22nd April 2020 | Posted by: Daniel Birkett | Industry News

Records were broken for the peak generation of solar power in the UK yesterday as clear skies created perfect conditions.

The record for peak solar generation in the UK was broken on Tuesday 21st April 2020 thanks to mild weather and clear skies. It is thought that the ongoing lockdown in the country has reduced pollution levels significantly and this has played a major role in hitting this latest milestone.

The record was broken at around 12.30pm yesterday, with a peak of 9.68GW of solar power generated, according to Sheffield Solar’s live PV generation tracker. This surpassed the previous record of 9.55GW which was set on the 13th May 2019.

This figure represented nearly 30% of the UK’s power demand at the time.

Chief Executive of Solar Trade Association (STA), Chris Hewett said: “Ideal weather conditions and lower levels of pollution than normal mean solar is providing record levels of cheap, clean power to the grid.

“At a time when most of us are working remotely, we can say that solar is truly keeping the Wi-Fi on.”

The government-imposed lockdown to stop the spread of the Coronavirus has taken cars off the road, reduced use of public transport and resulted in the closure of energy intensive factories.

As a result, pollution levels have fallen considerably, contributing to clearer skies, and helping solar panels make use of the current mild and sunny weather.

STA believes that more records will be broken as the lockdown and good weather continues. Earlier this month, Apollo Energy reported that a windy start to 2020 saw more renewable generation records broken, read more here.

Strong wind and solar generation has also seen the UK experience its longest period in 2020 without the use of coal, spanning almost 12 days as of today.