 49.7% | 1.7% | 183 | 285 TWh | 32.5 | £1,984 | Full report |
| 2020 | 31.3% | 55.0% | 1.6% | 168 | 276 TWh | 164.5 | £511 | Full report |
| 2019 | 25.8% | 49.8% | 2.0% | 189 | 292 TWh | 30 | £152 | Full report |
| 2018 | 22.9% | 48.6% | 5.2% | 214 | 298 TWh | 9 | £321 | Full report |
| 2017 | 20.4% | 42.9% | 6.9% | 240 | 301 TWh | 20.5 | £388 | Full report |
| 2016 | 15.4% | 37.4% | 9.2% | 274 | 303 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2015 | 15.0% | 36.5% | 24.4% | 356 | 305 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2014 | 11.6% | 30.9% | 31.2% | 419 | 310 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2013 | 9.0% | 29.5% | 39.0% | 475 | 322 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2012 | 6.7% | 27.1% | 42.4% | 505 | 324 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2011 | 5.7% | 25.8% | 32.1% | 450 | 322 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2010 | 2.9% | 20.4% | 30.7% | 462 | 335 TWh | — | — | Full report |
| 2009 | 3.4% | 23.2% | 30.0% | 445 | 329 TWh | — | — | Full report |
Renewables here is NESO's measure (wind, solar and hydro). Each year's report also gives the biomass-inclusive share used by official statistics. Negative price hours and the highest half hour are on the market index (MID) basis, available from 2017. The current year is a running year-to-date figure.
Methodology
Figures are derived from NESO's half-hourly historic generation mix dataset (transmission generation plus NESO's estimate of embedded wind and solar), aggregated by calendar year. Shares are energy-weighted. Carbon intensity uses the methodology built by the National Energy System Operator with the University of Oxford Department of Computer Science. Every year's page has a CSV download of the underlying figures, and the full method for every computed figure lives on the methodology page.
Data comes from the Elexon Insights Solution (BMRS), the NESO Data Portal and the Carbon Intensity API, a project by the National Energy System Operator and the University of Oxford Department of Computer Science. Contains BMRS data © Elexon Limited copyright and database right 2026.
Cite this report
You are welcome to reuse the figures on this page with a link back. Suggested citation:
Purely Energy, "The UK Grid Report", purelyenergy.co.uk/grid-report. Derived from NESO historic generation mix data (2009 to 2026).
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