Old King Coal – UK Switches Off Coal Power After 142 Years

Date: 14/10/24

Think Hire have been helping companies to move away from fossil fuels for many years, thanks to renewable energy from our Solartainer solar powered generators. Recently, the same thing has happened on a much larger scale, with the switching off of Britain’s last coal-fired power station. It is both the end of an era and the start of a brighter future for the environment.

The end of an era

The switching off of the coal-fired power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar marks the end of 142 years of producing electricity from coal in the UK. Ever since the first coal-fired power station was opened in London, in 1882, by none other than Thomas Edison himself, the UK has counted on coal to keep the lights on.

Coal was a major source of power for the UK for over a century. In the early 1980s, a hundred years after Edison’s first coal power station, coal still provided 80% of the country’s power, and it remained responsible for 39% of power as recently as 2012.

By contrast, renewable energy has risen from just 7% in 2010 to around 50% this year. It is this growth in renewable energy that has made this landmark closure possible.

The end of an error

While coal power may have been a cheap, efficient and dependable energy source, it has also been by far the most polluting. Burning coal produces carbon dioxide, soot and many other elements that have contributed to climate change.

Coal may have fuelled the industrial revolution, but it has also fuelled the warming of the atmosphere and contributed to all the associated problems we are experiencing today, and will continue to experience in the future.

Both earlier and later than planned

The shutdown of Britain’s last coal-fired power station has come both earlier and later than planned. The station was due to close in 2022, but was kept open in response to the gas crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The revised shutdown date of 2025 was subsequently moved forward to 2024 in response to the success of clean energy initiatives across the UK.

The UK has led the world in cutting out coal power, and has become the first major economy to completely give up the fuel. This has inspired 27 of 38 OECD countries to agree to match the UK in ending coal power by the end of the decade. This is no mean achievement, given that coal power accounted for 17% of all OECD electricity in 2023.

A welcome change

Environmental groups have welcomed the change, with a spokesman for Friends of the Earth commenting: “The priority now is to move away from gas as well, by developing the UK’s huge homegrown renewable energy potential as fast as possible.”

Here at Think Hire, we’ve been enabling our customers to move away from fossil fuels for years, offering a range of industry-leading green alternatives, such as the solartainer solar powered generator. We have helped hundreds of companies to dramatically reduce their dependence on fossil fuels like diesel, preventing thousands of tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere.

Better still, cutting their dependence on diesel has also cut costs for these companies. Numerous case studies show savings of 50% or more, even after hire costs have been taken into account.

To find out how you can end your company’s dependence on highly polluting fossil fuels by switching to solartainer solar powered generators, get in touch with our team today. We’ll show you how the solartainer can save you money and help save the environment all at the same time, with a simple, sustainable power solution.

View all Think Hire news