The UK government has been able to abandon coal for an entire week as an energy resource. According to the Sydney Morning Herald (a daily newspaper in tabloid format), this is a significant achievement, given that in 2013, coal provided more than a third of the British energy system.
The national operator, which operates the energy network in England, Scotland and Wales, said the last coal generator went offline on May 1 at 1:24 a.m. local time. This means that the first full week in England without coal ended May 8 at 1:24 a.m.
Reasons for rejecting coal
Most of the country's energy resources come from a combination of sources with or without low emissions — mainly gas, nuclear, and wind. The decrease in the number of renewable energy sources and the increase in coal prices, as well as the exceptional polluting ability of coal have made it a less attractive resource in recent years.
According to the Guardian (daily left-wing liberal newspaper), coal-fired power plants still operate in the UK, but as a backup system during periods of high energy demand.
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The week without the use of coal power was the longest period of its kind in the UK since the world's first state-owned coal-fired power station Edison Electric was opened in London in 1882, and since Queen Victoria took the throne.
Impact on emissions
The Climate Change Committee, which advises the UK government on emissions targets, has recommended revising the current target for 2050 from an 80 percent reduction in emissions to zero.
In the period from 2008 to 2016, the amount of emissions in the country decreased by 55%.
Minister of Business and Energy Greg Clark in an interview with Sky News said that the government is now on its way to becoming the first major economy with zero emission laws in force. The Minister believes that they have now managed to lay the foundation for the prosperity of the renewable energy sector.
Last year marked the sixth consecutive year of carbon reductions in the UK. Since the industrial revolution, the government has achieved the lowest levels of emissions in the country. Government officials intend to completely close all coal plants by 2025.
Julian Leslie, head of national control at a British power grid company, said in an interview with Sydney Morning Herald that this would be a new normal thing. The transition to a low-carbon future, according to the chapter, will also significantly reduce costs for customers.
World Renewable Energy Practices
The UK is not the only country to care for the environment.
For example, in the US, renewable energy in April "produced" more energy than coal. And the Chinese province of Qinghai, about the size of Texas, last year worked only for them.
