LONDON: Renewable power has taken up a record share of global electricity production since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Reuters review of data, suggesting a transition away from polluting fossil fuels could be accelerated in the coming years.
However, before governments take decisions based on recent experiences, they will have to answer various questions, says Michelle Manook, chief executive of the World Coal Association, a lobby group for the industry.These include how the system would have coped in the mid of winter, when sunshine is at a premium, or how it will manage when the economy picks up and demand gathers pace.
The leading performer was Austria which saw renewables average 93per cent from a previous 91per cent, thanks largely to hydropower, the data showed. Portugal saw its share of renewable energy surge to 67per cent from 49per cent, while in Europe’s biggest economy Germany it averaged 54per cent up from 47.5per cent.
“It is encouraging that the penetration of renewables has increased,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told Reuters. The grid managed fluctuations by relying, in part, on a tool called “demand side response” , said Julian Leslie, head of networks at National Grid Electricity System Operator . They had previously been expected to irrigate late at night or in the evening to preserve power supplies during the day for other industries.
The firm said it expected to pay out 826 million pounds in various costs from May to August, more than double than in the same period last year. It did not give a breakdown, but said curtailments made up a"significant proportion" of this.
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