GB Energy System Workspace

Trace how electricity reaches your socket, explore where the money flows, and see what is actually changing

Nine domains. Over 25 interactive pages. Every claim cites a named source with a verification date. Every opinion is clearly labelled. Whether you are new to the energy sector or work in it every day, this workspace maps the GB energy system from primary fuel through to your wall socket, in plain English with full technical accuracy.

All views are my own. I work in the energy sector but this workspace is an independent project. Last reviewed March 2026.

Browse whole-system themes → Electricity network Gas system
9
Energy domains mapped
Electricity, gas, oil, hydrogen, heat, nuclear, CCUS, interconnectors, cross-cutting
25+
Interactive pages
Each with source-led claims and verification dates
220+
Glossary terms
Searchable energy dictionary with plain definitions
700+
GW in the connections queue
Ofgem, 2025
Interactive tool

Network Explorer

Search 813 assets across the transmission and distribution network. Plan connections, check headroom status, and explore the grid on an interactive map.

MapLibre map · 21 root assets · 812 connections Live data

Live Generation Dashboard

Real-time generation mix, carbon intensity, and fuel-by-fuel breakdown pulled from public APIs every five minutes. Watch wind drop and gas ramp up.

Elexon BMRS · NESO Carbon Intensity · Updated every 5 min Validator

LTDS Validator

Validate Long Term Development Statement data against SHACL shapes. Check data quality, understand the model, and move straight into validation.

SHACL shapes · DNO statements · Data quality checks
Source-led claims Plain English Free to use Live + curated data Verification dates on every page

Follow energy from generation to your wall socket

This is the quickest way to understand how generation, balancing, networks, consumers, and governance interact. Click any stage for detail, then use the navigation below to go deeper into any domain.

Energy flow through the GB system from generation to consumer, with governance shaping every stage through support schemes, system codes, price controls, and retail rules. GOVERNANCE SHAPES EVERY STAGE support schemes system codes price controls retail rules Governance Ofgem licences, price caps, and monopoly regulation DESNZ policy and support schemes shape investment Codes govern operations and evidence loops close policy Supply mix Generation Wind 29.4 GW Solar 18.0 GW Gas CCGT 27.9 GW Nuclear 5.9 GW Biomass 3.8 GW Interconnectors 10.3 GW 95.3 GW total capacity System operator Balancing NESO control room 50 Hz target frequency Supply must equal demand Balancing Mechanism dispatch Independent since Oct 2024 Monopoly networks Networks TRANSMISSION 275 / 400 kV across GB NGET, SPT, SHET assets DISTRIBUTION 11-132 kV through 14 DNO areas RIIO price-controlled revenue End use Consumers Domestic customers Industrial and commercial Supplier contracts and tariffs 40M smart meters in use feeds power dispatches delivers Click any stage for detail. Electricity flows left to right from generation to end users while governance sets the rules above it.

Choose the path that matches your question

These entry paths replace vague overview browsing. Each one points to a concrete route group and a first meaningful action.

1

Cross-cutting

Open the whole-system themes first

Open the whole-system themes, operating loop, and reading path before you move into a specialist route.

 2

Electricity

Follow operations and networks

Go straight to live generation, network behaviour, and queue pressure when the question is operational.

 3

Electricity / Markets

Explain a bill, market, or policy trade-off

Use the markets and governance routes to trace how costs, incentives, and rules reach consumers.

 4

Cross-cutting / Scenarios

Practise a decision path

Open a governance scenario when you need consequences, stakeholders, and trade-offs instead of a static explainer.

Explore by route family

These nine top-level headers stay fixed across the workspace. If a header has more than one page, the matching subheader row expands underneath it in the same colour family.

Electricity

Network, voltage, connections, live generation, markets, network explorer, and LTDS routes for the physical and market chain.

8 pages

Gas

National Transmission System, GDNs, entry terminals, linepack, and storage.

1 page

Oil and Upstream

UKCS production, refineries, pipelines, and the transition to clean energy.

1 page

Hydrogen

Green and blue hydrogen projects, transport infrastructure, and blending trials.

1 page

Heat

District heating, heat pumps, Ofgem heat regulation, and zoning policy.

1 page

Nuclear

Operating stations, Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, SMR competition, and decommissioning.

1 page

CCUS

Industrial clusters, CO2 transport and storage, and business models.

1 page

Interconnectors

Cross-border electricity and gas links with France, Norway, Belgium and others.

1 page

Cross-cutting themes

Whole-system themes, governance, resilience, architecture, data sharing, scenarios, and working tools that frame every specialist route.

19 pages

Start from what you already know

Three reading journeys designed for different starting points. Each one opens a curated sequence that builds understanding in the right order for your level.

I am a student

Start with Whole-system themes, then move to Network and Voltage to understand how electricity physically reaches homes. From there, Markets explains what people pay and why. The Dictionary defines every technical term.

Whole-system themes, Network, Voltage, Markets, Dictionary

I am a policy maker

Start with Governance, then use the Stakeholder map to see who decides what. Connections explains why queue reform matters. Scenarios lets you test decision paths.

Governance, Stakeholder map, Connections, Scenarios

I am an engineer

Start with Architecture layers for the system overview. Digital infrastructure covers the data layer. Voltage has fault level and reactive power detail. LTDS validator lets you test data against SHACL shapes.

Architecture, Digital infrastructure, Voltage, LTDS validator

Browse the full route tree by header

Every top-level header below matches the workspace navigation. Multi-page headers list the same subheaders you see in the second row on the live pages.

Cross-cutting

Whole-system themes and governance

Use this header for institutions, governance, resilience, architecture, data sharing, scenarios, and the supporting tools that sit above any single energy vector.

Electricity

Networks, operations, markets, and validation

This header follows the electricity chain from physical network structure through voltage, connections, live operations, markets, and LTDS data validation.

Gas

Gas supply, transport, and delivery

This single-page header covers terminals, the National Transmission System, regional distribution, storage, and end-user delivery pressure.

Oil

Upstream decline, refining, and decommissioning

Use this header for UKCS production, refinery dependence, supply risk, and the shift from extraction to decommissioning.

Hydrogen

Production routes, clusters, and infrastructure reality

This header explains what hydrogen is for, where it might fit, and why infrastructure and demand concentration matter more than colour labels alone.

Heat

Building decarbonisation and heat-system choices

Use this header when the question is about heat pumps, heat networks, hydrogen for heat, or how policy choices differ by building stock and location.

Nuclear

Ageing fleet, new build, and financing reality

This header covers the current fleet, the capacity cliff, Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, and why new nuclear turns on financing and delivery discipline.

CCUS

Capture, transport, storage, and cluster delivery

Open this header to trace the three-part CCUS chain and the policy problem of paying for a system that only works when every link is built.

Interconnectors

Cross-border electricity trading and system balancing

This header shows how GB trades power with neighbouring systems and why interconnector flows matter for prices, adequacy, and balancing.

Recent verified changes already reflected in the workspace

These are current changes already incorporated into the route set so the workspace stays useful as policy and market structures move.

Connections Reform Phase 2 Ofgem, Feb 2026

Queue reform, ready-to-build prioritisation, and delivery expectations are reflected in the connections route.

NESO strategic planning updates NESO, Oct 2024

The governance route now frames system operation and planning with NESO as the independent operator.

MHHS migration milestone Elexon, Q3 2025

Digital infrastructure now treats half-hourly settlement as a wider system reform, not just a metering footnote.

Methodology and sources

Last reviewed 17 March 2026
Approach This entry route is intentionally short. It gives the system shape, the route groups, scenario entry points, and current verified changes without duplicating the deep explanatory work now reserved for specialist routes.
Sources Ofgem (regulatory decisions, price controls), NESO (system operation, strategic planning), Elexon (MHHS, balancing market), DESNZ (energy policy, delivery plans)