UK renewable energy sources generate MORE electricity than fossil fuels for first time since 1882
RENEWABLE energy sources generated more electricity than fossil fuels in the past three months, new research shows.
UK wind farms, solar panels and biomass plants overtook coal, gas and oil-fired power for the first time, said climate research site Carbon Brief.
Renewables generated around 29.5 terawatt hours (TWhs) of electricity from July to September, exceeding the 29.1 from fossil fuel plants.
The total produced over this period — including energy from nuclear power plants — was 73.9TWhs.
Renewable energy outpaced fossil fuels on 103 of the 273 days between January and September.
Carbon Brief said this had not happened since the first public electricity-generating station opened in London in 1882.
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Dr Simon Evans of Carbon Brief said renewable generation has increased more than fourfold since 2010 while offshore wind capacity has had a “surge” in the past 12 months.
Back in 2010, coal, gas and oil generated more than 10 times as much electricity as renewables.
The UK is seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by 2050.
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IT’S a staggering transformation.
Over the three months of July, August and September, more of our electricity was produced by solar, wind and other eco-friendly renewables than fossil fuels.
That’s a first for Britain, a historic turnaround that happened under the Tories. Yes, the same Tories who are “driving us to extinction”, if you believe the hyperventilating “rebellion” loons.
In 2010 fossil fuels generated ten times as much as renewables. In 2013 coal still produced a third of the supply. Now it’s just five per cent and falling.
Britain is setting the pace for carbon reduction in the developed world.
And our footprint would be even lower — but for the eco-warrior celebs still flying dozens of times a year.
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