Page 7 - Gi flipbook February 2018

Renewables generated triple the power

of coal in 2017, UK figures show

December showed. Wind have technology to capture
beat coal on 263 days, and and permanently store its
solar outperformed the carbon emissions by 2025,
fossil fuel on 180 days. as part of efforts to meet
Between April and August targets on greenhouse gases.
inclusive, coal generation Daily output from wind
exceeded solar on only 10 outstripped gas on only
days, reports The Guardian. two days of the year,
In total, renewables and renewables overall
generated more than – including wind, solar,
three times the amount of biomass and hydropower
electricity as coal over the – which beat the fossil fuel
year to 12 December. on just 23 days.
The figures – provided by Emma Pinchbeck,
BM Reports and Sheffield Executive Director at
University – reflect a year industry body RenewableUK,
in which a number of said the decision to phase
A number of green records have green records have been out coal was being made
been set for the power sector set for the power sector, possible by a homegrown
including the first full day renewables industry “coming
without any coal power in into its own”.
BRITISH WIND FARMS coal more than half the the system, record solar She added: “We want
generated more electricity time, the data provided by generation and tumbling to see more boldness
than coal plants on more website MyGridGB revealed. prices for new offshore from the Conservative
than 75 per cent of days in Overall, renewables wind farms. government.
2017, an analysis of energy provided more power than The government has “The new year could be
figures has shown. coal plants on 315 days committed to phasing out the first in a golden age for
Solar also outperformed in 2017, figures up to 12 coal power that does not UK renewables.” ■

More than 25% of switched last year. inheriting prepayment meters
Bulb said it was surprised
at properties that often carry
UK households don’t that half of the “most restrictions on switching.
Ofgem figures show that
technically savvy generation”
know what energy appeared not to know what as of September last year
type of tariff they were on,
the majority of customers
– around 57 per cent of
but said this could be due to
tariff they have 18- to 24-year-olds typically those with the 10 largest
renting accommodation and
suppliers – were still on
mistakenly believing they poor-value SVTs, around 13
MORE THAN A quarter of This figure rises to 53 per were unable to switch, or million customers. ■
households do not know cent of 18- to 24-year-olds,
if they are on the most while a relatively low 16 per Six per cent of people
expensive standard variable cent of 55- to 74-year-olds do not know who their
tariffs (SVTs) for gas and are in the same position. supplier is
electricity and around one The poll also suggests
in 20 do not know who that households may be
supplies their energy, a confused over whether
survey suggests. they have switched away
The poll for Bulb Energy from SVT tariffs.
found six per cent of Some 44 per cent said
people do not know who they had switched in the
their supplier is, while 28 past year, but Bulb cited
per cent either do not industry body Energy
know or are unsure if their UK figures showing that
household is on a poor- 22 per cent of the UK’s
value standard tariff. 27.1 million households

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News.indd 2 18/01/2018 11:18