Britain has broken its own record for coal-free power generation, but what does this mean for energy bills and green energy providers?
On Wednesday 10 June, Britain hit a significant landmark: the UK went for two full months without burning coal to generate power – that’s the longest period since the 1880s.
According to the National Grid, Britain has now run its electricity network without burning coal since midnight on the 9 April. This coal-free period has beaten the country’s previous record of 18 days, six hours and 10 minutes, which was set in June 2019.
With such a shift in Britain’s drive for renewables and lower electricity demand following the coronavirus lockdown, now may be the perfect time to do an online energy comparison and switch to a cheaper, greener deal.
Only a decade ago, around 40 per cent of Britain’s electricity came from coal generation, but since then the country has gradually shifted towards renewable energy. When Britain was forced into lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic, electricity demand dropped sharply, and the National Grid took the four remaining coal-fired plants off the network.
Over the past 10 years, Britain has invested heavily in renewable energy.
