The news about the increased generation of energy from renewable sources comes from the U.K. National Grid. The company, which is responsible for the is the high-voltage electric power transmission network in Great Britain, has reported that power from wind, solar, hydro and wood pellet burning supplied juts over half (50.7 percent) of U.K. energy. With wind power specifically, energy generated from wind turbines is accounting for around one-tenth of energy collected and distributed. The use of such types of renewable energy is not confined to the U.K. for records for the use of wind power are slashed across Northern Europe.
Data from the National Grid’s issued at lunchtime on Wednesday June 7, 2017 showed that solar panels produced around 7.6GW of electricity while wind farms generated 9.5GW of power. A ‘GW’ is a Gigawatt, which is the equivalent power to provide for 100 million LED bulbs.
If nuclear power is added to the mix, then the non-fossil fuel proportion rises to 72.1 percent of electricity generated in the UK. According to The Daily Telegraph, the National Grid tweeted: “For the first time ever this lunchtime wind, nuclear and solar were all generating more than both gas and coal combined.”
The news has been welcomed by most environmentalists (differing views about nuclear power notwithstanding), as step further towards a low carbon economy.
Emma Pinchbeck, who heads up renewable energy trade body RenewableUK, told the BBC: “National Grid is confirming that low-carbon sources are generating 70 percent of our electricity – with wind power the star amongst these sources.”
