Wind powers a record summer for renewable energy in Britain, record low for fossil fuels
Humber Gateway offshore wind farm. Image: Power Technology Grant Wilson, Daniel L Donaldson & Iain Staffell
Sep 13, 2024 3
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Commentary Wind
Great Britain’s electricity system made a big leap forward in August 2024. The amount of power generated by fossil fuels fell to 3.6 terrawatt-hours (TWh), its lowest level in over a century. This meant that each kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed during August emitted on average just 84 grams of CO2.
The record-low contribution of fossil fuels to British electricity in August will have affected household emissions.
Heating your home with an average heat pump in August would have been eight times cleaner than using a gas boiler for instance, while charging a typical electric vehicle could have been about ten times cleaner than a petrol car....
Before August 2024, monthly generation from fossil fuels had never dipped below 4 TWh, even during the lockdowns of 2020 when demand for electricity and transport fuels plummeted.
What’s more exciting is that this was the first time fossil fuels (98.5% gas and 1.5% coal) fell to third place in the British electricity mix over an entire month. (Just to note, Northern Ireland not part of the British grid, it is part of the integrated Irish electricity grid).
This year’s milestones are encouraging signals that Britain’s energy transition is gathering much needed pace, paving the way for a future with less reliance on volatile imported fossil fuels and less impact on the environment. Indeed, by the end of September 2024, the UK’s last coal-fired power station will close, leaving gas as the only fossil fuel left to phase out. reneweconomy.com.au |