This autumn, for the first time ever, the UK is expecting to run entirely on zero-emissions electricity for a few hours. That doesn’t just mean a sunny day with loads of solar and wind and some exports to the neighbours—that’s happened before. But even during those times, gas power was still online, helping keep the grid stable.
This time, the goal is no gas, no coal, no oil—and no electricity imports. Just clean, homegrown electricity. It’s a big milestone—and a taste of what a fully zero-emissions grid could look like.
40 years ago, coal made up three-quarters of the UK’s electricity. Even 15 years ago, it was still mostly fossil-fuelled, but with gas instead of coal.
So how did they get from that… to here? And what would it take to go from a few hours of clean electricity… to 24/7/365? And beyond electricity—what else needs to happen to get to a fully zero-emissions economy?
To help me understand how the UK pulled this off—and what’s next—I’ve brought in some local expertise: David Borlace, from @JustHaveaThink.
Bookmarks:
00:00 Intro
01:53 How the UK got rid of coal
03:11 Per capita territorial emissions vs consumption emissions
05:04 Wind overtakes gas as number one generation source
07:14 Solar Power in the UK
08:13 CFD Contracts for Difference
09:32 Grid Innovations
11:34 100% renewable electricity 24/7/365
12:45 Getting clean electricity where people want to use it
14:17 Hydrogen and CCS
15:32 Decarbonising Transport
16:23 Home heating and insulation
17:01 Challenges
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This week on the Prospect Podcast, philosopher and public intellectual Slavoj Žižek joins Ellen Halliday and Alona Ferber.
Žižek gives a harsh verdict on Donald Trump, calling him a “postmodern obscenity”. Žižek criticises the US president’s treatment of Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, and his referring to Justin Trudeau as “governor” as if Canada were a state of America. Nevertheless, he wonders, does the left need a Trump figure?
Žižek also discusses fatherhood and Netflix’s Adolescence, as awareness grows around young male radicalisation via the “manosphere”. He also talks about feminism and his criticisms of #MeToo.
Plus, with the release of Žižek’s latest book, in which he argues that the left has hit its “zero point”, is there any hope for its recovery? He draws a through line from the left-wingers of 1968 to the politics and personality of Elon Musk—and gives his analysis on Keir Starmer’s Labour as a “moderate, centre-right party” wrestling with the populist right.
Prospect’s podcasts are the new home for intelligent discussions on politics and media from the UK, US and around the world. Whether you’re British, American or just interested in journalism and international affairs, there’s something for you on our channel.
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