UK solar production outstrips coal powered electricity

[Pepperman]

The Sheffield Solar team have added a view of othe UK grid mix incorporating solar PV for the first time:

https://www.solar.sheffield.ac.uk/pvlive/

[woodburner]

Will not work on iPad. Desktop works ok. Integrating this on the gridwatch page would be useful.

[Pepperman]

It's probably more about them having limited resources - making web pages work on every permutation of platform and browser is a nightmare, especially as this page does quite clever stuff. try it on a desktop/laptop when you get a moment.

[adam2]

Works OK for me on windows 10 and internet explorer.
PV meeting over 10% of UK demand which represents a significant saving in natural gas.
Since the marginal fuel at present is normally imported gas, there is also a saving in foreign currency and a slight increase in energy security.

[adam2]

If it's so significant why doesn't it show on Gridwatch? If you cut coal generation to next to nothing, is the solar/coal ratio so surprising? If you travel up the east coast main line there are many HUGE fields covered in solar panels. Good?

The gridwatch site uses data from the national grid. Most PV installations are not metered in real time and the output therefore can not be displayed.

The above was accurate at the time of posting, but the gridwatch site DOES now display PV input.
The figure is not totally accurate since very few PV installations are metered in real time.
The figure on gridwatch is an estimate from a major university and is based on extrapolation from a minority of sites that DO have real time metering or data logging.

[adam2]

The PV input on the gridwatch site is by no means totally accurate, though still interesting and informative.
At present it is showing zero, which is clearly in error. The weather over much of the UK is dull and cloudy and PV production therefore limited, but I would still expect at least 0.5GW.

EDIT TO ADD shows 1.2GW just a few minutes later.

[adam2]

Indicated PV input into the grid has today reached about 8.5GW which I strongly suspect to be a new record.

Certainly helps by reducing gas burnt for power production, a matter of some concern at present.

[adam2]

Indicated PV into the grid reached about 8.8GW today, another new record
And also about 25% of national demand, a significant saving of natural gas and carbon emissions.

Confirmed by news report
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40058074

[PS_RalphW]

Solar recorded at about 9GW, about 30% of demand, and on a quiet sunday afternoon, the biggest single source of electricity for about an hour.

[johnhemming2]

Solar recorded at about 9GW, about 30% of demand, and on a quiet sunday afternoon, the biggest single source of electricity for about an hour.

I remember the battles with the government in about 2008 when they were opposing the feed in tariff in Europe and trying to stop Germany having a feed in tariff.