Media contributions
1Media contributions
Title Britain’s electricity since 2010: wind surges to second place, coal collapses and fossil fuel use nearly halves Degree of recognition International Media name/outlet The Conversation Media type Web Duration/Length/Size 800 words Country/Territory United Kingdom Date 6/01/20 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.Producer/Author Grant Wilson, Iain Staffell, Noah Godfrey Persons Grant Wilson, Noah Godfrey, Iain Staffell
Keywords
- energy
- electricity
- decarbonisation
- Great Britain