UK Carbon Intensity

Overview

The UK Carbon Intensity API (from National Grid ESO) reports the real-time carbon intensity of Britain’s electricity grid — how many grams of CO₂ per kWh, with a low/medium/high index. Keyless and free (verified live), it’s a great data source for “when to use electricity” apps and carbon dashboards.

Quick Start

Current grid intensity (verified live):

curl "https://api.carbonintensity.org.uk/intensity"

{
  "data": [
    {
      "from": "2026-08-22T05:30Z",
      "to": "2026-08-22T06:00Z",
      "intensity": { "forecast": 64, "actual": 66, "index": "low" }
    }
  ]
}

Intensity for a date range:

curl "https://api.carbonintensity.org.uk/intensity/2026-08-20T00:00Z/2026-08-22T00:00Z"

Forecast:

curl "https://api.carbonintensity.org.uk/intensity/forecast"

Generation mix:

curl "https://api.carbonintensity.org.uk/generation"

Authentication

None — keyless.

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free, public data from National Grid ESO — no key, no documented hard limit.
• intensity is in gCO₂/kWh; index maps to very low → very high bands.
• Endpoints: /intensity (current), /intensity/{from}/{to} (range), /intensity/forecast, /generation (mix by fuel), /regional (regional breakdown).
• Data is for Great Britain (not the whole UK) — 30-minute intervals.

FAQ

Is the UK Carbon Intensity API free? Yes — free, keyless, public National Grid data.

What does intensity mean? gCO₂ per kWh — lower is greener (use-heavy appliances when it’s low).

Does it cover all of the UK? It covers Great Britain’s national grid (30-minute intervals).