SO News - For the first time since the industrial revolution clean energy has outpaced fossil fuel
This year has been a busy year for the UK renewable energy industry. We went a week without coal for the first time since the industrial revolution and we fired up the world’s largest offshore wind farm – Hornsea One.
However, that is not all, for the first time since 1882, in the third quarter of 2019, UK’s wind farms, solar panels, biomass and hydro plants have generated more electricity than the combine output from power stations fired by coal, oil and gas as predicted by the National Grid. A historic milestone that means the amount of electricity coming from renewable energy sources overtook fossil fuel by more than 1%.
At the start of 2010, the 288 TWh generated from fossil fuels accounted for around three-quarters of the total, more than 10 times as much electricity as the 26TWh that came from renewables.
Carbon Brief, a UK-based climate news website published an analysis report showing that from July through to September, UK renewable energy generated 9.5 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity while fossil fuels generated 29.1 TWh.
They said the change was down to a number of factors, including a fall in demand as the grid becomes more efficient and the growth of renewable capacity and falling costs. Gas now contributes the majority of the shrinking total. Similarly, to other developed countries, coal has become an unattractive option to UK utilities because of its high costs and coal plans close are beginning to close down ahead of a planned phase-out in 2025.
Our UK renewables team sets the standard for fast efficient and effective delivery. If you are looking for your next renewable energy job or you would like to discuss the current market, get in touch.
