This year’s Christmas might be Britain’s greenest yet, energy operator suggests
Britain’s energy system operator has anticipated that this Christmas Day could turn out to be the greenest in history. If the weather remains mild and breezy throughout December, the National Energy System Operator (Neso) has indicated that it could register the lowest carbon intensity – which measures the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during electricity production – on the network for 25 December. Craig Dyke, a director at Neso, mentioned that the electricity grid achieved a record peak of 97.7% zero carbon earlier this year, specifically on 1 April. “This Christmas, we may witness the lowest ever carbon intensity on the network on the significant day itself,” he remarked.
The organization responsible for maintaining electricity supply, which was acquired by the government from National Grid last year, noted that the most environmentally friendly Christmas Day prior was in 2023, with a carbon intensity of 30 million grams of carbon dioxide. This figure was five times lower than the emissions recorded in 2018. Last Christmas, more than 40% of electricity generation on Christmas Day was sourced from renewables, compared to just 1.7% in 2009. Earlier this month, wind turbines generated sufficient electricity “to illuminate nearly 3 billion strings of 100-bulb LED fairy lights” at one point. Neso reported that an additional 2GW of wind and 3GW of solar power were introduced to the network in 2025, elevating Britain’s total renewable energy capacity to a historic 53GW. This increased capacity, paired with lower than typical energy demand for this season, is expected to reduce emissions on 25 December.
Even though power might be greener this holiday season, heightened energy consumption at the year’s end can adversely affect the environment. UK households have already discarded approximately 168 million illuminated Christmas decorations and other “fast tech” gifts over the past year, as indicated by research from Material Focus. Simultaneously, another study revealed that 1.1 billion various electric products and 450 million batteries are irresponsibly discarded each year. A more sustainable Christmas this year coincides with the government’s efforts to shift away from fossil fuels and aim for net zero by 2050. An analysis by Neso conducted earlier this year discovered that the UK currently allocates about 10% of its gross domestic product to investments associated with achieving net zero, estimating that these expenditures would increase in the forthcoming years and remain elevated until the 2030s. It predicted that costs could peak at around £460 billion by 2029 in its most optimistic scenario, before gradually decreasing to about 5% of GDP by 2050, equating to roughly £220 billion annually. In the “falling behind” scenario, which models a future where Britain fails to meet its net zero goal and neglects the costs of climate damage, total expenses could be approximately £350 billion less.
Published: 2025-12-20 08:00:00
source: www.theguardian.com
