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Britain breaks its clean energy generation record

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger
Written By
Tamara Birch, senior writer, The Eco Experts
Reviewed By
Published on 1 October 2025
  • Renewables have so far accounted for 100% of mainland Britain’s electricity demand for 87 hours in 2025, an increase of 97.1% on 2021
  • The longest period of 100% renewable energy generation was 15 hours in May
  • The government wants 95% of all energy generation to be renewable by 2030
When you include biomass at 4% and hydro at 1%, clean energy has at times generated 105% of national demand in 2025

Clean energy has been responsible for 100% of all mainland Britain’s electricity demand for a record 87 hours so far this year, according to data from Carbon Brief

This figure is up by 25.8% on the 64.5 hours in 2024 and 97.1% from the 2.5 hours in 2021.

According to Carbon Brief’s analysis, during the periods where clean energy accounted for all of mainland Britain’s demand, the biggest source was wind, which pitched in 72% of power, followed by nuclear at 18% and solar at 10%. 

When you include biomass at 4% and hydro at 1%, clean energy has at times generated 105% of national demand in 2025. The most recent period when mainland Britain had all its electricity provided by clean energy was on Friday 12 September between 2am and 6am.

Northern Ireland, which is part of the separate all-Ireland grid, is not included in the data.

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The longest period where clean energy has provided 100% of mainland Britain’s energy is from midnight on 25 May to 3pm on 26 May at a total of 15 hours.     

During the periods when renewable energy was offering 100% of electricity, the country was still generating energy from gas, enough to potentially meet 13% of mainland Britain’s demand.

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Combined with the surplus of clean energy, this meant the country could export 19% of the total energy it generated across all sources, and it did so to Ireland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. 

The data shows the UK government is closer to reach its goal of having 95% of electricity demand covered by clean energy sources by 2030 and for 100% to be met without fossil fuels.

In 2025 so far, 66% of electricity has come from either renewable sources of nuclear, which accounted for 59% of total demand, the difference being down to net imports. 

On top of that, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has its own goal of running the electricity grid without fossil fuels for at least 30 minutes by the end of 2025.  

Craig Dyke, NESO’s director of system operations, told Carbon Brief that he expects the first 30 minutes of full zero-carbon electricity could be achieved this autumn, describing it as “absolutely groundbreaking”.

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Written By

Maximilian Schwerdtfeger

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

He also explored the initiatives major container ports and terminals have launched in order to ship vital goods across the world without polluting the environment.

Since then, he has reported heavily on the impact made by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices on the supply chain of minerals, with a particular focus on rare earth mining in Africa.

As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history and ghost stories. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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Reviewed By

Tamara Birch, senior writer, The Eco Experts

Tamara is a London-based journalist and has written about environmental topics for more than four years. This includes advising small business owners on cost-effective ways, like solar panels and energy-efficient products, to help them become more sustainable.

She has used her journalist and research skills to become highly knowledgeable on sustainable initiatives, issues, and solutions to help consumers do their bit for the environment – all while reducing monthly costs.

In addition to adopting sustainable practices in her personal life, Tamara has worked in the retail B2B space to help independent retailers think about their environmental choices and how they can help improve their business. She now uses this knowledge to help consumers do the same.

Her passion for sustainability and eco-friendly solutions stems from a long obsession with nature and animals and ensuring they feel looked after. In her free time, Tamara enjoys reading fantasy novels, visiting the gym, and going on long walks in new areas.

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