Q2 2017 report

by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

Britain’s power system keeps breaking records: this issue charts the continued rise of clean electricity and its benefits across the wider energy system. 

Renewables hit a new milestone by producing 25% of Britain’s electricity over the quarter; while all low-carbon sources together produced 55% (see Article 1).

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by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

Clean electricity sources are once again breaking records in Britain. 

Renewables powered more than a quarter of demand between April and June, as shown in the figure below-left. Output from all low-carbon sources (including nuclear and imports from France) met 56% of demand over the quarter, a tenth higher than the previous high reported in our first issue.

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by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

Low-carbon is the new normal for Britain’s power system. 

Carbon intensity over the quarter averaged 199 g/kWh: 10% lower than the previous minimum set last year. For context, the carbon intensity averaged 740 g/kWh in the 1980s and 500 g/kWh in the 2000s.

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by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

The recent switch from coal to renewables means electric vehicles now create half the CO₂ of the cleanest conventional and hybrid cars on the road. 

It is widely accepted that electric cars dramatically reduce air pollution in cities, but can they reduce overall CO₂emissions when the electricity they use largely comes from fossil fuels? The lack of transparency around power systems has helped fuel the debate about how clean electric cars really are.

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by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

Solar power is reaching new heights in Britain, and having a growing influence on system operations. 

For eight hours over the quarter, solar power produced more power than all fossil fuels combined. It set two new records for instantaneous output: supplying 25% of demand on the 8th of April, and producing 8.91 GW on May 26th. Over the quarter, solar panels produced 4 TWh of electricity, 12% above the previous maximum set back in 2015.

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by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

Britain is moving towards a decentralised power system as a tenth of June’s electricity did not use the national grid. 

Small renewables (particularly solar) make up a growing portion of electricity supply. These are embedded into local distribution networks rather than connected to the high-voltage transmission system. They can meet demand locally if output comes at a useful time, though they do not necessarily reduce the need to have those transmission wires available for other times. 

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by Dr Iain Staffell – Imperial College London 

Output from renewables is up 25% on this quarter last year, while output from fossil fuels is down 16%.

Over the last 12 months, wind and solar accounted for 80% of new capacity installed.

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