The UK’s energy sector sets another record, with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) confirming that zero carbon energy sources provided 98.8% of the total electricity within the transmission network between 15:30 – 16:00 on the 22nd of April 2026.
This total surpasses the previous record of 97.7% electricity provided by zero carbon energy sources, set a year prior in April 2025, marking another moment in history where Britian’s Electricity Grid operated at very almost net zero.
In April, other renewable records were broken, as solar reached two maximum periods, whereby solar provided the most amount of energy to the electricity grid it ever has on record, doing so on consecutive days.
On April 22nd solar energy provided 14.8 GW of electricity between 12:30 and 13:00 and 15.4 GW of electricity between 12:30-13:00 on the 23rd of April.
This is a real testament to the successful deployment of solar energy schemes, demonstrated by a 30% year-on-year annual generation increase between 2024 and 2025, which accounted for 6.5% of the energy generated in 2025, up from 5% in 2024. Providing nearly a third more of electricity in 2025 than it was in 2024.
Contextualising the scale of this progress, back in October 2014 we were celebrating solar capacity in the UK reaching 5,075.8 MW, fast forward 10 years to October 2024 where we achieved 18,398.5 MW in solar capacity.
Energy Minister, Micheal Shanks stated that "Every single time we smash another record for renewable energy we are protecting the British public more from fossil fuel price spikes and taking back control of our energy security at home”.
The continuation of renewable energy deployment is needed now more than ever, as recent political rhetoric around energy security has underscored. The US-Iran conflict has repeated the warning signs of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, that energy systems dominated by fossil fuels are exposed to geopolitical instability. Therefore, the continuation of this record achieving momentum within the renewables industry provides a bright outlook for the future of UK energy, as it progresses towards a cleaner, cheaper and more stable energy sector.
