Updated
What is generating right now
Where Britain's electricity is coming from, and how that has shifted through the day. Solar is included, which matters: on a bright afternoon it is often the single largest source on the system.
At 18:30 GMT on 7 November 2026, gas was Great Britain's largest source of electricity at 59.0% of the mix. Renewables supplied 15.1%, and low-carbon sources including nuclear 20.9%.
Largest source now
Gas
59.0% of the mix
Renewable
15.1%
Wind, solar, hydro and biomass
Low carbon
20.9%
Renewables plus nuclear
Metered generation
35,433MW
Transmission-connected plant only
The mix right now
How the mix moved through the day
Share of generation by source over the last 24 hours, including embedded solar and wind. Watch solar climb from nothing at dawn to its midday peak and back.
View as table
| Time | Nuclear | Gas | Hydro | Solar | Imports | Biomass | Wind | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:30 | 13.2% | 52.8% | 5.8% | 0.0% | 8.2% | 8.5% | 5.4% | 6.0% |
| 19:00 | 13.9% | 54.5% | 3.9% | 0.0% | 8.6% | 8.9% | 5.6% | 4.6% |
| 19:30 | 14.3% | 56.2% | 2.7% | 0.0% | 6.9% | 9.2% | 5.7% | 5.0% |
| 20:00 | 14.6% | 56.8% | 2.7% | 0.0% | 6.9% | 9.4% | 5.8% | 3.7% |
| 20:30 | 15.0% | 58.1% | 2.1% | 0.0% | 5.6% | 9.6% | 5.7% | 4.1% |
| 21:00 | 15.5% | 60.0% | 1.6% | 0.0% | 5.6% | 9.9% | 5.9% | 1.5% |
| 21:30 | 15.7% | 61.1% | 1.5% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.1% | 5.9% | 1.2% |
| 22:00 | 16.1% | 61.0% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.2% | 6.0% | 0.7% |
| 22:30 | 16.1% | 60.1% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 4.4% | 10.2% | 6.0% | 2.0% |
| 23:00 | 16.3% | 60.7% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 4.4% | 10.3% | 5.8% | 1.3% |
| 23:30 | 16.4% | 61.1% | 1.2% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 10.4% | 5.5% | 0.9% |
| 00:00 | 16.5% | 60.9% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 10.5% | 5.4% | 1.1% |
| 00:30 | 16.7% | 60.6% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.5% | 5.4% | 1.2% |
| 01:00 | 16.7% | 60.8% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.6% | 5.2% | 1.1% |
| 01:30 | 16.5% | 60.3% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 10.4% | 4.6% | 2.5% |
| 02:00 | 16.6% | 60.7% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 10.5% | 4.2% | 2.3% |
| 02:30 | 16.8% | 61.3% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.6% | 3.9% | 1.8% |
| 03:00 | 16.9% | 62.1% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.5% | 3.8% | 1.0% |
| 03:30 | 16.8% | 62.2% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.6% | 3.7% | 0.9% |
| 04:00 | 16.8% | 62.3% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.7% | 3.8% | 0.7% |
| 04:30 | 16.7% | 62.8% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.6% | 10.5% | 3.9% | 0.5% |
| 05:00 | 16.5% | 63.1% | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 10.5% | 3.9% | 0.4% |
| 05:30 | 16.1% | 63.6% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 4.4% | 10.2% | 4.2% | 0.6% |
| 06:00 | 15.7% | 64.5% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 4.3% | 9.9% | 4.2% | 0.5% |
| 06:30 | 15.4% | 64.9% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 9.8% | 4.1% | 0.7% |
| 07:00 | 15.3% | 64.4% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 4.2% | 9.7% | 3.9% | 1.1% |
| 07:30 | 15.3% | 64.3% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4.2% | 9.7% | 4.1% | 0.5% |
| 08:00 | 15.1% | 63.2% | 1.1% | 1.9% | 4.1% | 9.6% | 4.2% | 0.7% |
| 08:30 | 14.4% | 60.1% | 1.0% | 3.7% | 6.7% | 9.2% | 4.2% | 0.6% |
| 09:00 | 14.1% | 58.5% | 1.0% | 5.9% | 6.8% | 9.0% | 4.1% | 0.8% |
| 09:30 | 13.7% | 57.1% | 1.0% | 7.2% | 7.3% | 8.7% | 3.8% | 1.3% |
| 10:00 | 13.5% | 56.0% | 0.9% | 8.4% | 7.3% | 8.6% | 3.7% | 1.5% |
| 10:30 | 13.6% | 55.4% | 0.9% | 9.4% | 6.2% | 8.7% | 3.6% | 2.2% |
| 11:00 | 13.7% | 54.8% | 0.8% | 10.2% | 6.3% | 8.8% | 3.4% | 2.0% |
| 11:30 | 13.6% | 53.5% | 0.8% | 10.1% | 8.2% | 8.7% | 3.2% | 1.9% |
| 12:00 | 13.6% | 53.6% | 0.8% | 10.3% | 8.2% | 8.6% | 3.0% | 1.8% |
| 12:30 | 13.8% | 55.1% | 0.9% | 10.0% | 6.6% | 8.8% | 3.0% | 1.8% |
| 13:00 | 13.9% | 56.5% | 0.9% | 9.2% | 6.6% | 8.3% | 3.0% | 1.6% |
| 13:30 | 14.0% | 57.4% | 1.0% | 8.5% | 6.9% | 7.9% | 3.0% | 1.5% |
| 14:00 | 14.1% | 58.2% | 1.0% | 7.6% | 6.9% | 7.3% | 3.1% | 1.6% |
| 14:30 | 14.4% | 59.6% | 1.7% | 5.5% | 7.0% | 7.4% | 3.0% | 1.4% |
| 15:00 | 14.4% | 60.5% | 2.5% | 3.3% | 7.0% | 7.4% | 2.7% | 2.1% |
| 15:30 | 14.3% | 60.0% | 4.1% | 1.5% | 6.7% | 7.3% | 2.7% | 3.4% |
| 16:00 | 13.7% | 58.3% | 5.0% | 0.6% | 6.5% | 7.1% | 2.6% | 6.1% |
| 16:30 | 13.5% | 57.6% | 5.1% | 0.0% | 6.4% | 7.2% | 2.7% | 7.5% |
| 17:00 | 13.4% | 57.5% | 5.0% | 0.0% | 6.3% | 7.8% | 2.9% | 7.2% |
| 17:30 | 13.6% | 58.1% | 5.2% | 0.0% | 6.1% | 7.9% | 3.0% | 6.1% |
| 18:00 | 13.8% | 57.9% | 5.2% | 0.0% | 6.2% | 8.0% | 2.9% | 6.0% |
| 18:30 | 14.1% | 59.0% | 3.9% | 0.0% | 6.5% | 8.3% | 2.9% | 5.3% |
Metered output by fuel type
Megawatts from transmission-connected power stations during the current settlement period. Embedded generation is not metered here, so rooftop solar is absent from this chart.
View as table
| Fuel type | Now (MW) | Share now | Last 24h (MWh) | Share 24h |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil Gas | 21,885 | 61.8% | 869,467 | 63.1% |
| Nuclear | 5,119 | 14.4% | 220,476 | 16.0% |
| Other | 2,839 | 8.0% | 27,843 | 2.0% |
| Biomass | 2,649 | 7.5% | 136,232 | 9.9% |
| Hydro Pumped Storage | 1,142 | 3.2% | 3,757 | 0.3% |
| Hydro Run-of-river and poundage | 804 | 2.3% | 18,172 | 1.3% |
| Wind Offshore | 645 | 1.8% | 41,206 | 3.0% |
| Wind Onshore | 332 | 0.9% | 18,057 | 1.3% |
| Solar | 18 | 0.1% | 42,160 | 3.1% |
| Fossil Oil | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Fossil Hard coal | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
What this means
The mix changes constantly: wind and solar run whenever the weather allows, nuclear runs steadily around the clock, and gas fills whatever gap is left. Because gas is usually the source that adjusts, it tends to set both the price and the carbon intensity of electricity at any given moment, even when it is a small share of the total.
The two charts here count different things, which is why their figures differ. The share chart comes from a feed that estimates all generation, including the solar panels on roofs and the small wind farms connected to local networks. The megawatt chart below it comes from metering on the transmission system, which never sees those.
That gap is large. Most of Britain's solar is embedded in local networks, so it appears in the share chart but is invisible to the metered one - where it instead shows up as demand that never materialises.
Common questions
Where does Britain's electricity come from?
It changes by the hour. On a windy night, wind can be the biggest source. On a still winter evening, it's usually gas. Nuclear ticks along in the background, solar helps when the sun's out, and Britain also imports power through subsea cables.
Does Britain still burn coal for electricity?
No. The last coal plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, shut on 30 September 2024. Coal had been powering Britain since 1882.
Why does gas still run on windy days?
Wind farms and the people using the power often aren't in the same place. If the lines running south from Scotland are full, wind gets turned down there and a gas plant closer to the demand gets switched on instead. Gas can also ramp up quickly when the wind drops.