by Adam Vaughan for the guardian
Amount of electricity demanded by homes and businesses one afternoon was lower than it was during night for first time ever
Last weekend’s sunny weather was not only good for beers, barbecues and bees, but also drove solar power to break a new UK record.
For the first time ever, the amount of electricity demanded by homes and businesses in the afternoon on Saturday was lower than it was in the night, because solar panels on rooftops and in fields cut demand so much.
National Grid, which runs the transmission network, described the moment as a “huge milestone”. The company sees the solar power generated on the distribution networks – or local roads of the system – as reduced electricity demand.
The sunshine meant that solar power produced six times more electricity than the country’s coal-fired power stations on Saturday.
Continued good weather saw solar power generate significant amounts of power on Sunday and Monday too, when it was providing around 15% of electricity generation. Demand on Sunday afternoon was also lower than on Sunday night.
Duncan Burt, who manages daily operations at National Grid, said: “Demand being lower in the afternoon than overnight really is turning the hard and fast rules of the past upside down. It’s another fascinating sign of the huge changes we are seeing in Britain’s energy scene.”
