In the last quarter, renewables generated more electricity than fossil fuels in the UK – a very encouraging first.
The UK government aims to do without coal altogether by 2025, and then targets carbon neutrality by 2050. To do this, the UK must turn to renewable energy. The Sun is quite rare across the Channel, so important investments have been made in the construction of wind farms, among others. And it seems to be paying off.
Renewable energies go by
A few months ago, we learned that in the first half of this year, the Scottish turbines had indeed generated 9.8 million megawatt hours of electricity. That’s enough energy to feed twice its homes. But it’s the whole British island that seems on the right track.
In the third quarter of 2019, UK wind farms, solar panels, biomass and hydroelectric plants produced more electricity than the combined production of coal, oil and gas-fired power plants, effect know the specialized website Carbon Brief in his report.
More precisely, renewable energy generated an estimated total of 29.5 terawatt hours (TWh) in July, August and September, compared to only 29.1 TWh from fossil fuels. A first since the opening of the first public power station in the country in 1882.
It should be noted, however, that gas remains today the largest source of electricity production in the United Kingdom (38% of electricity produced), followed by nuclear (21%) and wind energy (20%). ). Coal, which once supported the entire British society, now accounts for less than 1% of the country’s electricity needs. It should be totally eliminated by 2025, as planned.
Wind is on the roll
But the British do not intend to stop there. Other efforts will be made. In August, the government authorized the extension of the construction project of the largest wind farm in the world located in the North Sea, 90 km from the Yorkshire coast.
ScottishPower, which supplies mainly central and southern Scotland, has also announced plans to create a new wind farm (215 blades) in the Glasgow area. A structure large enough to supply 300,000 new households with electricity.
From a broader point of view, with a total net installed capacity of 189 GW, wind energy also remains the second form of electricity generation capacity in Europe. France, with more than 15 GW of installed capacity, ranks fourth behind Germany (59.3 GW), Spain (23.4 GW) and the United Kingdom (20.9 GW).
