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6/17/2020

Topic Reading-Vol.2989-6/17/2020


Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Britain goes coal free as renewables edge out fossil fuels
The first Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain,
Ever since the first coal-fired power station was built in London in 1882, coal-fired power stations have been generating a substantial share of electricity for homes and businesses, and even for electric vehicles. In fact, they still generate over a third of the world’s electricity while emitting over 10 Gt of carbon dioxide each year.
Recently, coal-fired plants, along with other fossil-fuel-burning plants, have been replaced by renewable energies, such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass, and geothermal especially in Europe. Even in the UK, the origin of the first Industrial Revolution and coal-burning technologies has been shifting from coal to renewables rapidly in the last decade. In 2010, about 40% of the country's electricity came from coal while only 3% was generated by wind and solar. But so far this year, renewables have generated more power than all fossil fuels combined. Accordingly, the first fossil fuel powerplants to be shut down are coal-fired power stations, the most environmentally unfriendly source of power.
Well, no more steam locomotives, the symbol of the Industrial Revolution, are running regularly in the world, investors and power companies don’t seem to be so reluctant to replace the legacy power plants with renewable energy sources.
Enjoy reading the article and learn about the dramatic power shift in the UK.

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