Clean power fortifies Britain against gas price shocks

A report by Ember analyzing how the expansion of wind and solar capacity in Britain mitigated the economic impact of a fossil fuel crisis in early 2026, which was triggered by conflict in the Middle East.

• A fossil fuel crisis began on 28 February 2026 following US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, which led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Ras Laffan facility in Qatar. This caused the average daily cost of gas-fired power generation in Britain to rise by 42% in the following four weeks, increasing from £77.75/MWh to £110.42/MWh.
• Increased renewable capacity has reduced Britain's reliance on gas during price spikes. Between 28 February and 28 March 2026, wind and solar met 40% of electricity demand, while gas generation fell below 25% (to 23%). This is a significant shift from the same period in 2021, when gas generated 38% of electricity.
• The deployment of 7.7 GW of new wind and 7.6 GW of new solar power since the 2021-23 energy crisis—representing 28% of current capacity—saved Britain approximately £7 million per day in gas purchases during the first four weeks of the 2026 crisis.
• Britain has a potential pipeline of 60 GW of wind and solar, with over 750 projects having secured planning permission or begun construction since October 2021. Additionally, 45 GW of CfD-backed capacity is contracted for deployment across England, Scotland, and Wales by 2031.

APA

Murdoch, J., & Mayo, F. (2026). Clean power fortifies Britain against gas price shocks. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Clean-power-fortifies-Britain-against-gas-price-shocks-PDF-1.pdf

Chicago

Murdoch, Josie, and Frankie Mayo. Clean power fortifies Britain against gas price shocks. Ember, 2026. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Clean-power-fortifies-Britain-against-gas-price-shocks-PDF-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Murdoch |first1=Josie |last2=Mayo |first2=Frankie |title=Clean power fortifies Britain against gas price shocks |publisher=Ember |date=9 April 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Clean-power-fortifies-Britain-against-gas-price-shocks-PDF-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{murdoch2026clean, author = {Murdoch, Josie and Mayo, Frankie}, title = {{Clean power fortifies Britain against gas price shocks}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/04/Clean-power-fortifies-Britain-against-gas-price-shocks-PDF-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }