• Britain passes one week without coal power for first time since 1882
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Britain has gone a week without using coal to generate electricity for the first time since Queen Victoria was on the throne, in a landmark moment in the transition away from the heavily polluting fuel. The last coal generator came off the system at 1.24pm on 1 May, meaning the UK reached a week without coal at 1.24pm on Wednesday, according to the National Grid Electricity System Operator, which runs the network in England, Scotland and Wales. ... Fintan Slye, the director of National Grid ESO, said he believed Britain’s electricity system could be run with zero carbon as soon as 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/08/britain-passes-1-week-without-coal-power-for-first-time-since-1882
I suppose they still use gas though?
How much difference did it make? Can it be measured? Really want to know. I love seeing "before and after" stuff, and this is one of the best ones for sure.
Gas is easier to control the emissions of than coal due to the ability to refine it, etc, which you really can't do with coal to the same degree. Coal is a much more dirty energy source than gas. Neither are good but gas is preferable to coal.
When comparing gas and coal outright, gas is way cleaner, but theres also other things needed to be taken into consideration like methane leakage and drilling/transport of gas. Though gas is indeed much better than coal. Iirc much of the United States current decline in CO2 emissions is due simply because we're using less coal and more gas. Neither is preferable, but if it's gas or coal? Rev up those gas turbines.
I'm always conflicted by the progressive, incremental way of tackling CO2 emissions in missions like this. It's surely probably better to have a bunch of small goals instead of one big one, but I also wonder if it breeds a certain sense of complacency.
For now yes, they're en route to going full net zero by 2025 though. I do wonder though, does this include imported power? I genuinely don't know if the UK even uses imported electricity, but I know Germany exports quite a bit of its own coal-fired power.
when can Australia do this next thanks
A step at a time for better environment
Things are looking up, no new fossil fueled cars by 2040 is at least a specific policy. Although it does seem too little too late, 2030 is really what it should be but it's simply impractical without people getting involved. We are aiming to have 1/3 of our energy produced by wind by 2030, which is a huge step forward. I can't remember where but I heard that we will be producing more energy through renewables than fossil fuels by 2020. The government released a report in March that has a wealth of information in it.
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