Generation revolution – power without coal

The first full day since the industrial revolution in which no coal was burned to generate electricity in the UK – Friday 21 April – was widely reported. As the Electricity Control Room at the National Grid put it: ‘National Grid can confirm that for the past 24 hours, it has supplied GB’s electricity demand without the need for coal generation.’

However, a look at the Twitter feed from the Control Room
(@NGControlRoom) shows the contribution from coal now regularly falling to zero for periods of time. For example on the day this was written (16 May), it reported: ‘GB electricity at 2:00pm this afternoon: gas 40.6%, wind 22.4%, nuclear 20.5%, biomass 5.6%, imports 5.5%, solar 4.8%, storage 0.9%.'

Commentators were nevertheless keen to mark the first day-long event. Professor David Elmes of Warwick Business School said: ‘Coal has been a vital part of the UK over my lifetime, and due recognition to the people who made that happen, but this is an exciting step in the huge transition the UK is making to an electricity system that’s still affordable and reliable but more sustainable through using gas rather than coal.’