Getty Images Rows of solar panels in green fields and between hedgerows.
Getty Images


Green bar chart showing the total amount of electricity generated from renewable sources by year, from 2009 to 2025. The bar heights increase across the period from a low of 9 terawatt hours in 2010 to a high of 127 terawatt hours in 2025.


A two-section chart showing on top the daily contribution of solar to Britain's total electricity generation in 2025 broken into 30-minute periods which are coloured according to their intensity, from white representing 0% to a deep orange to represent 50% or higher. Every day is ordered top-to-bottom from 1 January to 31 December and left-to-right from midnight to 23:59. The days in summer have more shaded blocks as would be expected with longer days and winter days have fewer. The bottom section repeats this chart in multiple facets, one per year from 2013 to 2024, with the overall intensity of shading darkening as years progress to correspond to solar's increased share in generation.


Tile chart with one tile per day arranged by year from 2009 at the top to 2025 at the bottom, shaded on a gradient scale where white represents 0% share of electricity generated from renewables to dark green which represents 50% or more. On average the years 2009 to 2013 are very light and the more recent years are much darker, with more days reaching the 50% mark.


Area chart showing the proportion of Britain's electricity generation by different fuel sources for each year from 2009 to 2025. In 2009 about three-quarters of all electricity came from gas and coal, with nuclear picking up most of the remaining generation. Renewables including wind and solar were a tiny fraction at that time, but have steadily increased their share up to 2025, with fossil fuel generation decreasing at the same time.

Off track for clean power?


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