22 April 2017

Motherboard: Great Britain Is Leaving the Coal Age—For a Whole Day

The UK is poised to go an entire day without using any energy from coal sources, according to British electricity network National Grid—the first time Britain will have done so since the late 19th century.

Britain's reliance on coal has been falling steadily since the 1950s and peak coal production, some 287 million tonnes, occurred way back in 1913. But at around 11pm tonight, the UK is expected to witness an entire 24-hour period passing without electricity generated by coal, as alternative power sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear become more popular and the warming months reduce electricity demand in the country. [...]

The importance of coal in the UK power economy may have dwindled quickly of late, but it may still have a part to play in the future, Staffell suggested. It's likely that for several years to come, coal could be useful as an on-demand energy source to help the National Grid deal with peak periods.

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