The evolution of the #UK #electricity #grid from January 1st 2012, midnight to May 18th 2018, midnight. Represented in 5-minute intervals for main technologies (Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Renewables). Share totals to 100%. Import / Exports included. 1/ 
Now let's show each one individually. First Coal. Note that it has decreased massively since 2012, and regularly turns off. That reduces emissions. 2/
Now we see that natural gas has increased and undergoes much more volatility over the later years. The range is pretty extensive; however note that it has always had quite a large ramp range. 3/
For nuclear, we see a slight increase and a little more volatility, but overall the evolution of the grid has not removed nuclear from the mix. This is a good thing, since it allows coal to be removed faster. 4/
Finally, renewables (includes biomass, wind, solar, hydro, and pumped hydro). This has seen big increases on the UK grid. The minimum, however has hardly moved - the UK is small compared to weather cycles. This results in flexibility being required. 4/
I think these data points are very interesting & show a great deal about evolving electricity grids & how there is change happening. The numbers don't lie. Emissions have dropped, RE has gone up massively, and nuclear has remained. I thought worthwhile showing! 5/5
