Carbon Intensity Api
Pricing
from $10.00 / 1,000 results
Carbon Intensity Api
Carbon Intensity Data (UK Grid)
What does Carbon Intensity Data do?
This Apify actor retrieves carbon intensity and energy generation data for the United Kingdom's national electricity grid using the official Carbon Intensity API developed by National Grid ESO. It provides real-time, daily, and 48-hour forecast data showing how much CO2 is emitted per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated, along with the fuel mix powering the grid (wind, solar, gas, nuclear, coal, hydro, biomass, and more).
Why use this carbon intensity tracking tool?
Understanding the carbon intensity of electricity is crucial for sustainability reporting, corporate carbon footprint calculations, energy trading, research into renewable energy adoption, and environmental journalism. This actor automates the collection of UK grid data that shows the real-time balance between fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. The data helps identify the greenest times to consume electricity and track the UK's progress toward decarbonization goals.
How to use the Carbon Intensity Data actor
- Select a Mode: current intensity, today's full data, or 48-hour forecast
- Set Max Results to limit the number of data points returned
- Click Start to run the actor
- Download your carbon intensity data in JSON, CSV, or Excel format
Works with zero configuration, defaulting to current carbon intensity readings.
Input Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| mode | string | Data mode (current/today/forecast48h) | current |
| maxResults | integer | Maximum data points to return | 50 |
Output Data
Each data point contains:
- from - Start time of the measurement period
- to - End time of the measurement period
- intensity - Carbon intensity in gCO2/kWh (grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour)
- index - Intensity index (very low, low, moderate, high, very high)
- generationMix - Current generation fuel breakdown (wind, solar, gas, nuclear, etc.)
Cost of Usage
This actor is extremely lightweight and makes minimal API calls.
- Per result: $0.01
- Per 1,000 results: $10
- Actor start cost: $0.005
A typical run with current data completes in under 5 seconds.
Tips and Advanced Usage
- Use "today" mode to get half-hourly carbon intensity data for the entire day (48 data points)
- Use "forecast48h" mode for two days of forward-looking carbon intensity predictions
- Lower intensity values mean greener electricity; schedule energy-intensive tasks during low periods
- The generation mix shows the real-time balance between renewables and fossil fuels
- Schedule hourly runs to build a historical dataset of UK grid carbon intensity
- Combine with energy consumption data to calculate Scope 2 emissions
- The index field provides a quick classification without needing to interpret raw numbers
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