{"id":102258,"date":"2024-10-01T12:27:18","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T10:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=102258"},"modified":"2024-10-01T12:27:19","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T10:27:19","slug":"the-uk-exits-coal-power-ushering-in-era-of-renewables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/politics\/the-uk-exits-coal-power-ushering-in-era-of-renewables\/","title":{"rendered":"The UK Exits Coal Power, Ushering in Era of Renewables"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Today, the UK\u2019s last coal-fired power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, will close, marking the end of coal-generated electricity in the nation that sparked the Industrial Revolution. As recently as 2012, the UK\u2014 the world\u2019s sixth-largest economy\u2014burned coal to generate nearly 40% of its electricity [1]. Today, that figure reaches zero thanks to widespread support for climate action and a surge in renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During this period, wind and solar have risen from providing just 6% to 34% of the UK\u2019s electricity, while fossil gas generation has dipped compared to 2012. Wind now produces enough electricity to power 92% of the UK\u2019s 28 million homes [2]. As part of its plan to decarbonise power generation by 2030, the UK government aims to double onshore wind, triple solar power, and quadruple offshore wind by the end of the decade [3].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2015, the UK became the first country in the world to announce a coal phase-out [4], setting a powerful precedent that has inspired global climate action. Since then, 22 European nations have committed to do the same [5].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alexandru Musta\u021b\u0103, Campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, said:<\/strong> \u201cThe closure of the UK\u2019s last coal power plant is a victory for renewable energy and all who fought to end coal power. Coal hasn\u2019t simply faded away\u2014the UK has actively replaced it with healthier, cheaper, more secure renewable alternatives. European countries still burning coal should take heed: with strong action against polluters, engaged civil society, and cross-party political consensus, a swift and just transition to a secure and affordable renewables-based power system is well within reach.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dave Jones, Insights Director at global energy think tank, Ember, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe renewables revolution is gathering pace around the world, and renewables will soon overtake coal as the single biggest source of global electricity. Once, coal power was a byword for industrial growth, now clean energy is driving economies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pieter de Pous, Programme leader in E3G\u2019s Coal to Clean Programme, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe UK was the first country in the world to start burning coal for power and is now among the first to stop doing so, joining a growing group of coal-free countries in Europe including Belgium, Sweden, Austria, and Portugal. The same combination of carrots and sticks that has brought the UK to this historical moment is continuing to replace coal\u2014and increasingly fossil gas\u2014with renewables across Europe, bringing fossil-free power by 2035 within reach. EU leaders should join forces with the UK\u2019s newly launched Global Clean Power Alliance to make fossil-free power a core contribution to the global energy consensus of tripling renewables, doubling efficiency and transitioning away from fossil fuels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Julia Skorupska, Head of Powering Past Coal Alliance secretariat, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe UK has proven that it is possible to phase-out coal power at unprecedented speed. One third of all countries have committed to do the same when they joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA). Others will need to step up their efforts\u2014but they don\u2019t have to do it alone. The PPCA brings together governments, financial institutions and companies to help countries phase-out coal and reap the benefits of the clean energy transition. We need to see ambitious new commitments as countries develop their new NDCs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel Therkelsen, Campaign Manager at Coal Action Network, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis historic moment is a win for both climate activists and local people who spent countless hours and risked their freedom campaigning to close the coal-fired power stations poisoning the air they breathe and trashing the climate we all rely upon. But the spectre of coal still looms with the UK continuing to mine and export coal abroad. In 2023 alone, UK exports of coal generated around 1.8 million tonnes of CO2. If we can understand the climate and health imperative of phasing-out coal at home, it\u2019s only consistent that we also stop exporting it abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n