Over the Easter bank holiday, the power grid in the United Kingdom had its greenest day ever, thanks to a boom in clean energies due to sunny and windy conditions.
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Power Plants All Over the UK
According to National Grid's electricity system operator, power plants producing electricity in England, Scotland, and Wales generated just 39g of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity on Monday, the lowest carbon intensity recorded since National Grid records started in 1935.
The new low shattered the grid's previous low of 46g set on May 24, 2016, during the country's greenest month for electricity generation ever.
Green Power
As households enjoyed a bank holiday lunch on Easter Monday, wind turbines and solar farms generated 60% of all electricity. At the same time, nuclear plants in the UK delivered 16% of the energy mix, implying that almost 80% of the grid was fuelled by low-carbon sources.
The low-carbon power boom, combined with lower-than-average energy demand over the bank holiday, held gas-fired power in the UK at 10% of the electricity mix, reducing the electricity system's "carbon strength" to its lowest level on record.
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Decrease in Demands
Plans for constructing new solar power parks with a total combined capacity of 1.2 gigawatts to be installed in several Indian states have been announced. The country pushed forward several ambitious projects in renewable energy in the past few weeks.
Due to a decrease in demand for power from office buildings, restaurants, and hotels that have been idle for most of the last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK's electricity emissions have decreased significantly in the last year.
Despite the steady reopening of the economy, the electricity grid operator said demand for electricity remained 5% lower than average last month, compared to about 20% below normal levels in April previous year.
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March Power Usage
Last month, wind and solar power accounted for 24% and 4% of total electricity production, respectively, while gas-fired power plants accounted for 39% of the entire electricity generation. The carbon intensity was 185g of CO2/kWh in March. However, it is projected to decrease as solar power plays a greater role in fulfilling the country's energy demand during the summer months.
According to Fintan Slye, a director at National Grid's device operator, the latest record is yet another example of how Britain's electricity system is changing "at an astonishing pace" as the sector shifts away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy sources.
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Greener Future
Carbon intensity dropped to 181g of CO2/kWh in 2020, owing in part to a decrease in energy demand during the coronavirus lockdowns. However, to meet the UK's climate goals, the energy system's carbon intensity must be reduced to about 50g CO2/kWh in 2030, 10g CO2/kWh in 2035, and 2g CO2/kWh by 2050.
"It's an exciting moment, and the success we're making in these records underscores the big steps we're taking toward our aim of running the system carbon-free by 2025," Slye said.
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