Record solar output offsets weaker wind generation

Record solar power offset has lower wind generation in the first half of the year, limiting an initial increase in gas power according to new figures.

Climate change thinktank Ember also said clean power generation in the early summer of 2025 displaced gas generation, pushing gas to record lows for two months in a row. This was despite an overall increase in gas power in the period from January to June, which compensated for lower power imports.

Ember said the latest data highlights how wind and solar are well balanced in Britain’s climate with low-wind days coinciding with low solar days just 2% of the time.

Solar power rose by a third in the first six months of the year to produce a record 9.91 TWh. Gas fell to just 21% of electricity generation in June. However, gas power increased overall in the first half of 2025 to fill a gap in power imports.

Frankie Mayo, Ember’s Senior Energy & Climate Analyst, said: “UK Solar works for households, it works for businesses and it works for the country. Developing both solar and wind projects is essential to ensure that we have a strong, stable and clean power system year round.”