Why 2022 was the second greenest year ever for the National Grid

National Grid ESO recorded its second greenest year in history in 2022, as electricity generation increasingly came from renewable energy sources. 

The UK’s energy grid is increasingly turning away from its reliance on fossil fuels, with renewable sources of electricity responsible for 48.5% of generation in 2022. That’s compared to the 40% of generation that came from the country’s network of gas or coal power stations. 

Despite the increasing use of renewables, 2022 couldn’t eclipse 2020 in becoming the greenest year on record. That’s unsurprising considering the lower demand for electricity in 2020, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. With the UK now back to a more pre-pandemic normal, energy use has subsequently increased.

In fact, had demand in 2022 looked similar to 2020, it’s likely that we would have a new greenest year yet for the National Grid. That’s thanks to a few other records broken last year, including the first time wind generation provided over 20GW of electricity; the lowest carbon intensity month since records began (February 2022 - 126 gCO2/kWh average); and the second greenest day on record (52 gCO2/kWh on 28 December). 

This is positive news for the industry, as it increasingly looks like National Grid ESO is on track to achieve its goal of running the grid carbon-free for extended periods of time by 2025, before going completely net zero by 2035. 

However, there’s still progress to be made before either goal is achieved. This includes dealing with increasing fluctuations in demand, as well as the ever-unpredictability of renewable sources. While it’s great to have a grid full of renewables, there will inevitably be periods where generation is low due to unfavourable weather conditions, or in the case of solar, at nighttime.

This fluctuation was evident in December 2022, which saw both a record-setting day for renewable energy on December 30 thanks to high winds, as well as soaring energy prices earlier on in the month as the cold snap caused energy use to spike at the same time as wind speeds were significantly lower.