From BBC News
A record amount of solar power was generated on Friday as Britain basked in sunshine and temperatures of up to 28C, the National Grid has said. It said 8.7 gigawatts (GW) had been generated at lunchtime, representing 24.3% of total generation across the UK. The level tops the previous record of 8.48GW set on 10 May.
Duncan Burt, head of control room operations at National Grid, called it the “beginning of a new era”. “We now have significant volumes of renewable energy on the system,” he said. “We also have the tools available to ensure we can balance supply and demand.”
Alongside the contribution from solar, 23% of power came from nuclear sources, 30% from natural gas and just 1.4% from coal. Wind, hydro power and biomass were also used. A National Grid spokeswoman said the record level of solar power was achieved largely because of to the clear and sunny weather on Friday.
Read the rest of the article here.
