UK electricity demand surges amid renewable energy shortfall

The energy challenges of Britain have lately brought into focus its growing dependence on natural gas and simultaneously the limitations of renewable energy during extreme weather. Electricity demand soared to 50 gigawatts (GW) as freezing temperatures swept the nation. Low wind speeds and the setting sun left renewable energy struggling to meet the demand.

Output on Wednesday was a mere 3GW despite having 12,000 wind turbines which are capable of producing 30GW and was enough for just a fraction of UK households. Solar energy vanished completely after sunset. It exposed 0unpredictable nature of renewables and raised questions about their reliability during critical times.

Britain could have turned to coal and nuclear power to fill the gaps earlier. Coal once provided the majority of its electricity. However, the push for net-zero emissions has seen coal-fired power stations shut down. Nuclear energy has simultaneously dwindled with ageing plants closing and new projects delayed for years. Today, nuclear contributes just 5GW and it is far below the peak in the 1990s.

With these traditional sources sidelined, Britain is now heavily reliant on natural gas. But even this comes with risks. Storage reserves are alarmingly low, with warnings that the country has only enough gas to last a week if external supplies were cut off. This leaves Britain vulnerable, particularly during the harsh winter months.