Bertand Aznar
Zero-carbon power outstripped fossil fuel in the UKâs electricity mix in 2020 for the first time since the industrial revolution. Back then, Thomas Edisonâs Holborn Viaduct coal plant â opened in 1882 and the worldâs first coal-fired power station â could light 1,000 lamps. Today, a single rotation of a wind turbine off Scotlandâs coast can power a home for a day.
The challenge of green power is that while we humans are creatures of routine â we get up, travel and cook at the same time, creating predictable peaks and troughs in demand â wind and sunshine can show up at unexpected times or not at all. This causes fluctuations in power that our engineers at National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) must smooth out by balancing supply and demand in real time.