The Muskrat Falls development recently reached a significant milestone, as the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced that formal agreements have been reached between Nalcor Energy and Emera Inc. for the development and transmission of hydroelectric power from Muskrat Falls.
The agreements were signed in St. John's today by the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Natural Resources the Honourable Charlie Parker, Nova Scotia Minister of Energy Ed Martin, President and CEO of Nalcor Energy and, Chris Huskilson, President and CEO, Emera Inc.
“Today’s signing represents a major step forward for Newfoundland and Labrador, and is another important milestone as we move closer towards a decision on sanctioning of the project,” said the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Natural Resources. “Muskrat Falls will deliver least-cost renewable power and stabilize rates, support economic development, and provide power to mining companies in Labrador. It will also provide long-term revenue through the export of electricity and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, along with economic and employment benefits for the province, the region, and the rest of the country.
“The Maritime Link will allow us to access the Maritime and New England markets and thereby gaining a fair and competitive price for our clean, renewable power. It will also facilitate the development of our province’s energy warehouse. Today’s agreements guarantee the successful responsible development of our province’s hydroelectric resources in a manner that provides maximum benefit to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
“By developing Lower Churchill and connecting it to wider markets, we are creating good jobs, growing the Atlantic economy and ensuring a cleaner energy future for ourselves, our children and grandchildren,” said Nova Scotia Minister of Energy Charlie Parker. “This development is an important component in ensuring Nova Scotia meets federal coal reduction regulations, as well as our province's greenhouse gas emission targets. Perhaps most importantly though, it will help stabilize electricity rates for Nova Scotians and their families. This is indeed a game-changing opportunity for the Atlantic region, and part of the approach that makes Canada an energy superpower.”
Nalcor and Emera have formalized 13 agreements spanning 50 years related to the development of Muskrat Falls, the Labrador-Island Transmission Link, and the Maritime Link.
The purpose of the agreements, which reflect the Term Sheet, is to formalize the transactions agreed to by the parties. Six of the agreements reflect the commitment by Emera to develop the Maritime Link connecting Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, and to provide transmission rights in Nova Scotia.
Four agreements relate to transmission rights for Nalcor in the Maritimes and New England as a result of EmeraÂ’s investment in the Labrador-Island Link, which will span from Muskrat Falls, across the Strait of Belle Isle, to Soldiers Pond on the Avalon Peninsula. Three related agreements were also completed.
“The agreements signed today reflect the strong partnership between Nalcor and Emera, and the commitment by both companies to ensure a quality result for everyone involved,” said Ed Martin, President and CEO of Nalcor Energy. “We took the time necessary to get it right, and I’m proud to say that [now] we have 13 comprehensive, sound agreements that will stand the test of time.”
“Emera is fully engaged in helping transform Atlantic Canada into an energy powerhouse with an electricity system that is more robust, flexible and better connected,” stated Chris Huskilson, President and CEO, Emera Inc. “Today’s announcement sets the stage for the development of a new source and route for clean, renewable and reliable energy that will help stabilize energy costs, improve the environment and provide economic benefits for the entire region.”
Additional information about the formal agreements signed between Nalcor and Emera are available in the backgrounder. Media will be notified once the final agreements are posted online.
A signing ceremony was held in Sydney, Nova Scotia at the end of July.
EU Clean Energy Transition underscores the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, decarbonization, and hydrogen, as soaring gas prices and electricity volatility spur resilience, storage, and joint procurement across the single market.
Key Points
EU Clean Energy Transition shifts from fossil fuels to renewables, enhancing resilience and reducing price volatility.
✅ Cuts reliance on Russian gas and fossil imports
✅ Scales renewables, hydrogen, and energy storage
✅ Stabilizes electricity prices via market resilience
Soaring energy prices, described as Europe's energy nightmare, are a stark reminder of how dependent Europe is on fossil fuels and should serve to accelerate the shift towards renewable forms of energy.
"This experience today of the rising energy prices is a clear wake up call... that we should accelerate the transition to clean energy, wean ourselves off the fossil fuel dependency," a senior EU official told reporters as the European Commission unveiled a series of emergency electricity measures aimed at tackling the crisis.
The European Union is facing a sharp spike in energy prices, driven by increased global demand as the world recovers from the pandemic and lower-than-expected natural gas deliveries from Russia. Wholesale electricity prices have increased by 200% compared to the 2019 average, underscoring why rolling back electricity prices is tougher than it appears, according to the European Commission.
"Winter is coming and for many electricity costs are larger than they have been for a decade," Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told reporters on Wednesday.
80 million European households struggle to stay warm Wholesale gas prices — which have surged to record highs in France, Spain, Germany and Italy, amid reports of Germany's local utilities crying for help — are expected to remain high through the winter.
Prices are expected to fall in the spring, but remain higher than the average of past years, according to the Commission. Most EU countries rely on gas-fired power stations to meet electricity demand, and about 40% of that gas comes from Russia, with the EU outlining a plan to dump Russian energy to reduce this reliance, according to Eurostat.
Simson said that the Commission's initial assessment indicates that Russia's Gazprom has been fulfilling its long-term contracts "while providing little or no additional supply." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday that Russia has increased gas supplies to Europe to the maximum possible level under existing contracts, but could not exceed those thresholds. "We can say that Russia is flawlessly fulfilling all contractual obligations," he said.
Measures EU states can take to help consumers and businesses cope with soaring electricity costs include emergency income support to households to help them pay their energy bills, alongside potential gas price cap strategies, state aid for companies, and targeted tax reductions. Member states can also temporarily delay bill payments and put in place processes to ensure that no one is disconnected from the grid.
Green energy the solution The Commission also published a series of longer term measures the bloc should consider to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and tackle energy price volatility, despite opposition from nine countries to electricity market reforms.
"Our immediate priority is to protect Europe's consumers, especially the most vulnerable," Simson said. "Second, we want to make our energy system better prepared and more resilient, so we don't have to face a similar situation in the future," she added.
Energy crisis could force more UK factories to close This would require speeding up the green energy transition rather than slowing it down, Simson said. "We are not facing an energy price surge because of our climate policy or because renewable energy is expensive. We are facing it because the fossil fuel prices are spiking," she continued.
"The only long term remedy against demand shocks and price volatility is a transition to a green energy system."
Simson said she will propose to EU leaders a package of measures to decarbonize Europe's gas and hydrogen markets by 2050. Other measures to improve energy market stability could include increasing gas storage capacity and buying gas jointly at an EU level.
Calgary EV Charging for Apartments and Condos streamlines permitting for multi-unit dwellings, guiding condo boards and property managers to install EV charging stations, expand infrastructure, and advance sustainability with cleaner air and lower emissions.
Key Points
A Calgary program simplifying permits and guidance to add EV charging stations in multi-unit residential buildings.
✅ Streamlined permitting for condo boards and property managers
✅ Technical assistance to install EV charging stations
✅ Boosts property value and reduces emissions citywide
As the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) continues to rise, and as national EV targets gain traction, Calgary is taking significant strides to enhance its charging infrastructure, particularly in apartment and condominium complexes. A recent initiative has been introduced to facilitate the installation of EV charging stations in these residential buildings, addressing a critical barrier for potential EV owners living in multi-unit dwellings.
The Growing EV Market
Electric vehicles are no longer a niche market; they have become a mainstream option for many consumers. As of late 2023, EV sales have surged, with projections indicating that the trend will only continue. However, a significant challenge remains for those who live in apartments and condos, where high-rise charging can be a mixed experience and the lack of accessible charging stations persists. Unlike homeowners with garages, residents of multi-unit dwellings often rely on public charging infrastructure, which can be inconvenient and limiting.
The New Initiative
In response to this growing concern, the City of Calgary has launched a new initiative aimed at easing the process of installing EV chargers in apartment and condo buildings. This program is designed to streamline the permitting process, reduce red tape, and provide clear guidelines for property managers and condo boards, similar to strata installation rules adopted in other jurisdictions to ease installations.
The initiative includes various measures, such as providing technical assistance and resources to building owners and managers. By simplifying the installation process, the city hopes to encourage more residential complexes to adopt EV charging stations. The initiative also emphasizes practical support, such as providing technical assistance, including condo retrofit guidance, and resources to building owners and managers. This is a significant step towards creating an eco-friendly urban environment and meeting the growing demand for sustainable transportation options.
Benefits of the Initiative
The benefits of this initiative are manifold. Firstly, it supports Calgary's broader climate goals by promoting electric vehicle adoption. As more residents gain access to charging stations, the city can expect a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier urban environment.
Additionally, providing charging infrastructure can enhance property values. Buildings equipped with EV chargers become more attractive to potential tenants and buyers who prioritize sustainability. As the market for electric vehicles expands, properties that offer charging facilities are likely to see increased demand, making them a sound investment for landlords and developers.
Overcoming Challenges
While this initiative marks a positive step forward, there are still challenges to address. Property managers and condo boards may face initial resistance from residents who are uncertain about the costs associated with installing and maintaining EV chargers, though rebates for home and workplace charging can offset upfront expenses and ease adoption. Clear communication about the long-term benefits, including potential energy savings and the value of sustainable living, will be essential in overcoming these hurdles.
Furthermore, the city will need to ensure that the installation of EV chargers is done in a way that is equitable and inclusive. This means considering the needs of all residents, including those who may not own an electric vehicle but would benefit from a greener community.
Looking Ahead
As Calgary moves forward with this initiative, it sets a precedent for other cities, as seen in Vancouver's EV-ready policy, facing similar challenges in promoting electric vehicle adoption. By prioritizing charging infrastructure in multi-unit residential buildings, Calgary is taking important steps towards a more sustainable future.
In conclusion, the push for EV charging stations in apartments and condos is a critical move for Calgary. It reflects a growing recognition of the role that urban planning and infrastructure play in supporting the transition to electric vehicles, which complements corridor networks like the BC Electric Highway for intercity travel. With the right support and resources, Calgary can pave the way for a greener, more sustainable urban landscape that benefits all its residents. As the city embraces this change, it will undoubtedly contribute to a broader shift towards sustainable living, ultimately helping to combat climate change and improve the quality of life for all Calgarians.
ITER Nuclear Fusion advances tokamak magnetic confinement, heating deuterium-tritium plasma with superconducting magnets, targeting net energy gain, tritium breeding, and steam-turbine power, while complementing laser inertial confinement milestones for grid-scale electricity and 2025 startup goals.
Key Points
ITER Nuclear Fusion is a tokamak project confining D-T plasma with magnets to achieve net energy gain and clean power.
✅ Tokamak magnetic confinement with high-temp superconducting coils
✅ Deuterium-tritium fuel cycle with on-site tritium breeding
✅ Targets net energy gain and grid-scale, low-carbon electricity
It sounds like the stuff of dreams: a virtually limitless source of energy that doesn’t produce greenhouse gases or radioactive waste. That’s the promise of nuclear fusion, often described as the holy grail of clean energy by proponents, which for decades has been nothing more than a fantasy due to insurmountable technical challenges. But things are heating up in what has turned into a race to create what amounts to an artificial sun here on Earth, one that can provide power for our kettles, cars and light bulbs.
Today’s nuclear power plants create electricity through nuclear fission, in which atoms are split, with next-gen nuclear power exploring smaller, cheaper, safer designs that remain distinct from fusion. Nuclear fusion however, involves combining atomic nuclei to release energy. It’s the same reaction that’s taking place at the Sun’s core. But overcoming the natural repulsion between atomic nuclei and maintaining the right conditions for fusion to occur isn’t straightforward. And doing so in a way that produces more energy than the reaction consumes has been beyond the grasp of the finest minds in physics for decades.
But perhaps not for much longer. Some major technical challenges have been overcome in the past few years and governments around the world have been pouring money into fusion power research as part of a broader green industrial revolution under way in several regions. There are also over 20 private ventures in the UK, US, Europe, China and Australia vying to be the first to make fusion energy production a reality.
“People are saying, ‘If it really is the ultimate solution, let’s find out whether it works or not,’” says Dr Tim Luce, head of science and operation at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), being built in southeast France. ITER is the biggest throw of the fusion dice yet.
Its $22bn (£15.9bn) build cost is being met by the governments of two-thirds of the world’s population, including the EU, the US, China and Russia, at a time when Europe is losing nuclear power and needs energy, and when it’s fired up in 2025 it’ll be the world’s largest fusion reactor. If it works, ITER will transform fusion power from being the stuff of dreams into a viable energy source.
Constructing a nuclear fusion reactor ITER will be a tokamak reactor – thought to be the best hope for fusion power. Inside a tokamak, a gas, often a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, is subjected to intense heat and pressure, forcing electrons out of the atoms. This creates a plasma – a superheated, ionised gas – that has to be contained by intense magnetic fields.
The containment is vital, as no material on Earth could withstand the intense heat (100,000,000°C and above) that the plasma has to reach so that fusion can begin. It’s close to 10 times the heat at the Sun’s core, and temperatures like that are needed in a tokamak because the gravitational pressure within the Sun can’t be recreated.
When atomic nuclei do start to fuse, vast amounts of energy are released. While the experimental reactors currently in operation release that energy as heat, in a fusion reactor power plant, the heat would be used to produce steam that would drive turbines to generate electricity, even as some envision nuclear beyond electricity for industrial heat and fuels.
Tokamaks aren’t the only fusion reactors being tried. Another type of reactor uses lasers to heat and compress a hydrogen fuel to initiate fusion. In August 2021, one such device at the National Ignition Facility, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, generated 1.35 megajoules of energy. This record-breaking figure brings fusion power a step closer to net energy gain, but most hopes are still pinned on tokamak reactors rather than lasers.
In June 2021, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor maintained a plasma for 101 seconds at 120,000,000°C. Before that, the record was 20 seconds. Ultimately, a fusion reactor would need to sustain the plasma indefinitely – or at least for eight-hour ‘pulses’ during periods of peak electricity demand.
A real game-changer for tokamaks has been the magnets used to produce the magnetic field. “We know how to make magnets that generate a very high magnetic field from copper or other kinds of metal, but you would pay a fortune for the electricity. It wouldn’t be a net energy gain from the plant,” says Luce.
One route for nuclear fusion is to use atoms of deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen. They fuse under incredible heat and pressure, and the resulting products release energy as heat
The solution is to use high-temperature, superconducting magnets made from superconducting wire, or ‘tape’, that has no electrical resistance. These magnets can create intense magnetic fields and don’t lose energy as heat.
“High temperature superconductivity has been known about for 35 years. But the manufacturing capability to make tape in the lengths that would be required to make a reasonable fusion coil has just recently been developed,” says Luce. One of ITER’s magnets, the central solenoid, will produce a field of 13 tesla – 280,000 times Earth’s magnetic field.
The inner walls of ITER’s vacuum vessel, where the fusion will occur, will be lined with beryllium, a metal that won’t contaminate the plasma much if they touch. At the bottom is the divertor that will keep the temperature inside the reactor under control.
“The heat load on the divertor can be as large as in a rocket nozzle,” says Luce. “Rocket nozzles work because you can get into orbit within minutes and in space it’s really cold.” In a fusion reactor, a divertor would need to withstand this heat indefinitely and at ITER they’ll be testing one made out of tungsten.
Meanwhile, in the US, the National Spherical Torus Experiment – Upgrade (NSTX-U) fusion reactor will be fired up in the autumn of 2022, while efforts in advanced fission such as a mini-reactor design are also progressing. One of its priorities will be to see whether lining the reactor with lithium helps to keep the plasma stable.
Choosing a fuel Instead of just using deuterium as the fusion fuel, ITER will use deuterium mixed with tritium, another hydrogen isotope. The deuterium-tritium blend offers the best chance of getting significantly more power out than is put in. Proponents of fusion power say one reason the technology is safe is that the fuel needs to be constantly fed into the reactor to keep fusion happening, making a runaway reaction impossible.
Deuterium can be extracted from seawater, so there’s a virtually limitless supply of it. But only 20kg of tritium are thought to exist worldwide, so fusion power plants will have to produce it (ITER will develop technology to ‘breed’ tritium). While some radioactive waste will be produced in a fusion plant, it’ll have a lifetime of around 100 years, rather than the thousands of years from fission.
At the time of writing in September, researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor in Oxfordshire were due to start their deuterium-tritium fusion reactions. “JET will help ITER prepare a choice of machine parameters to optimise the fusion power,” says Dr Joelle Mailloux, one of the scientific programme leaders at JET. These parameters will include finding the best combination of deuterium and tritium, and establishing how the current is increased in the magnets before fusion starts.
The groundwork laid down at JET should accelerate ITER’s efforts to accomplish net energy gain. ITER will produce ‘first plasma’ in December 2025 and be cranked up to full power over the following decade. Its plasma temperature will reach 150,000,000°C and its target is to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power for every 50 megawatts of input heating power.
“If ITER is successful, it’ll eliminate most, if not all, doubts about the science and liberate money for technology development,” says Luce. That technology development will be demonstration fusion power plants that actually produce electricity, where advanced reactors can build on decades of expertise. “ITER is opening the door and saying, yeah, this works – the science is there.”
Germany's Economic Downturn reflects an energy crisis, deindustrialization risks, export weakness, and manufacturing stress, amid Russia gas loss, IMF and EU recession forecasts, and debates over electricity price caps and green transition.
Key Points
An economic contraction from energy price shocks, export weakness, and bottlenecks in manufacturing and digitization.
✅ Energy shock after loss of cheap Russian gas
✅ Exports slump amid China slowdown and weak demand
✅ Policy gridlock on power price cap and permits
Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy. What happened?
For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports.
Jobs were plentiful, the government’s financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany.
No longer. Now, Germany is the world’s worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.
It follows Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the loss of Moscow’s cheap Russian gas that underpinned industry — an unprecedented shock to Germany’s energy-intensive industries, long the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe.
The sudden underperformance by Europe’s largest economy has set off a wave of criticism, handwringing and debate about the way forward.
Germany risks “deindustrialization” as high energy costs and government inaction on other chronic problems threaten to send new factories and high-paying jobs elsewhere, said Christian Kullmann, CEO of major German chemical company Evonik Industries AG.
From his 21st-floor office in the west German town of Essen, Kullmann points out the symbols of earlier success across the historic Ruhr Valley industrial region: smokestacks from metal plants, giant heaps of waste from now-shuttered coal mines, a massive BP oil refinery and Evonik’s sprawling chemical production facility.
These days, the former mining region, where coal dust once blackened hanging laundry, is a symbol of the energy transition, as the power sector’s balancing act continues with wind turbines and green space.
The loss of cheap Russian natural gas needed to power factories “painfully damaged the business model of the German economy,” Kullmann told The Associated Press. “We’re in a situation where we’re being strongly affected — damaged — by external factors.”
After Russia cut off most of its gas to the European Union, spurring an energy crisis in the 27-nation bloc that had sourced 40% of the fuel from Moscow, the German government asked Evonik to turn to coal by keeping its 1960s coal-fired power plant running a few months longer.
The company is shifting away from the plant — whose 40-story smokestack fuels production of plastics and other goods — to two gas-fired generators that can later run on hydrogen amid plans to become carbon neutral by 2030 and following the nuclear phase-out of recent years.
One hotly debated solution: a government-funded cap on industrial electricity prices to get the economy through the renewable energy transition, amid an energy crisis that even saw a temporary nuclear extension to stabilize supply.
The proposal from Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens Party has faced resistance from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, and pro-business coalition partner the Free Democrats. Environmentalists say it would only prolong reliance on fossil fuels, while others advocate a nuclear option to meet climate goals.
Kullmann is for it: “It was mistaken political decisions that primarily developed and influenced these high energy costs. And it can’t now be that German industry, German workers should be stuck with the bill.”
The price of gas is roughly double what it was in 2021, with a senior official arguing nuclear would do little to solve that gas issue, hurting companies that need it to keep glass or metal red-hot and molten 24 hours a day to make glass, paper and metal coatings used in buildings and cars.
A second blow came as key trade partner China experiences a slowdown after several decades of strong economic growth.
These outside shocks have exposed cracks in Germany’s foundation that were ignored during years of success, including lagging use of digital technology in government and business and a lengthy process to get badly needed renewable energy projects approved.
Australia electricity grid transition is accelerating as renewables, wind, solar, and storage drive decentralised generation, emissions cuts, and NEM trade shifts, with South Australia becoming a net exporter post-Hazelwood closure and rooftop solar surging.
Key Points
Australia electricity shift to renewables, distributed generation and storage, cutting emissions, reshaping NEM flows.
✅ South Australia now exports power post-Hazelwood closure
✅ Rooftop solar is the fastest-growing NEM generation source
✅ Gas peaking and storage investments balance variable renewables
The politics may not change much, but Australia’s electricity grid is changing before our very eyes – slowly and inevitably becoming more renewable, more decentralised, and in step with Australia's energy transition that is challenging the pre-conceptions of many in the industry.
The latest national emissions audit from The Australia Institute, which includes an update on key electricity trends in the national electricity market, notes some interesting developments over the last three months.
The most surprising of those developments may be the South Australia achievement, which shows that since the closure of the Hazelwood brown coal generator in Victoria in March 2017, and as renewables outpacing brown coal in other markets, South Australia has become a net exporter of electricity, in net annualised terms.
Hugh Saddler, lead author of the study, notes that this is a big change for South Australia, which in 1999 and 2000, when it had only gas and local coal, used to import 30% of its electricity demand.
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The fact that wholesale prices in South Australia were higher in other states – then, as they are now – has nothing to with wind and solar, but the fact that it has no low-cost conventional source and a peaky demand profile (then and now).
“The difference today is that the state is now taking advantage of its abundant resources of wind and solar radiation, and the new technologies which have made them the lowest cost sources of new generation, to supply much of its electricity requirements,” Saddler writes.
Other things to note about the flows between states is that Victoria was about equal on imports and exports with its three neighbouring states, despite the closure of Hazelwood. NSW continues to import around 10% of its needs from cheaper providers in Queensland.
Gas-fired generation had increased in the last year or two in South Australia as a result of the Northern closure, but is still below the levels of a decade ago.
But because it is expensive, this is likely to spur more investment in storage.
As for rooftop solar, Saddler notes that the share of residential solar in the grid is still relatively small but, despite excess solar risks flagged by distributors, it is the most steadily growing generation source in the NEM.
That line is expected to grow steadily. By 2040, or perhaps 2050, the share of distributed generation, which includes rooftop solar, battery storage and demand management, is expected to reach nearly half of all Australia’s grid demand.
Saddler, says, however, that the increase in large-scale solar over the last few months is a significant milestone in Australia’s transition towards clean electricity generation, mirroring trends in India's on-grid solar development seen in recent years. (See very top graph).
“Firstly, they are a concrete demonstration that the construction cost advantage, which wind enjoyed over solar until a year or two ago, is gone.
“From now on we can expect new capacity to be a mix of both technologies. Indeed, the Clean Energy Regulator states that it expects solar to account for half of all (new renewable) capacity by 2020, and the US is moving toward 30% from wind and solar as well.”
UK Coal-Free Electricity Record highlights rapid growth in renewables as National Grid phases out coal; wind, solar, and offshore projects surge, green tariffs expand, and energy comparison helps consumers switch to cheaper, cleaner deals.
Key Points
Britain's longest coal-free run, enabled by renewables, lower demand, and grid shifts for cheaper, greener tariffs.
✅ Record set after two months without coal-fired generation
✅ Renewables outpace fossil fuels; wind and solar dominate
✅ Green tariffs expand; prices at three-year lows
On Wednesday 10 June, Britain hit a significant landmark: the UK went for two full months without burning coal to generate power – that's the longest period since the 1880s, following earlier milestones such as a full week without coal power in the recent past.
According to the National Grid, Britain has now run its electricity network without burning coal since midnight on the 9 April. This coal-free period has beaten the country’s previous record of 18 days, six hours and 10 minutes, which was set in June 2019, even though low-carbon generation stalled in 2019 according to analyses.
With such a shift in Britain’s drive for renewables and lower electricity demand following the coronavirus lockdown, as Britain recorded its cleanest electricity during lockdown to date, now may be the perfect time to do an online energy comparison and switch to a cheaper, greener deal.
Only a decade ago, around 40 per cent of Britain’s electricity came from coal generation, but since then the country has gradually shifted towards renewable energy, with the coal share at record lows in the system today. When Britain was forced into lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic, electricity demand dropped sharply, and the National Grid took the four remaining coal-fired plants off the network.
Over the past 10 years, Britain has invested heavily in renewable energy. Back in 2010, only 3 per cent of the country's electricity came from wind and solar, and many people remained sceptical. However, now, the UK has the biggest offshore wind industry in the world. Plus, last year, construction of the world’s single largest wind farm was completed off the coast of Yorkshire.
At the same time, Drax – Britain’s biggest power plant – has started to switch from burning coal to burning compressed wooden pellets instead, reflecting the UK's progress as it keeps breaking its coal-free energy record again across the grid. By this time next year, the plant hopes to have phased out coal entirely.
So far this year, renewables have generated more power than all fossil fuels put together, the BBC reports, and the energy dashboard shows the current mix in real time. Renewables have been responsible for 37 per cent of electricity supplied to the network, with wind and solar surpassing nuclear for the first time, while fossil fuels have accounted for 35 per cent. During the same period, nuclear accounted for 18 per cent and imports made up the remaining 10 per cent.
What does this mean for consumers?
As the country’s electricity supply moves more towards renewables, customers have more choice than ever before. Most of the ‘Big Six’ energy companies now have tariffs that offer 100 per cent green electricity. On top of this, specialist green energy suppliers such as Bulb, Octopus and Green Energy UK make it easier than ever to find a green energy tariff.
The good news is that our energy comparison research suggests that green energy doesn’t have to cost you more than a traditional fixed-price energy contract would. In fact, some of the cheapest energy suppliers are actually green companies.
At present, energy bills are at three-year lows, which means that now is the perfect time to switch supplier. As prices remain low and renewables begin to dominate the marketplace, more switchers will be drawn to green energy deals than ever before.
However, if you’re interested in choosing a green energy supplier, make sure that you look at the company's fuel mix. This way, you’ll be able to see whether they are guaranteeing the usage of green energy, or whether they’re just offsetting your usage. All suppliers must report how their energy is generated to Ofgem, so you’ll easily be able to compare providers.
You may find that you pay more for a supplier that generates its own energy from renewables, or pay less if the supplier simply matches your usage by buying green energy. You can decide which option is right for you after comparing the prices.
