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Market & Industry Terms
Energy Mix
Key takeaways
- Energy mix is the blend of generation sources — gas, wind, nuclear, solar, biomass, hydro, imports — that supplies electricity at a given moment.
- The mix changes by the half-hour with weather, plant availability, and demand.
- Carbon intensity and price both depend on the mix; gas is still often the price-setting source in GB.
What is the UK energy mix?
Energy mix describes the share of electricity generated from different sources over a period — for GB that’s a varying blend of wind, gas, nuclear, solar, biomass, hydro and net imports via interconnectors.
Over the last decade the GB mix has shifted away from coal and toward renewables, with gas still playing a large role as flexible backup and as the marginal price-setter in many hours.
Why the mix matters
- Price: when low-cost wind dominates, wholesale prices fall; when expensive gas sets the price, they rise.
- Emissions: the same kWh is much lower-carbon when the mix is renewables-heavy — relevant for carbon footprinting.
- Reliability: a more diverse mix is generally more resilient, but renewables-heavy hours raise the importance of system balancing.
