Renewables 45% of UK generation in Q1

UK  solar resources.
Source: By SolarGIS © 2011 GeoModel Solar s.r.o., CC BY-SA 3.0,
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From IEEFA:

The first three months of 2020 were a landmark quarter for Great Britain, with renewable providing more power than from any other major power source, providing 45% of all electricity generation, and beating out total fossil fuel generation, including coal and gas.

The milestone moment was highlighted in European power analysts EnAppSys’ latest quarterly energy market report, covering the first three months of 2020.

In total, across the first quarter, renewable energy generated 35.4TWh, accounting for 44.6% of all power generation across Great Britain, followed by 29.1% from gas-fired power plants, 15.3% from nuclear power, 7.3% from imports, and only 3.7% from coal.

This means that not only did renewables generated more electricity than any other power source, but also means in turn that renewables beat out all fossil fuels combined (gas plus coal).

There were a number of factors which helped lead to this milestone moment, with extreme weather conditions across the first three months of the year in Great Britain resulting in consistently high levels of wind generation. Similarly, as with many countries around the world, the spreading coronavirus pandemic led to declining electricity demand in March.

Despite the contributing factors, this is nevertheless an important milestone for Great Britain’s electricity sector, as its renewable electricity generation was already on track to overtake fossil fuels this year based on historical trends.

Step by step, the world is moving towards a 100% green grid.  It's not the only thing we need to change to reach zero carbon by 2050, but it is crucial.  If the grid is carbon free, and we de-carbonise transport over the next decade, we will cut emissions by 50%.