The heatwave pushed, reaching 14.8 GW on Tuesday and 14.7 GW on both Wednesday and Thursday. Britain's all-time solar generation record stands at 15.42 GW.
Analysis by the domestic energy experts at Utility Bidder has revealed the scale of solar electricity generated during the heatwave:
Tuesday: Solar generation totalled 120.2 GWh, up from 77.9 GWh the previous Tuesday.
Wednesday: Solar generation reached 124.6 GWh, compared with 67.9 GWh a week earlier.
Thursday: Solar generation totalled 123.3 GWh, up from 80.9 GWh the previous Thursday.
Friday: Solar generation reached 112.8 GWh, compared with 104.8 GWh the previous Friday.
Based on Utility Bidder's Energy Cost of Everything data, the additional 152.1 GWh of solar electricity generated during the four-day heatwave would have been enough to power a fan for 3 billion hours, around 152 million washing machine cycles, 21.7 million years of phone charging, 50.7 million 10-mile EV journeys, 21.7 million Sunday roasts and 30.4 million tumble dryer cycles, 507 billion 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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