The UK just went one week without coal power for the first time in 137 years
For the first time since 1882, when the first coal-fired power plant started running in the UK, the country has gone coal-free for a full week, according to the National Grid's Electricity System Operator (ESO).Posted — Updated
And Britain is now on course to generate electricity with zero carbon by 2025, the operator said.
The milestone was reached as the country's Environment Agency issued a stark warning about coastal communities under rising threat of floods due to climate change.
The coal generator was off between around 1.30pm on May 1, 2019 and the same time on May 8, according to ESO.
"While this is the first time this has happened, I predict it will become the 'new normal,'" Fintan Slye, Director of ESO said in a statement. "As more and more renewables come onto our energy system, coal-free runs like this are going to be a regular occurrence. We believe that by 2025 we will be able to fully operate Great Britain's electricity system with zero carbon."
The landmark target of a week without coal was achieved thanks to a long-term strategy aimed at increasing the use of renewable energies, from offshore wind to domestic scale solar panels, Emma Pinchbeck, deputy CEO at RenewableUK, told CNN.
"Wind has become a mainstream power source for the UK, providing up to 35% of our electricity over the weekend. Renewables have been crucial to phasing out dirty coal," she said.
"The coal phase out is just the beginning of a move away from fossil fuels to low carbon living, to avoid the enormous risks of climate disruption. Last week, the Committee on Climate Change said we can only achieve net-zero emissions with a massive increase in renewables."
Regulation and profitability have played a role: under European Emissions Performance standards, old plants would have had to fit expensive new kit by the end of this year, and the economic conditions for coal are poor, Pinchbeck said. Carbon pricing has also had an impact.
Then, there's the Climate Change Act. which mandated country a near zero carbon power sector by 2032, and which drove major investment in low carbon technologies such as renewables from 2008, she added. The UK government has also committed to phase out all coal plants by 2025.
ESO data from the coal-free week shows that renewables (wind, solar, hydro, and biomass) accounted for around 23% of the total power, with natural gas and nuclear providing 46% and 21%.
That means coal has been displaced by renewables, not gas, Pinchbeck said, explaining that there was more current and planned investment in the former.
Threat to coastal communities
The news came as the Environment Agency's chairwoman Emma Howard Boyd warned that entire coastal communities might need help to move "out of harm's way in the longer term," as global temperatures rise by an expected 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100.
"We can't win a war against water by building away climate change with infinitely high flood defenses," Boyd said in a statement, adding that £1 billion ($1.3 billion) a year needed to be invested in flood management to combat the emergency.
On May 2, the country's Committee on Climate Change (CCC) urged the government to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Currently the UK has a target of curbing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, compared to 1990 levels. Emissions fell by 42% in 2016.
The CCC said the new target is "necessary, feasible and cost-effective." But it will require drastic action, including phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles completely by 2035, planting 30,000 hectares of trees each year and cutting beef, lamb and dairy consumption by 20% by 2050.
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Kwa mara ya kwanza tangu mwaka 1882 wakati kituo cha kwanza cha umeme cha makaa ya mawe kilipoanza kufanya kazi nchini Uingereza, nchi hiyo imekuwa bila makaa ya mawe kwa wiki nzima, kulingana na Opereta wa Mfumo wa Umeme wa Gridi ya Kitaifa (ESO). "Hatua hiyo ilifikiwa wakati Shirika la Mazingira la nchi hiyo lilitoa onyo kali kuhusu jamii za pwani zilizo chini ya tishio la kuongezeka kwa mafuriko kutokana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa.""" Jenereta ya makaa ya mawe ilizimwa kati ya karibu saa 1.30 pm tarehe 1 Mei 2019 na wakati huo huo tarehe 8 Mei, kulingana na ESO. "Wakati hii ni mara ya kwanza hii imetokea, mimi kutabiri itakuwa ""new kawaida,"" Fintan Slye, Mkurugenzi wa ESO alisema katika taarifa." """Kwa kuwa nishati mbadala inazidi kuingia kwenye mfumo wetu wa nishati, kukimbia bila makaa ya mawe kama hii itakuwa jambo la kawaida." "Tunaamini kwamba kufikia 2025 tutaweza kuendesha mfumo wa umeme wa Uingereza kikamilifu na kaboni sifuri. """ """Lengo la wiki moja bila makaa ya mawe lilitimizwa kwa sababu ya mkakati wa muda mrefu wa kuongeza matumizi ya nishati mbadala, kutoka upepo wa pwani hadi paneli za jua za ndani,"" alisema Emma Pinchbeck, naibu mtendaji mkuu wa RenewableUK." "Upepo umekuwa chanzo kikuu cha umeme nchini Uingereza, ukitoa hadi 35% ya umeme wetu mwishoni mwa wiki.""" Nishati mbadala zimekuwa muhimu kwa kuondoa makaa ya mawe machafu", alisema. "Uondolewaji wa makaa ya mawe ni mwanzo tu wa kuhamia mbali na mafuta ya makaa ya mawe kwa maisha ya chini ya kaboni, ili kuepuka hatari kubwa ya usumbufu wa hali ya hewa. """ "Kulingana na Kamati ya Mabadiliko ya Hali ya Hewa, ""tunaweza tu kufikia uzalishaji wa sifuri kwa ongezeko kubwa la nishati mbadala.""" "Pichbeck alisema: ""Kwa mujibu wa viwango vya Ulaya vya utendaji wa uzalishaji, mitambo ya zamani ingekuwa na kuingiza vifaa vipya vya gharama kubwa mwishoni mwa mwaka huu, na hali ya kiuchumi kwa makaa ya mawe ni duni.""" Bei ya kaboni pia imekuwa na athari. Kisha, kuna Sheria ya Mabadiliko ya Hali ya Hewa. "Mkataba huo ulilazimisha nchi kuwa na sekta ya umeme ya karibu na kaboni sifuri ifikapo mwaka wa 2032, na ambao ulisababisha uwekezaji mkubwa katika teknolojia za kaboni ya chini kama vile nishati mbadala kutoka mwaka wa 2008,"" alisema." Serikali ya Uingereza imepanga kuondoa mimea yote ya makaa ya mawe ifikapo mwaka 2025. Takwimu za ESO kutoka wiki ya kutokuwa na makaa ya mawe zinaonyesha kuwa vyanzo vya nishati mbadala (pepo, jua, maji, na biomass) vilikuwa karibu 23% ya nguvu ya jumla, na gesi asilia na nyuklia kutoa 46% na 21%. "Pinchbeck alisema, ""Kufanya kazi kwa makaa ya mawe ni muhimu kwa ajili ya maendeleo ya nishati ya nishati, na kwa sababu ya matumizi ya nishati ya gesi, ambayo ni muhimu kwa ajili ya maendeleo ya nishati ya gesi.""" "Mwanamke mmoja wa Marekani, Emma Howard-Boyd, ambaye ni mwenyekiti wa shirika la mazingira la Marekani, amesema kuwa ""maeneo yote ya pwani yanaweza kuhitaji msaada ili kuepuka hatari ya kutoweka kwa muda mrefu"" wakati joto la dunia likiongezeka kwa kiwango cha digrii 4 hadi mwaka 2100." "Hatuwezi kushinda vita dhidi ya maji kwa kuondoa mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa kwa ulinzi wa mafuriko ya juu sana, ""Boyde alisema katika taarifa, akiongeza kuwa bilioni 1 ya dola za Uingereza kwa mwaka inahitajika kuwekezwa katika usimamizi wa mafuriko ili kupambana na dharura." Kamati ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa ya nchi hiyo imehimiza serikali ya nchi hiyo kupunguza uzalishaji wa gesi za chafu hadi sifuri ifikapo mwaka 2050. Uingereza imeweka lengo la kupunguza uzalishaji wa gesi za chafu kwa asilimia 80 kufikia mwaka 2050 ikilinganishwa na kiwango cha mwaka 1990. Kiwango cha uzalishaji wa gesi kilipungua kwa asilimia 42 mwaka 2016. "CCC ilisema lengo jipya ni ""hitaji, linawezekana na lina gharama nafuu.""" "Lakini itahitaji hatua kali, ikiwa ni pamoja na kuondoa kabisa magari ya petroli na dizeli ifikapo mwaka 2035, kupanda hekta 30,000 za miti kila mwaka na kupunguza matumizi ya nyama ya ng'ombe, kondoo na maziwa kwa 20% ifikapo mwaka 2050.""" Copyright: Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. Haki zote zimehifadhiwa.