Majority of Britain’s energy to be generated from zero carbon sources, according to National Grid

This year, for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, more of Britain’s electricity production will come from zero carbon energy sources than fossil fuels. According to National Grid, annual power generation data from the last decade shows Britain’s reliance on cleaner energy sources (wind, solar, nuclear and hydro power) will overtake fossil fuels (coal and gas fired power generation) this year. This marks an important achievement in Britain’s journey towards the UK Government’s target of net zero emissions by 2050.

N.B. percentages in the table above only relate to the energy sources cited (fossil fuels: coal, gas; zero carbon: wind, solar, nuclear, hydro and storage). Contributions from biomass are not represented as it is neither zero carbon nor fossil fuel. Contributions from imports are included in 2019 data.

Indeed, in May, Britain clocked up its first coal free fortnight and generated record levels of solar power for two consecutive days, powering more than a quarter of the country’s daily electricity consumption.

John Pettigrew, Chief Executive Officer of National Grid, commented:
“The progress that Britain has made in the past ten years means we can now say 2019 will be the year zero carbon power beats fossil fuel fired generation for the first time. Having reached this landmark tipping point, the question is what are we doing today to get to net zero as quickly as possible?

“We take our responsibility to run the UK’s electricity and gas energy systems, in accordance with our licence obligations, extremely seriously. We seek to maintain the integrity of these systems while keeping energy costs down for UK homes and businesses. But as we look to the future we are proud to champion world-leading feats of British engineering as we move to a net zero power grid.

“The interconnectors that connect our electricity grid into Norway’s hydro power are part of this story, as is having the know-how to bring renewable generation onstream to complement conventional sources of generating power. This will help accelerate our progress towards delivering cleaner, greener energy for Britain’s homes, our travel and our work as quickly as possible.”

2019 marks a turning point. Several significant achievements have helped zero carbon beat fossil fuels so far this year, including the fact that 64.5% of electricity imported to Britain through under water cables, called interconnectors, has come from zero carbon sources.

The continued move to a clean power system will require significant upgrades to the transmission network, and National Grid is investing around £1.3 billion each year to support this transition. Strides are also being made in areas such as carbon capture and storage, as well as investment in new interconnector projects.

By 2030, National Grid will have at least six interconnectors operating in Britain, through which 90% of electricity imported will be from zero carbon sources. Even sooner, by 2025, National Grid’s interconnectors will provide enough energy to power eight million homes via zero carbon sources. This network of European sub-sea, clean energy super-highways will help to reduce Britain’s carbon emissions from the power sector by approximately 17% (6 million t) by 2030 – accelerating Britain’s journey to net zero carbon.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/special-reports/21062019/majority-of-britains-energy-to-be-generated-from-zero-carbon-sources-according-to-national-grid/