UK Energy Generation
Many of you will have seen that on 30th September this year the UK’s last coal-fired power station stopped producing electricity, 142 years after the first coal-fired power station came online. This move away from coal has been gradual, with increased reliance on nuclear power through the 1960s- 1980s, the dash for gas in the 1990s, and the increase in renewable/green sources of energy this century. Today, renewable energy sources (wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass) account for more than 50% of the UK’s energy generation. Every source of energy brings its own controversies, and the only way to be truly “green” is to use less energy. However, reducing our carbon footprint is key in mitigating the impacts of climate change and caring for our world as best we can. Demonstrating that energy production need not have any dependence on coal is a significant achievement.
Of course, increased use of weather dependent renewable energy comes with challenges. The ability to forecast how much solar/wind energy will be produced in the coming days becomes more important, as does forecasting energy demand. But it is great to see how we are pushing the boundaries and learning to deal with these new challenges, trialling products to help people know the best times to use energy to most effectively reduce their carbon footprint. Thought is also going into more sustainable and cheaper production of batteries, and an enhanced network, built to withstand the impacts of a changing climate, to transmit and distribute our energy.
On 30th September, the UK became the first major economy to give up coal power. Let’s hope it continues to play a part in leading the way in the drive towards a clean energy future.
Steve hardiman
