How we generated electricity in May
In May, 44% of electricity came from zero carbon sources, peaking at 80% on 4 May at 11am.
Gas was our largest source of fuel, with 34% of electricity being generated by gas. Wind was our second largest power source, attributing 19.6% of generation in May.
For the first time this year, 0% of generation came from coal in May, allowing us to achieve 560 consecutive hours without coal. This is a great step towards our ambition of delivering periods of 100% zero carbon operations by 2025 and a zero carbon electricity system by 2035.
If you have any questions about these figures, please contact the ESO at [email protected].
Craig Dyke
Head of National Control
Find out about Great Britain's electricity generation and how much came from sources such as wind, solar and biomass in our monthly snapshot.
Our control room experts continue to balance supply and demand second by second as we move into the spring months – and you can follow the electricity mix live in our carbon intensity app - available on Google Play Store and The App Store.




Need more reports?
All our monthly electricity reports can be downloaded and shared.
Name | Published |
---|---|
September 2021 Electricity Report | 6 Oct 2021 |
August 2021 Electricity Report | 3 Sep 2021 |
July 2021 Electricity Report | 3 Aug 2021 |
May 2021 Electricity Report | 14 Jul 2021 |
June 2021 Electricity Report | 14 Jul 2021 |
April 2021 Electricity Report | 5 May 2021 |
March 2021 Electricity Report | 6 Apr 2021 |
February 2021 Electricity Report | 9 Mar 2021 |
January 2021 Electricity Report | 2 Feb 2021 |
December 2020 Electricity Report | 5 Jan 2021 |