The latest data on the Carbon Brief Web site (
www.carbonbrief.org) shows that, in the UK, more electricity was generated by solar panels than by coal-fired power stations in May. Solar power generated an estimated 1,336GWhr of electricity last month, compared with 893GWh from coal.
Carbon Brief’s analysis is based on data from Gridwatch and Sheffield Solar. Solar power had previously out-stripped coal over a single day and over a single week in the past two months, but the new milestone marks the first time it has beaten coal over the course of a whole calendar month.
The higher levels of solar power come as the UK enters the summer months, which see lower demand for electricity and longer days that generate more electricity from photo-voltaic panels (on homes and other buildings) and from solar farms.
That said, a number of the country’s coal plants have been out of action for planned maintenance, but there have been recent closures of coal-fired power plants as they become less economic.