The UK has gone two weeks without any power generated from coal-fired sources, setting a new record, according to the National Grid Electricity System Operator.
The last coal generation came off the system at 3.12pm on 17 May, it said.
The previous record without coal power was 193 hours and 25 minutes – eight days, one hour and 25 minutes – set on 9 May.
UK Energy and Clean Growth Minister Chris Skidmore said: “We are continuing to reap the rewards of investing in our thriving renewables sector.
“The UK has the largest offshore wind capacity on the planet, can generate more than a quarter of our electricity needs from the sun and last year more than half of our electricity came from low carbon sources.
“Through our modern Industrial Strategy we’ll continue to seize the opportunities of moving to a greener, cleaner energy system as we aim to become the first major economy to legislate for a net zero emissions economy and bid to host pivotal climate talks in 2020.”
National Grid ESO director Fintan Slye said: “As more and more renewables come onto the system, we’re seeing things progress at an astonishing rate.
“We also broke our solar record for GB this month – with one day seeing over a quarter of the country powered by the sun.
“Our stats also tell us that decarbonisation levels have decreased by over 50% between 2013-2018; 2018 was our greenest year to date, and so far, 2019 looks like it has the potential to beat it.
“We’ve been planning for reduced running of coal plant for many years, as well as managing increasing levels of renewables.
“This means that network investments have been made and grid operator services have been procured such that we can operate a network with no coal plant.
“As we predicted when we first broke the record for a week of no coal generation at the start of the month, events such as today’s will become the ‘new normal’.
“There is still a lot of work to do but operating a zero carbon electricity system in 2025, whenever there is sufficient renewable generation, is a major stepping stone to full decarbonisation of the entire electricity system.
“This will enable new technologies and removes barriers to ever increasing levels of renewables.”
RenewableUK deputy chief executive Emma Pinchbeck said: “Coal was the backbone of the last industrial revolution – but this old technology is being beaten by wind energy, the powerhouse of our 21st century economy.
“Renewables are providing well over a third of our electricity today, and this is just the beginning. We need to move from fossil fuels right across the economy to avoid the enormous risks of climate disruption and to benefit from modern, clean, technologies.
“But the government’s scientific advisors say that we can only achieve a net zero economy with a massive increase in renewable electricity to power the change.
“We need to act now to build on the coal phase-out and our world-leading renewables industry, including technologies like innovative wave and tidal power and fantastically cheap onshore wind.”