Decarbonisation plan, with almost 40% of power sourced from fossil fuels, is a monumental challenge<\/p>\n
UK electricity generation to be fossil fuel free by 2035, says PM<\/p>\n
As Boris Johnson confirmed plans to\u00a0decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035<\/a>, the UK was\u00a0sourcing almost 40% of its power from fossil fuels<\/a>, underscoring the scale of the challenge ahead.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s target, announced on Monday with less than a month until the start of the\u00a0Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow<\/a>, is a key component of its pledge to reach\u00a0net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050<\/a>.<\/p>\n That broader effort will probably involve much more widespread use of electric vehicles, and electric heat pumps in the home, meaning the UK must generate much more power but with far lower emissions. The challenges involved are monumental.<\/p>\n Demand was just under 35 gigawatts (GW) on Monday but that can rise to about 58GW at peak, on cold winter days. Expressed over the course of a year, the UK used about 330 terawatt hours last year, 5% down on 2019, when the coronavirus pandemic dampened demand. By 2035, demand is projected to reach 460 terawatt hours, an increase of almost 40%.<\/p>\n Last year, wind and solar produced a record proportion of UK electricity, at 43%,\u00a0eclipsing fossil fuels, at 40%, for the first time<\/a>. The rest was largely supplied by nuclear power and imports through subsea interconnector cables. Easter Monday this year was the UK grid\u2019s greenest day ever, with low carbon sources hitting almost 80%, thanks to sunny spells, blustery winds and low holiday demand.<\/p>\nHow much electricity do we use?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How green is our electricity now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n