The U.K. Just Went 55 Hours Without Using Coal for the First Time in History
Source: Bloomberg News
By Jesper Starn and Lars Paulsson
April 19, 2018, 6:56 AM EDT
Coal, which fueled the world’s biggest economies for more than a century, is increasingly losing out to renewables.
The latest example of how one of the dirtiest fossil fuels is being squeezed out of the market came this week in Britain, which went for a record 55 hours without its any of its power plants producing electricity by burning coal.
No coal was used for power generation by stations in the U.K. between 10:25 p.m. in London on Monday until 5:10 a.m. on Thursday, according to grid data compiled by Bloomberg. At the same time wind turbines produced more power.
The U.K. was an early adopter of renewable energy and has more offshore wind turbines installed than any other country. It also has fields of solar panels that are meeting more and more demand as old traditional power plants close permanently. The government aims to switch off all coal plants by 2025 and has given renewables priority access to the grid. The previous record of 40 coal-free hours was set in October.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-19/u-k-goes-a-record-55-hours-without-coal-as-clean-power-expands
= new reply since forum marked as read
is it necessary to refer to people using this language?
Meanwhile, we artificially prolong our coal industry so some hillbillies out in the provinces don't throw a fit...
Hint: no.
Also, you don't have to drive too far to get to this:
Centralia Big Hanaford power plant is a major coal-fired power plant supplemented with newer natural-gas-fired units. It is located east of Centralia, Washington, United States in Lewis County. As of 2006, it is the only commercial coal-fired power plant in the State of Washington. A bill signed in 2011 by governor Christine Gregoire, the TransAlta Energy Transition Bill, will result in one boiler being shut down by the end of 2020 and the other by the end of 2025.
From 2014:
01/01/2014 | Dr. Robert Peltier, PE
Completing the difficult transition to 100% Powder River Basin coal earned TransAlta’s Centralia plant in southwest Washington some well-deserved recognition.
The Powder River Basin Coal Users’ Group (PRBCUG) recognized TransAlta’s two-unit, 1,340-MW Centralia Complex with its 2013 Plant of the Year (Large Plant category) award at its 2013 Annual Meeting, collocated with the ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition last May (Figure 1). The plant was recognized for its excellent safety and dust control program, its completion of extensive boiler upgrades and modifications, and its expansion in rail operations to handle PRB coal.
....
TransAlta owns a fleet of 75 plants concentrated in Canada with 22% of its net capacity located in the Northwest. TransAlta’s U.S. headquarters is in Olympia, Wash. The largest of TransAlta’s U.S. assets is its Centralia Complex, in southwest Washington. Unit 1 entered commercial operation in September 1971 and Unit 2 followed 12 months later (Figure 2).
2. Winning combination. TransAlta’s 1,340-MW Centralia Complex was the PRBCUG’s 2013 Plant of the Year (Large Plant). Courtesy: TransAlta
"PRB" is Powder River Basin. The coal burned at Centralia comes from the Powder River Basin in northeast Wyoming.
From 2011:
Stop Washington state coal-energy production
Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times
Canadian mining company TransAlta still operates this Centralia coal plant.
That power plant is a weird place. I've gone car-camping nearby on a couple of occasions. It's in the middle of nowhere, and it's all lit up at night.
What's wrong with being called a "hillbilly"?
Yep, it's often used as a derogatory term for willfully ignorant folks living in squalor in hills and mountains, much like the term redneck. However, some of us live in gorgeous mountains with beautiful vistas in nice homes with decent schools and still describe ourselves as hillbillies. I don't mind the term...applied either way.
Trump's rating is now 75% among evangelicals and who lives in those hills and mountains? Evangelicals!
I HATE those churches.
The only thing they are questioning is the $130,000 payment to Stormy.
The Evangelical leadership wants a meeting with Trump to explain that payment. If that happens, of course he will lie and they will believe him because, imo, they've never been with a hooker who didn't lie. 
I had two wonderful married gay friends, DUers HillWilliam and HillbillyBob, who were very proud of being "Hill Persons."
England's love affair with coal is historical and has deep roots. Remarkable progress , bravo to the Brits
A film that was so powerful I watched as a child.
