In May 2016, there were 4 hours when the British national grid used no coal to generate electricity. A few days later it happened for 5 hours and over the next few days, there was a total of 25 hours of no coal use. The Government is aiming to phase out coal use by 2025. The Department of Energy and Climate Change said this is part of the plan for cleaner energy.
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Solar panels and wind farms have very little in the way of on-going costs once they are up and running. According to Juliet Davenport, Good Energy’s CE, coal is becoming less usable due to the cost and more countries in Europe are turning to renewables. France and Sweden are at one end of the scale using very little coal while Poland is at the other using it for 80% of its energy provision. However, only the UK, Netherlands, and a few States in the US are looking to phase it out altogether.
In the UK plans are still unclear and according to Dr. Evans, policy needs to be put in place quickly, or the flagship pledge may not succeed.