Reuters, LONDONThe UK, the birthplace of coal power, produced more electricity from zero-carbon sources such as wind, solar and nuclear than from fossil fuel plants for the first time last year, National Grid PLC said yesterday. “As we enter a new decade, this truly is a historic moment,” National Grid chief executive John Pettigrew said, referring to the company’s latest data. The data showed that wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and imports produced about 48.5 percent of the UK’s electricity last year, while fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, contributed about 43 percent. The increase in zero-carbon power marks a huge shift from almost two decades ago, when fossil fuels provided about three-quarters of the country’s electricity. Eight percent of the UK’s electricity came from imports from Europe via interconnectors with France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland, the data showed.

Source: Taipei Times January 01, 2020 15:56 UTC