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fossil-fuel-burning plants, have been replaced by renewable energies, such as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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