Live

GB electricity right now, not at the end of the week.

Every number on this page is drawn from a live API. Fuel mix, carbon intensity, solar output, interconnector flows all refresh every few minutes from BMRS (Elexon) and the Carbon Intensity API (NESO). The dashboard below is the fastest answer to "what is GB electricity doing now?".

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Interactive Live BMRS + Carbon Intensity ~5-min refresh React island Last verified

What this tool shows

  • Real-time generation mix: wind, gas, nuclear, solar, biomass, imports, hydro.
  • Live carbon intensity (national and regional).
  • Interconnector flows by counterparty.
  • Solar output estimate with clear-sky benchmark.
  • Data freshness timestamps so you know when each metric was last read.
Offshore wind farm generating live power visible in the dashboard below

Why live data mattersA 30-minute picture beats a yearly average

Annual mix figures tell you what happened. Live data tells you what is happening.

GB carbon intensity varies from roughly 40 gCO₂/kWh on windy Sunday afternoons to over 250 gCO₂/kWh on still winter evenings. Wind can be 60 percent of the mix or 5 percent within a single day. Any useful question about timing (when to charge an EV, when to run an industrial process, when to dispatch a battery) needs the current picture, not last year's average.

The dashboard below draws from BMRS for generation and demand and the Carbon Intensity API for emissions. Both are free, open, and update on sub-hourly cadence. No sign-in. No rate limits for reasonable use.

What does the mix look like right now?

Scroll past the prose to the live tool.

Tool

Live GB generation dashboard

Interactive tool · Live generation

Data sources: Elexon BMRS (generation, demand, balancing), NESO Carbon Intensity API (emissions), Solar API (clear-sky comparisons). Each panel carries a freshness indicator. Refresh is typically within 5 minutes of source update.

How to read it

Four patterns to look for in the live data.

Wind dominance days. When wind exceeds 50 percent of the mix, carbon intensity falls toward 60-80 gCO₂/kWh and gas retreats to peak hours only. Common in autumn and spring.

Still winter evenings. Low wind, high demand, gas carries most of the load. Carbon intensity approaches 250-300 gCO₂/kWh. Interconnector imports rise.

Solar peak days. Sunny summer Sundays: solar can hit 30 percent of demand. Gas near-zero. Unusual combination of low carbon intensity and low wind.

Interconnector reversals. GB imports when continental prices are lower; exports when GB prices are lower. Direction changes hour by hour.

Key takeaways

  • Live fuel mix, carbon intensity, solar output, interconnector flows on one page.
  • Sources: Elexon BMRS and NESO Carbon Intensity API, both free and open.
  • Refresh: typically under 5 minutes from source update.
  • Four common patterns: wind dominance, still winter, solar peak, interconnector reversal.
  • For deeper analysis of market mechanics, see the Markets and Electricity routes.

References

  1. Elexon BMRS

    Generation, demand, balancing data.

    Primary live source.

  2. NESO: Carbon Intensity API

    30-minute GB carbon intensity.

    Primary emissions source.

Continue to the network explorer for the geographic view of the GB electricity system.