1/4 Of UK’s Energy Provided By Solar Power, 8.7 Gigawatts

Solar power is one of the leading alternatives to fossil fuel for powering the modern world. In the UK, the national power grid proved that even in one of the world’s most overcast nations, the sun can still be used as a viable power source. The country recently reported that almost a quarter of their electricity is generated via solar power.

The UK’s National Grid recently sent out a Tweet that up to 24.3 percent of the nation’s power consumption was provided by the sun. It should be noted, however, that this does not apply to Northern Ireland and applies to instantaneous power output.

“#Solar has just broken another record in Great Britain, providing 8.7 GW (24.3% of demand),” the Tweet reads.

Speaking to the Independent, the NG’s control room operations chief, Duncan Burt said that the volume of power generated via renewable energy has increased year over year. As of now, the UK is becoming increasingly reliant on solar power as well as other sustainable sources of energy.

“We now have significant volumes of renewable energy on the system and as this trend continues, our ability to forecast these patterns is becoming more and more important,” Burt said. “We have an expert team of forecasters who monitor a range of data, to forecast just how much electricity will be needed over a set period. We have planned for these changes to the energy landscape and have the tools available to ensure we can balance supply and demand. It really is the beginning of a new era, which we are prepared for and excited to play our part.”

Solar Trade Association chief, Paul Barwell also noted that this is a “colossal achievement” for the solar industry. It also serves as proof to UK residents who might still have reservations about solar power that it has become a force to be reckoned with.