In September 2026, The Environment and Climate Change Committee launched an inquiry into ‘Dunkelflaute and the risks of electricity intermittency’.
In September 2026, The Environment and Climate Change Committee launched an inquiry into ‘Dunkelflaute and the risks of electricity intermittency’.
This inquiry considered how the UK can maintain a secure, affordable and low carbon electricity supply during ‘Dunkelflaute’ events – periods of significantly low wind and solar energy generation. This will include an assessment of current UK preparedness for Dunkelflaute events, future plans, and policy and regulatory gaps.
The aims of this inquiry were to:
- Assess the likelihood, severity and frequency of prolonged low wind and solar generation (“Dunkelflaute”) events affecting the UK, both now and in the future.
- Evaluate whether Government plans, including the Clean Power 2030 action plan, are on track to deliver a cost-effective system that is operationally resilient to such events, while remaining consistent with Net Zero targets.
- Examine progress in developing the technological solutions required to improve resilience to long-term Dunkelflaute periods.
- Consider whether the current policy, market, infrastructure and governance frameworks are sufficient to deliver the required mix of capacity and flexibility in practice.
- Examine the opportunities for international cooperation on electricity supply to increase resilience to dunkelflaute events.
UKERC Researchers submitted a written response to the inquiry, which was published in October 2026.
