Britain’s electricity since 2010: wind surges to second place, coal collapses and fossil fuel use nearly halves

Description

Great Britain's Energy Transition: 2010-2019

1. 2010-2019 Transformation:
   - Fossil fuels dropped from 75% to 40% of electricity generation
   - Coal collapsed from 41% (2012 peak) to under 2% (2019)
   - Wind power rose from 3% to 21%
   - Natural gas reduced from 47% to 38%
   - Renewables surpassed coal and gas combined for a month (August 2019)
   - Electricity consumption fell by 15%

2. 2019 Milestones:
   - Coal-free for over 3,700 hours
   - Wind energy surpassed nuclear annually for the first time
   - Renewables provided 37% of December's electricity

3. Challenges for 2020s:
   - Decarbonizing transport, heating, and hot water
   - Shifting from natural gas to low-carbon alternatives for heating
   - Developing energy storage and demand management systems

4. Predictions for 2020s:
   - 30 GW additional marine energy generation
   - Over 10,000 "active buildings" to be built
   - Over 80% of new car sales to be electric vehicles

5. Key Factors for Success:
   - Scaling up renewable energy generation
   - Developing low-carbon flexibility (energy storage, demand management)
   - Sustained focus on decarbonizing heat and transport sectors

This transformation showcases Britain's rapid progress towards a low-carbon electricity system, with significant challenges and opportunities ahead in other sectors to achieve a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.