For the first time ever over half the UK’s electricity has come from low-carbon sources, a new study has found.
Research from energy company Drax found that electricity from low-emission sources peaked at around 50.2 per cent between July and September this year.
This was part of a new quarterly report, which was launched in collaboration with Imperial College on UK energy market trends, The Independent reports.
The report showed that in the last quarter more than half of the UK’s electricity was generated through low-carbon sources, such as hydro, wind and solar power.
The report said:
Britain’s electricity was completely coal-free for nearly six days over the last quarter. Coal plants have been pushed off the system by competition from gas, nuclear and renewables. 5 May 2016 was a historic day, the first time since 1881 that Britain burnt no coal to produce its electricity. Far from being a one-off, this has continued to become the norm over summer.
Nuclear provided the largest share of the UK’s low-carbon generation, 26 per cent, while renewables provided a further 20 per cent – of which seven per cent was imported.
This green turning point comes after the Government announced plans that Britain’s coal-fired power stations would probably close by 2025.
The International Energy Agency called last year a ‘turning point’ for the planet, with green energy accounting for more than half of new electricity capacity.
Hopefully this is the beginning of the end of our over-reliance on fossil fuels.
