Q3 2024: Power system records

Electricity generation from fossil fuels reached its lowest ever monthly average in August, falling below 5 GW for the first time. As a result, the carbon intensity of electricity reached a new low of 78 g/kWh, beating the previous record set in April by over 10 g/kWh.

Wind power came its closest ever to meeting Britain’s entire demand for electricity early in the morning of 22 August. Demand was under 20 GW and wind was producing 18.5 GW, meaning Britain’s interconnectors were exporting and its pumped storage charging at close to full capacity.

The tables below look over the past fourteen years (2009 to 2023) and report the record output and share of electricity generation, plus sustained averages over a day, a month, and a calendar year. Cells highlighted in blue are records that were broken in the third quarter of 2024. Each number links to the date it occurred on the Electric Insights website, so these records can be explored visually.