National Grid is able to confidently predict the 2019 record just six months into the year
Zero-carbon energy sources are poised to overtake fossil fuels as the UK’s largest electricity source over a full calendar year.
This year will be the first that fossil fuels make up less than half of the electricity generated, according to National Grid, following a dramatic decline in coal-fired power and rising renewable and low-carbon energy.
Instead, UK homes and businesses will rely more on “cleaner” electricity generated by wind farms, solar panels, hydro power and nuclear power reactors.
A decade ago, coal plants generated almost a third of the UK’s electricity, but in the first half of this year they have provided only 3%.
In the same period renewable energy has climbed from supplying just 2% of the UK’s power to a fifth of all electricity produced.
The “landmark tipping point” is an “historic achievement” in the UK’s journey towards becoming a net-zero carbon economy by 2050, said National Grid.
John Pettigrew, the UK power system operator’s chief executive, said: “The incredible progress that Britain has made in the past 10 years means we can now say 2019 will be the year zero-carbon power beats fossil fuel-fired generation for the first time.”
“We wouldn’t have said it if we weren’t confident that this will be the year.”
Read more: The Guardian