British wind farms generated more electricity than coal plants on more than
75% of days this year, figures show.
The continuing rise of renewables and the decline of the most polluting
fossil fuel also saw solar outperform coal more than half the time, data
provided by analysis website MyGridGB to the Press Association shows.
Overall, renewables provided more power than coal plants on 315 days in
2017, or more than 90% of the year, figures up to December 12 show, while
coal was beaten by wind on 263 days and by solar on 180 days.
Coal generation only exceeded solar on 10 days from the beginning of April
to the end of August.
In total, renewables generated more than three times the amount of
electricity as coal over the year to December 12.
The figures reflect a year in which a number of “green” records have been
set for the power sector, including the first full day without any coal
power on the system, new high levels of solar generation and tumbling
prices for new offshore wind farms.
The Government has committed to phasing out coal power which does not have
technology to capture and permanently store its carbon emissions by 2025,
as part of efforts to cut the UK’s greenhouse gases to meet legal targets.
But with daily output from wind only outstripping gas on two days of the
year, and renewables overall – including wind, solar, biomass and
hydropower – beating the fossil fuel on just 23 days, there were calls for
more support for low-carbon power.
Dr Andrew Crossland from MyGridGB and the Durham Energy Institute said:
“The Government has focused on reducing coal use which now supplies less
than 7% of our electricity.
“However, if we continue to use gas at the rate that we do, then Britain
will miss carbon targets and be dangerously exposed to supply and price
risks in the international gas markets.
“Clearly, refreshed government support for low carbon alternatives is now
needed to avoid price and supply shocks for our heat and electricity
supplies.”
Industry body RenewableUK’s executive director Emma Pinchbeck said the
decision to phase out coal, as part of efforts by the Government to
continue to lead on tackling climate change, was being made possible by a
home-grown renewables industry “coming into its own”.
But she said: “We want to see more boldness from the Conservative Government.
“In 2018, the Government should move to allow onshore wind, now the
cheapest form of power for consumers, to be developed in parts of the UK
where it is wanted, and agree an ambitious sector deal with the offshore
wind industry.
The New Year could be the first in a golden age for UK renewables.”
:: MyGridGB uses data on the amount of electricity produced in Great
Britain from BM Reports and Sheffield University.
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