THE amount of clean electricity that was curtailed across the UK in the first half of 2025 was enough to power every household in Scotland, a new report has found.
The new study from energy analytics firm Montel Analytics – Curtailed Renewables in GB and Ireland – found that renewables companies were paid not to produce over 4.6TWh of renewable energy in the first half of the year, up 15% compared to the same period last year.
This was because the electricity could not be used locally or moved to where it was needed, with the Scottish Greens telling The National that an extensive upgrade to the grid is needed rapidly to keep up.
Northern Scotland alone accounted for more than 86% of that amount, with the total amount generators receiving across the UK in compensation for being switched off reaching £152m – which is ultimately paid by consumers.
Report author and Montel senior analyst Fintan Devenney said only 63% of wind power that could have been generated actually reached the grid.
“The cost of turning down that other 37% is passed on to energy bills, meaning consumers are the ones left counting the costs,” he said.
“Unless policymakers pay attention to the need to marry renewable power with public systems and infrastructure, then an outdated transmission network could continue to drive up consumer bills as NESO is forced to operate a network potentially unfit for the net-zero future.”
Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell, meanwhile, said: “Renewable energy is the solution to cutting emissions and lowering bills, but that can’t happen without a big upgrade to the grid, more electricity storage through batteries, green hydrogen production and pumped hydro schemes.
“It’s a huge positive that we are producing so much wind energy but the electricity market needs to further incentivise electricity use to match times when there is plentiful generation. We need to see the full benefit of our renewable resources and for it to be reflected in the bills that we are paying.”
