Britain's wind power plunge shows gas is vital to keeping lights on, experts warn

Britain's wind power plunge shows gas is vital to keeping lights on, experts warn Experts said it showed the need for firm power alongside the intermittent energy provided by wind and solar Sign up to the News Newsletter I agree to receive updates and information about my account, the GB News Community, and related products and services from GB News. Email address Sign up By signing up you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and Community Rules.

Thank you for signing up! See the latest from GB News here . Choose GB News on Google - add us as a preferred source Choose GB News Support GB News Champion free speech and independent journalism while unlocking exclusive benefits. Support us Plummeting wind power over the past week highlights the need for gas-fired electricity to keep the lights on, industry leaders say. As wind output fell, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) issued an alert asking generators to make extra capacity available for this morning.

The grid operator's electricity margin notice (EMN) called for a greater safety margin between supply and demand. It was later withdrawn. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say But experts said it showed the need for firm power alongside the intermittent energy provided by wind and solar. Britain is moving towards a clean energy grid, with Labour planning for 95 per cent of electricity to come from clean sources by 2030. This means a greater reliance on renewables.

But while gas-fired power can be dispatched when it is needed, wind and solar are weather-dependent. On average, last Monday (Nov 2), 28 per cent of the UK's electricity came from wind turbines. But by Sunday this had dropped to just two per cent, according to figures from the trade body Future Energy Networks. Plummeting wind power over the past week highlights the need for gas-fired electricity to keep the lights on, industry leaders say | GETTY Gas, meanwhile, was supplying 40 per cent of electricity last Monday.

This rose to 69 per cent between 10am on Sunday and 10am this morning. Prolonged spells of dark and windless weather are known as dunkelflaute. A Lords Committee has recently heard evidence about how best to deal with the phenomenon while meeting Net Zero obligations. Neso said the latest EMN was a "routine and precautionary measure". It added: "This is not a warning of power cuts, there is no risk to customer electricity supplies, and customers do not need to take action – Great Britain’s electricity system remains secure."

Monday's alert was unusual, experts said, because it came in the morning, rather than the evening when peak demand is higher. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Andy Burnham refuses to rule out EV target U-turn as MPs consider Net Zero car sales mandate slash Andy Burnham's post-Brexit trade deal 'could drive up price of fresh fruit and vegetables' Labour voters back UK's biggest untapped oil field despite Ed Miliband's 'climate vandalism' attack The grid operator's electricity margin notice (EMN) called for a greater safety margin between supply and demand | GETTY It follows an increase in EMNs, including during the heatwaves, when margin alerts were issued in the summer for the first time.

Kathryn Porter, founder of energy consultancy Watt-Logic, said a growing reliance on intermittent renewables was making the notices more frequent. She told GB News: "Electricity Margin Notices (EMNs) used to be rare events, normally associated with cold winter evenings when demand was exceptionally high. Now they are becoming more frequent and are no longer confined to winter. "An EMN does not mean blackouts are imminent – it’s a request from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) for generators and other market participants to make additional capacity available.

But the increasing frequency of these warnings should concern us." James Earl, chief executive of Future Energy Networks, the trade body representing gas networks, said gas would be needed "well into the future". He said: "This past weekend has underscored the value of gas in delivering energy security. With low winds and little sun expected over the coming days, gas will continue to play an essential role in delivering flexible and dependable power.

"These periods of dunkelflaute exemplify how our world-class gas networks will be required well into the future, delivering when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine." He added that green gas – biomethane obtained from organic material such as food waste - could provide a cleaner alternative to natural gas from fossil sources. "This isn't an argument against decarbonisation," he said. "Our gas networks are already helping to decarbonise the energy system, with increasing volumes of homegrown green gas providing a renewable alternative to natural gas.

"Green gas has the potential to play a far greater role in our energy system, but only with serious backing from government." The Government has said that "oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside renewables, nuclear and other low-carbon technologies". It has also said that Britain will maintain a reserve capacity of gas-fired generation even as the country transitions towards Net Zero.

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