Analysis from Carbon Brief has revealed that over half of electricity generated in the UK came from low-carbon sources for the first time. The share from renewables and nuclear against fossil fuels has now reached just over 50%, doubling between 2009 and 2017.
The electricity generated by wind was more than double that of coal, with wind supplying more power in every month apart from January. Wind showed the largest increase in generation for a single source, up 31% to 49 TWh in 2017, due to wind speeds and capacity increasing by a fifth.
Other renewable sources also demonstrated an increase in 2017, with solar rising by 11% and biomass increasing generation by 4%.
April 2017 marked the UK’s first coal free day since 1882, and coal-fired electricity generation in the UK has fallen by 84% between 2012. Coal has been dramatically overtaken by renewable sources, with wind generating more electricity than coal on 302 of 365 days last year and solar on 182.
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