UK’s 2017 Green Record Proves Fossil Fuel Death Is Imminent

The death of Big Oil and the fossil fuel industry, in general, is something that the renewable sector has been dreaming of for decades. With the 2017 Green Record that the UK displayed, it seems this is only a matter of time. The historic achievements of the country were worthy of celebration, but none more so than the one day where the whole nation was not powered by coal.

2017 was hands down the greenest year for the UK, The Independent reports. The country broke record after record with its reduced reliance on dirty sources of energy and increased use of renewable energy. In fact, the Nation Grid touts that it surpassed 13 different records for the year.

The most exciting of these is the one full day that the country did not rely on coal power for electricity. This is a first since the start of the Industrial Revolution and tangible proof that a country can run on nothing but renewable energy if it is given enough investment of time and money. Just a decade ago, such a possibility was beyond anyone’s expectations, even those heavily involved in renewable efforts.

Since 2012, the UK has managed to keep many of its environmental promises despite heavy resistance from the supporters of the fossil fuel industry. The country’s electric industry’s carbon emissions have been halved over the last five years, for example, which makes the island nation among the cleanest in the world in terms of power production.

As Futurism notes, the signs of a dying fossil fuel industry have been showing in many other countries in the world. In countries like the UK, power production by solar panels far outstrips those generated by coal, with off-shore windfarms adding to the bruises that coal plants have been getting. Legislations aimed at eliminating the need for gas and diesel power sources are in the works, as well.