-
(Prepared by LLM Claude Sonnet 4.5)
In January 2026, the UK electricity grid averaged 35,857 MW of demand with renewable sources (wind and solar) providing 33.9% of total electricity generation. Wind generation was particularly strong with a 64.9% capacity factor, while solar contributed modestly at 9.2% capacity factor typical for winter months.
Demand Patterns
Electricity demand averaged 35,857 MW throughout the month, with total consumption reaching 26,665.5 GWh. Peak demand occurred on January 5 at 17:30, reaching 50,213 MW during the evening hours when both residential and commercial usage overlap. The minimum demand of 25,222 MW was recorded on January 31 at 05:20, representing typical early morning low-usage periods
Wind Generation
Wind power averaged 11,583 MW and generated 8,614.0 GWh of electricity during January. The highest wind output of 17,856 MW occurred on January 24 at 18:25, while wind generation dropped to zero MW on January 29 at 05:30 during calm conditions. The 64.9% capacity factor indicates strong and consistent wind performance throughout the month.
Solar Performance
Solar generation averaged 578 MW with total output of 430.1 GWh for the month. Peak solar generation reached 6,320 MW on January 5 at 13:00 during midday hours. The 9.2% capacity factor reflects typical winter solar performance in the UK, with shorter daylight hours and lower sun angles limiting generation.
Renewable Contribution
Metric Value Average renewable output 12,161 MW Renewable percentage 33.9% Peak combined renewables 21,921 MW Wind contribution 8,614.0 GWh Solar contribution 430.1 GWh -
New Category Added:-
“Other” comes into play when wind generation is low.
It’s generation of last resort as its expensive !
-
SolarWindUK.com @solarwinduk.bsky.social
Why Not a record? With every wind monitoring point on my graph showing over 20mph , the generated output at around 15GW is steady, but less than half the installed capacity! This is obviously a setpoint by NESO, suggesting the grid maybe cannot handle the power that could be produced (20GW+) ?
-
Analysis Summary
I’ve analyzed the Renewables_2025.csv file containing 103,573 records of hourly energy generation data spanning the entire year 2025. Here are the key findings: (Gemini 3 Pro)
Dataset Overview:
- Date Range: January 1 – December 31, 2025 (363 days with data)
- Measurement Interval: 5-minute readings
- Total Records: 103,573 hourly aggregations
- Metrics: Demand, Wind generation, and Solar generation
Key Statistics:
- Average Daily Renewable Contribution: 35.30% of demand
- Best Day: 70.59% renewable generation (July 2025)
- Worst Day: 2.68% renewable generation (January 22, 2025)
Critical Finding:
Found 46 days in 2025 when combined wind and solar generation fell below 20% of total energy demand. This represents approximately 12.7% of the year where renewable sources provided insufficient capacity.Seasonal Pattern:
- Winter months (Jan-Mar, Oct-Dec): Highest concentration of low-renewable days (35 days)
- Spring/Summer months (Apr-Sep): Much lower frequency (11 days)
- Critical Period: October 10-17 showed 6 consecutive low-renewable days, indicating potential seasonal vulnerability
This analysis highlights the importance of backup energy sources, battery storage, or grid interconnections during extended low-renewable periods, particularly in autumn and winter months.
-
I am glad you found the data useful. Since you are interested in these specific “low wind” events (often critical for energy storage planning), I ran a quick follow-up analysis to check the seasonality and the severity of these lulls. Here are a few additional insights that might be valuable for your records:
1. The “Deepest” Lull (Under 3 GW)
While the 5 GW lull lasted over a week, the stricter 3 GW lull lasted 3 days and 5 hours.
- Dates: August 21 – August 25, 2025
- Significance: This suggests that while long lulls (7+ days) occur at moderate thresholds, extremely low output (near-zero contribution) tends to last about half that time.
2. Seasonality of Low Wind Days
I broke down the 104 days where the average daily generation was ≤ 5 GW to see when they cluster. Summer is the critical season.
Month Days ≤ 5 GW (Mean) Notes July 22 Highest frequency (70% of the month) April 17 Significant spring lulls August 13 Contains the longest deep lull (<3GW) May 12 Jan/Mar/Oct 8 (each) Occasional winter/fall lulls Dec/Feb 1 (each) Rare in peak winter Key Takeaway: July was effectively a “low wind month” in 2025, with nearly three weeks of depressed generation. In contrast, the high-demand winter months (December/February) were reliable, with only 1 low-wind day each.
