On a cold, still January night in 2021, something worrying happened across the UK. The wind turbines slowed. Solar panels produced nothing — it was dark. Gas power stations had to race to fill the gap. It worked that night. But it raised a question every energy planner has to answer: what do we do when our renewable sources stop generating?
Britain's energy mix has changed radically in the last 20 years. In 2010, coal provided around 28% of our electricity. By 2023 it was close to zero. Offshore wind, solar, and nuclear have grown enormously. But switching from reliable, always-on fossil fuels to intermittent renewables creates a new kind of challenge — and a new kind of urgency. Understanding where our energy comes from, how reliable it is, and what it costs the environment is one of the most important real-world applications of physics.
This introduction covers What Happens When the Wind Stops? within Energy Resources for GCSE Physics. Revise Energy Resources in Energy for GCSE Physics with 15 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 1 of 13 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Energy Resources
Which of the following is a renewable energy resource?
Give two advantages and one disadvantage of using wind turbines to generate electricity.