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GB grid nowLow-carbon78%Wind55.3%Solar0.1%Nuclear14.7%Gas15.9%Imports1.2%Carbon intensity85 g/kWh

Independent · UK · Since 2023

Britain’s power, explained

Solar, wind, heat, storage, hydrogen and nuclear: how they work, what they cost and what they mean for the UK.

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GB grid right now78%of Britain’s electricity is coming from low-carbon sources this half hourLive data

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Storage & grid news

Storage & grid · UKBritain's electricity and gas supplies expected to stay secure this winter, NESO and DESNZ sayBritain should have enough electricity and gas to get through winter 2026/27, according to two official assessments published on 23 October 2026. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) forecasts an electricity margin…23 Oct 2026

Policy & marketsGovernment asks who should pay for the gas network as households switch away from gasThe Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has opened a call for evidence on a question that will matter more each year: as…22 Oct 2026 Policy & marketsGovernment has paid £1.05bn to take Renewables Obligation costs off household electricity billsThe government spent £530.3 million between July and September 2026 moving Renewables Obligation costs off household electricity bills and…22 Oct 2026

New guides and tools

Row of heat pumps outside a building promoting sustainable energy solutions.

Homes & buildings

Boiler Upgrade Scheme 2026: grants, eligibility and how it works

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a government grant towards the cost of replacing fossil-fuel or electric heating with a heat pump or, in limited rural cases,…

A person reaching out from an attic window overlooking a winter landscape.

Homes & buildings

Insulation grants in the UK (2026): loft, cavity wall and solid wall

If you are looking for a loft insulation grant in late 2026, the main route in England is now the Warm Homes: Local Grant, run through local councils. The Great…

Off-grid solar calculator

Size panels and a battery to run a UK home without the grid, month by month, and see the winter gap a generator or wood stove would have to fill.

Open Calculator

Electricity cost calculator

What an appliance or heater costs to run per hour, day, month and year at the current price cap rate.

Britain’s grid in numbers

Low-carbon share of GB electricityLast 24 hours

78%

Carbon intensityLast 24 hours

85gCO₂/kWh

Wind share of generationLast 24 hours

55%

30-day average carbon intensityLast 30 days

Range 31–247

108gCO₂/kWh

Great Britain, half-hourly to 27 Oct, 07:00 UK time. Source: NESO Carbon Intensity API. Live grid data →

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Most read explainers

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Blue swings in a sunny outdoor playground with sand and grass.

Energy-generating playgrounds: turning fun into power

A lively nightclub with people dancing and enjoying music under colorful lights.

Piezoelectric dance floors: can dancing power a club?

A modern canal lock system featuring safety buoys and lock gates on a sunny day.

Canal-based hydropower systems

Front view of the TU Delft Reactor Institute, Netherlands in daylight.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) in the energy transition

Close-up of a glass filled with sparkling water and ice cubes on a white background.

Solar-powered ice makers: how off-grid ice and cold chains work

A detailed view of hot embers and burning firewood, creating a warm atmosphere.

The evolution of biomass energy: from ancient fire to modern power stations

Orange train speeding on railway tracks in dense fog with speed sign visible.

Magnetic levitation trains: how maglev works and how much energy it uses

High-rise building with cranes in urban area against blue sky backdrop.

Gravity energy storage: lifting weights to store power

Energy glossary

Plain-English definitions of the words in energy news and bills.

AlbedoThe share of incoming sunlight that a surface reflects, on a scale from 0 (absorbs everything) to 1 (reflects everything).Anaerobic digestionA process in which microbes break down organic material such as food waste, slurry and crops without oxygen, producing biogas and a fertiliser called digestate.Balancing MechanismThe real-time market the National Energy System Operator uses to pay generators, batteries and large users to change their output so supply matches demand every second.