Britain's two heatwaves have generated almost 2 TWh of solar electricity. During June’s heatwave, 45.9 percent more solar electricity was produced than the equivalent four-day period the previous week (+152.1GWh). During July’s heatwave, daily solar generation exceeded 110 GWh on 11 of the 12 days, peaking at 127.7GWh.
Based on Utility Bidder's Energy Cost of Everything data, the 1.85TWh of solar electricity generated during the two heatwaves would have been enough for:
Around 1.85 billion washing machine cycles
More than 617 million 10-mile EV journeys
Around 371 million tumble dryer cycles
More than 264 million years of charging a phone
Over 6 trillion ChatGPT requests
“Heatwaves place additional strain on the electricity system because they drive higher demand for cooling at the same time as reducing wind output in some regions” said Madeleine Porter, Head of Marketing at Utility Bidder. “However, they also significantly increase solar generation during daylight hours. During this period, we’re seeing solar contribute a much larger share of Britain’s electricity mix than usual, at times exceeding a third of total demand. That level of output helps reduce reliance on gas-fired generation, taking pressure off during peak periods. Additionally, it highlights how closely the UK’s electricity system is linked to short-term weather patterns, particularly in the summer months. A sustained period of clear skies and sunny conditions can quickly increase solar output across the country, meaning the contribution from renewables can shift quite significantly from one day to the next.”
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