RENEWABLES SNARE 40% SHARE OF ENERGY MIX IN UK

Renewable energy is expanding fast in the United Kingdom, slashing carbon emissions and electricity costs across the board, according to recently published government figures, and hopes are high that UK could generate half of its electricity from renewables in 2030.

Carbon emissions from UK electricity production dropped by more than a third during the coronavirus lockdown, as the expansion of renewables continues. The carbon intensity of the energy grid reached 21 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour in May, according to a report by Imperial College London, Fermin Koop reported for ZME Science on August 31, 2020.

The report, issued for Drax, UK’s largest power generator, found that lockdown measures caused the electricity demand in the United Kingdom to fall by 13% in the second quarter (compared to the same months last year), which helped the share of renewables grow by a third to 40% of the energy mix.

The data on renewables included electricity generated by solar farms, wind turbines, hydropower projects, and biomass. The carbon intensity of the electricity system dropped by a fifth to 153 grams of carbon per kilowatt-hour, while prices fell by more than 40% during the lockdown, the report showed. Dr. Iain Staffell of Imperial College London, lead author of the energy report, told The Guardian that the past few months have “given the country a glimpse into the future for our power system, with higher levels of renewable energy and lower demand make for a difficult balancing act.”