For the first time since the industrial revolution, Britain has generated electricity without coal.
This means it has been coal-free for 336 hours. The country has experienced more coal-free hours in one month than it did for the whole of 2017.
Last year, the government announced plans to shut down all coal-fired power stations by 2025, but since parliament declared a climate emergency at the beginning of May the pressure is on to phase out fossil fuels.
“Coal was the backbone of the last industrial revolution – but this old technology is being beaten by wind energy, the powerhouse of our 21st century economy.
“Renewables are providing well over a third of our electricity today, and this is just the beginning.
“We need to move from fossil fuels right across the economy to avoid the enormous risks of climate disruption and to benefit from modern, clean, technologies.
“But the Government’s scientific advisors say that we can only achieve a net zero economy with a massive increase in renewable electricity to power the change.
“We need to act now to build on the coal phase-out and our world-leading renewables industry, including technologies like innovative wave and tidal power and fantastically cheap onshore wind”.
RenewableUK’s Deputy Chief Executive, Emma Pinchbeck
