UK electricity generation reaches low-carbon milestone in 2017

The UK reached a number of additional low-carbon milestones in 2017, including its first day with no electricity generated from coal since 1882 and new records for wind and solar generation, energy policy website Carbon Brief said. In particular, it found that twice as much electricity was generated by wind than by coal in 2017, and that wind supplied more power than coal in every month of the year except January.

Energy law expert Ian McCarlie of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, said that the findings showed the "pace of change" in the UK energy sector.

"This record breaking contribution of low carbon and green generation to our energy mix comes at a time when the costs of energy, the way we use our energy and the efficiency of our energy systems and infrastructure are in sharp focus," he said.

"But we can't stop here, and it is imperative that policy and regulation create the right investment conditions so that we have a secure, stable and cost effective energy system that is fit for purpose, adapts to change and, importantly, meets the increasingly sophisticated needs and choices of consumers and end users," he said.

The share of UK electricity generated from low carbon sources, which includes nuclear as well as renewables, has more than doubled between 2009 and 2017, to reach just over 50%, according to the Carbon Brief analysis. At the same time, electricity generated by fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil has fallen considerably, down from 75.4% in 2010 to 47.5%. The analysis also tracks 'other' sources, such as pumped hydro and non-renewable waste sources.

Despite the increased low carbon generation and dramatic decline of coal-fired generation, gas remains the single largest fuel source by far, according for some 40% of total UK electricity generation in 2017, according to Carbon Brief. The UK must be generating no more than 25% of its electricity from gas by 2030, by which time coal power generation will be phased out entirely, if it is to meet its legally-binding carbon targets.

The government set out its updated policy on low carbon electricity alongside the Budget in November, and future support will be considered within this policy context. Carbon Brief noted in its analysis that the cost of renewables was rapidly falling, meaning that "subsidy-free deployment might become increasingly possible".