The power switch: tracking Britain's record coal-free run

(The Guardian, 25 May 2019) Britain has set a new record for going without coal-powered energy, but how long will it last and when will we ditch the dirty fuel entirely?

Coal is currently generating 0% of Britain's power. The coal-free run has lasted 9 days and 14 hours so far.

Britain is setting new records for going without coal-powered energy. In the latest milestone, it has gone for more than eight days without using coal to generate electricity – the longest such period since 1882.

The coal-free run comes just two years after the National Grid first ran without coal power for 24 hours.

Phasing out the heavily polluting fuel is a key step in the transition towards a net-zero carbon economy and essential to averting catastrophic climate change.

Britain is rapidly phasing out coal

The government last year unveiled its plan to shut down all remaining coal plants by 2025, a move that was welcomed by environmental groups.

The rapid collapse of coal power in Britain has in part been predicated on the introduction of a “carbon price floor” in 2013, which slashed the fuel’s profitability.

Although a significant share of coal-powered energy has been replaced by renewable sources such as solar and wind power, the largest power source in Britain remains natural gas, a carbon-emitting fossil fuel.

Within the European Union, between 2000 and 2018 the share of electricity generated by coal dropped in all member states except the Netherlands, and renewable energy sources increased their share everywhere except in Latvia.

External link

The Guardian, 25 May 2019: The power switch: tracking Britain's record coal-free run