Low carbon power provided half of the UK’s electricity between July and September, official figures show.
Renewables such as wind, solar and biomass produced a quarter of the UK’s electricity in the third quarter of 2016, while nuclear power was responsible for another 25%, the Government data reveals.
Meanwhile coal fell to historic lows, contributing just 3.6% of the UK’s power mix, down from 16.7% for the same period the previous year, as the polluting fossil fuel continued to decline.
The Government has said it wants coal power plants which do not have technology fitted to store emissions to be phased out by 2025 to tackle climate change.
Gas’s share of electricity generation rose from 34.8% in July to September 2015 to 43.6% for the period this year.
In Scotland, where 42% of electricity came from renewables, low carbon power’s share of the mix was more than three-quarters (77%), although coal contributed 16% of the power over the three months.
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