This summer has been labelled as the “greenest” on record for energy by the National Grid because 52% of the UK’s electricity requirement was met by low carbon sources, the highest percentage yet, and a great achievement considering that four years ago it was only 35%.

The increase is a result of a growing amount of solar and wind farms combined with an increasing contribution from gas and nuclear power, which all have lower carbon emissions than traditional coal-fired power stations.

Another record-breaking event occurred in May when solar panels briefly provided even more power than the UK’s nuclear installations.

“It’s been a summer of records. The big fundamental shift has been the continuing growth in offshore wind and solar coming on,” said Duncan Burt from National Grid. “We’ve gone from renewables being a part of the mix too often being a significant, majority part of the mix.”