The UK is on a trajectory to generate more of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources for the first time, marking a “landmark tipping point” in the country’s power generation, according to National Grid.
The system operator made the prediction based on analysis of the first five months of the year, which saw 47.9% of electricity come from wind, solar, hydro, storage and nuclear.
Fossil fuels accounted for 46.6% of electricity output from January to the end of May.
National Grid chief executive John Pettigrew said: “The incredible progress that Britain has made in the past 10 years means we can now say 2019 will be the year net zero power beats fossil fuel fired generation for the first time.
“Having reached this landmark tipping point, the question is what are we doing today to get to net zero as quickly as possible?
“We take our responsibility to run the UK’s electricity and gas energy systems, in accordance with our licence obligations, extremely seriously.
“We seek to maintain the integrity of these systems while keeping energy costs down for UK homes and businesses.
“But as we look to the future we are proud to champion world-leading feats of British engineering as we move to a net zero power grid.
“The interconnectors that connect our electricity grid into Norway’s hydro power are part of this story, as is having the know-how to bring renewable generation onstream to complement conventional sources of generating power.
“This will help accelerate our progress towards delivering cleaner, greener energy for Britain’s homes, our travel and our work as quickly as possible.”