2016-06-02 Energy Week

Thursday, May 26:

The wind industry employed 1.1 million workers globally last year (sxc)

• More than 8.1 million people worldwide are now employed by the renewable energy industry, a 5% increase from last year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency. The report said that, while renewables jobs grew, thermal energy sector jobs fell. [reNews]

Offshore oil rig.

• The price of oil has gone above $50 a barrel for the first time in 2016 as supply disruptions and increased global demand continue to fuel a recovery. The rise followed US data on Thursday showing that oil inventories had fallen, largely due to supply disruptions following fires in Canada. [BBC]

Friday, May 27:

• Exxon Mobil stockholders passed a proposal to nominate outside candidates to the board with 62% support. The move could affect the company’s decisions on climate change. The New York City Comptroller, fiduciary for five pension funds, filed the proxy access resolution. [Scientific American]

Donald Trump. Photo by Gage Skidmore. Wikimedia Commons.

• Donald Trump pledged to make the US energy independent by reducing dependence on foreign oil and rolling back environmental regulations restricting oil and natural gas exploration. He vowed to cancel the Paris climate agreement and cut off all US funding for UN climate change initiatives. [CNN]
• Solar Power now has more employees than either the Oil & Gas or Coal Extraction industries in the United States. The solar industry employed approximately 208,000 individuals at the end of 2015 versus more than 185,000 in oil and gas, or 190,000 in coal extraction.  [Electrek]

MIT gravity flow battery. Image courtesy of the research team.

• Cutting edge progress in flow battery technology is taking place in such areas as nanotechnology, membrane improvements and membrane-less systems. A more mundane energy storage breakthrough, from a research team at MIT, focuses on a way to eliminate the pumps. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, May 28:

• A recent decade-long study following the lives of over 6,000 US residents has shed some new light on the connection between air pollution and heart disease. It showed that people living in areas with more outdoor air pollution accumulate deposits in the arteries that supply the heart. [CleanTechnica]
• The main European electricity companies will invest nearly €85 billion over the next four years to speed up their strategic transformation to enable them to deal with the foreseeable drop in coal and gas prices. They plan to focus more on renewable energy and networks. [The Corner Economic]

Sun and wind.

• According to SUN DAY Campaign analysis of data on the first quarter of 2016, electric generation by wind rose 32.8% from first quarter 2015 and set a new record of 6.23% of total generation. Similarly, electrical generation from utility-scale solar thermal and PVs grew by 31.4%. [North American Windpower]

Sunday, May 29:

• According to HIS Technology, a US-based economic and energy market research company, Africa’s total solar power capacity, estimated at 312 MW in 2013, grew to 1,315 MW in 2015, and is projected to reach 3,380 MW by 2017, a tenfold increase over a period of four years. [Sierra Express Media]

Statues on Easter Island are threatened by rising seas. Photo by Aupaelfary. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

• Venice, Stonehenge, and the Statue of Liberty are among more than two dozen World Heritage sites threatened by climate change, according to a UNESCO report. Emissions from burning fossil fuels are causing the greatest environmental threat facing the sites. [Mashable]
• The US solar market is expected by year’s end to have grown 119% over 2015 numbers, with the number of panels installed providing a whopping 16 GW of power, more than doubling last year’s previous record-breaking 7.3 GW, according to Boston-based GTM Research. [Toledo Blade]

Monday, May 30:

Eversource has proposed to bury 60 miles of the infrastructure in the White Mountain National Forest. Photo placed in the public domain by its author, Ken Gallager. Wikimedia Commons.

• New Hampshire’s utility siting regulators have extended their deadline for action on the Northern Pass transmission project to September 30, 2017, delaying plans for the $1.6 billion, 192-mile power line by months. Eversource Energy had hoped to get its permits this year. [MassLive.com]
• Canada’s status as an “energy superpower” is under threat because the global dominance of fossil fuels could wane faster than previously believed, according to a draft report from a Canadian federal government think-tank. It sees fossil fuels becoming relegated to “minority status.” [CBC.ca]

Czech pumped storage plant at Dlouhe Strane. AP Photo / Adam Pemble

• The Dlouhe Strane pumped storage plant in the Czech Republic was built to balance electricity demands between day and night, but as renewable sources of energy have taken an increasing share of electricity generation, it now contributes to the stabilization of the power grid. [The Columbian]

Tuesday, May 31:

A turbine being built for the Cape Sharp Tidal project. Andrew Vaughan / The Canadian Press.

• The currents of the Bay of Fundy would easily generate enough power for all of Atlantic Canada’s needs, but have been too monstrously strong to be tamed. Now, Cape Sharp Tidal is betting on two turbines it will start installing in June. Each 2-MW turbine weighs 1,000 tonnes. [Globalnews.ca]|
• UK-based company Renovare Fuels Limited has co-invented technology which can convert landfill gas into high-quality clean energy in the form of liquid diesel and gasoline fuel suitable for all motor vehicles. This would allow landfill operators to sell the fuel for vehicles. [Renewable Energy Focus]

Wednesday, June 1:

Residents from the neighbourhood of Abasand are not able to return yet. Reuters photo.

• Some Fort McMurray residents are to return home for the first time since a huge wildfire displaced 90,000 people. Alberta’s Premier Rachel Notley said the conditions needed for the return of the residents had been met. Three neighbourhoods, however, are to remain off-limits. [BBC]

Windpower in China. Image from Wikipedia.

• According to a GlobalData report, China installed 30.5 GW of wind power in 2015 – which accounts for nearly half of all new global wind energy installations. The US installed 8.6 GW, while third place Germany installed 6.1 GW. Brazil and India each installed 2.6 GW. [Inhabitat]
• Solar, wind and hydropower sources were added in 2015 at the fastest rate the world has yet seen, according to the Renewables Global Status Report. Investments in renewables during the year were more than double the amount spent on new coal and gas-fired power plants. [BBC]

2016-05-26 Energy Week

Thursday, May 19:

Solar power in Germany. Shutterstock image.

• “Europe keeps hitting clean energy milestones” • May has been a good month for clean energy in Europe. Coal plants have faltered and wind farms are thriving, and not just in Denmark, the continent’s shining example of renewable energy. We’re whizzing by milestones right and left! [Grist]
• Vermont’s renewable energy sector exceeded growth projections in 2015 by 3%, meaning an additional 1,400 employees, for a total of 17,700 renewable energy-related jobs in the state, Governor Peter Shumlin said. Green energy employs about 6% of the state’s workforce. [vtdigger.org]
• New York State officials discussing the state’s proposed Clean Energy Standard. The proposed plan calls for the state to generate 80% of electricity from renewable power by 2050. Incredibly, however, the proposed plan includes subsidies for four nuclear power plants. [The River Reporter]

Friday, May 20:

LEEDCo wind turbine and barge. Howard Tucker, Grossi Public Relations.

• The DOE is advancing another $3.7 million to the Lake Erie Energy Development Corp to continue engineering work on a proposed wind turbine project in Lake Erie about seven to 10 miles northwest of downtown Cleveland. DOE grants to LEEDCo now total $10.7 million. [cleveland.com]
• Europe’s biggest oil companies, reeling from losing billions in the two-year oil market rout, are intensifying their push into renewable energy as they hunt for new sources of future revenue. Shell, Eni, Total and Statoil have announced green energy investments totaling $2.5 billion. [Daily Times]
• Pennsylvania’s Independent Regulatory Review Commission unanimously rejected the state’s Public Utility Commission’s controversial rules that would have capped surplus sales to utilities through a net metering system at 200% of a customer’s annual consumption. [Tribune-Review]

Saturday, May 21:

Apple’s solar farm near Newton, North Carolina. Mark Hames mhames @ charlotteobserver.com

• According to GlobalData, the uptake of smart metering systems in the EU, where at least 80% of existing electricity meters are to be replaced by smart meters, could reduce EU emissions by up to 9%, and cutting annual household energy consumption by a similar amount. [CleanTechnica]
• Conservatives for Clean Energy commissioned a poll of 800 North Carolina voters on attitudes towards energy sources. It found deep support among both Democrats and Republicans for solar and wind energy, but less enthusiasm for nuclear power and offshore drilling. [Charlotte Observer]

Sunday, May 22:

Solar Impulse’s flight from Tulsa was fairly short, compared to some earlier stages. EPA.

• Solar Impulse has landed in Ohio following the 12th stage of its circumnavigation of the globe. The zero-fuel aircraft arrived in Dayton at 21:56 local time having flown from Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 1,100-km journey took about 16 hours to complete, a relatively short hop for the plane. [BBC]
• Authorities say misaligned mirrors caused a small fire that shut down a generating tower at the world’s largest solar power plant. San Bernardino County fire Captain Mike McClintock says a malfunction focused sunbeams wrong, causing electrical cables to catch fire. [KTNV Las Vegas]

Monday, May 23:

The AK-1000 tidal energy turbine is prepared to be loaded onto a barge

• Proton Power Systems has sealed a deal to work on the Orkney Islands “Surf and Turf” green energy project. The Newcastle-founded firm’s fuel cells are used in vehicles and buildings; now the group’ expertise has been called upon for the Scottish renewables scheme. [ChronicleLive]
• Energy prices are to remain low and fuel supplies high this summer, according to federal energy experts. More than 18 GW of generating capacity will be added to the grid this summer, mostly from new wind and solar projects, though the first nuclear plant in 20 years is expected. [Electric Co-op Today]
• Britain is turning to a new way to make sure it doesn’t run out of power. So-called aggregator firms get commitments from businesses to reduce power usage. For example, supermarkets can turn down refrigerators by a few degrees for a short period without any impact. [euronews]

A computer simulated model of the Teddington & Ham hydro project, which could produce electricity for 600 homes. Image courtesy of THH.

• A community hydropower scheme on the Thames at Teddington lock and weirs won planning permission and defeated a judicial review from the Lensbury club, but the club is now seeking to appeal against the judicial review decision. The Lensbury club is owned by oil giant Shell. [The Guardian]

Tuesday, May 24:

Renewable energy programs aim to bring power to remote locations. File picture: CIRCA

• The private sector is leapfrogging inefficient state-owned utilities in Africa to deliver electricity to rural people, according to a report by consulting firm PwC. An estimated 80% of those without electricity live in rural areas, where transmission are excessively expensive. [BDlive]
• MGM Resorts International said it plans to leave NV Energy in the fall and pay an $87 million exit fee to do so, while Wynn Resorts is planning a similar move. The casino giants filed paperwork with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, after months talks on costs. [PennEnergy]
• A solar array approximately 60 to 80 times more powerful than any currently in the state may be coming to hundreds of acres in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire. Ranger Solar of Yarmouth, Maine, is proposing to install a solar array of 60 to 80 MW on privately held property. [The Keene Sentinel]
• TVA’s Watts Bar Unit 2 reactor achieved initial criticality Monday, beginning its first sustained nuclear fission reaction. Meanwhile, the NRC is holding a public meeting today to discuss TVA’s response to a letter the NRC wrote over working conditions a the plant. [Knoxville News Sentinel]

Wednesday, May 25:

Windpower could supply 10% of US electricity by 2020.

 

• By continuing to advance technology and lower costs, windpower will stay on pace to grow to supply 10% of U.S. electricity by 2020. The ongoing cost cuts have led zero-emission wind energy to become one of the biggest, fastest, cheapest ways to cut carbon pollution. [Windpower Engineering]
• Growth of the Chinese electrochemical energy storage market over the past 5 years has eclipsed the global average, a report says, with a CAGR (2010–2015) of 110%. That’s about 6 times the global figure. The lithium-ion battery market accounted for about 66% of that market. [CleanTechnica]

From May 14:

Lilium electric jet

• A German startup, Lilium Aviation, is working on a 100% electric jet that may fulfill the promise of the flying car. It says the jet can land or take off from an area the size of a typical garden, can fly about 500 km (310 miles), and recharges overnight from a standard household outlet. [BBC]

2016-05-19 Energy Week

Thursday, May 12:

Electricians with Riggs Distler install solar panels for PSE&G. Tracie Van Auken.

• New Jersey’s largest electric utility wants to dramatically step up the number of ratepayer-supported solar projects it installs on landfills and brownfields. Public Service Electric & Gas Co asked state regulators to allow it to spend $275 million to install 100 MW of solar panels. [Philly.com]

North Dakota, Williston – Bakken – Oil and Gas – Missouri River. Photo Credit: EcoFlight.

• Thousands of oil and gas industry wastewater spills in North Dakota have caused “widespread” contamination from radioactive materials, heavy metals and corrosive salts, putting the health of people and wildlife at risk, researchers from Duke University said in a peer-reviewed study. [DeSmogBlog]
• The Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station survived a fire, a flood and the close scrutiny of federal regulators. But it may be no match for the market. Omaha Public Power District executives are making recommendations to the board, one of which is to close the plant, as it is too costly to run. [KETV Omaha]

Friday, May 13:

Spiralling global temperatures from 1850-2016.

• No need to wait very long for climate change to show up on the earth’s timeline. Climate scientist Ed Hawkins of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, UK posted this hypnotic moving image of climate change on Twitter this week. [CleanTechnica]
• Invenergy will work with Empire State Connector to transport up to 600 MW of wind power in upstate New York to customers in the New York City area. Submarine cables will be buried in the Erie Canal and the Hudson River. The project is expected to cost $1.5 billion [reNews]
• The Obama administration issued a final rule to cut methane emissions from US oil and gas production. The EPA rule has a goal to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas drilling by up to 45% by 2025, compared to 2012 levels. It will require energy producers to find and repair leaks. [Phys.Org]

Saturday, May 14:

Frenchman Raphael Dinelli hopes to fly the Eraole across the Atlantic Ocean.

• French scientist and yachtsman Raphael Dinelli is preparing to make the first carbon-free transatlantic flight a reality by June 2016. He will attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in the Eraole, hybrid biplane powered by solar panels and biofuel. The trip will last 60 hours. [CleanTechnica]
• China is expected to raise its power storage capacity ten-fold to 14.5 GW by 2020. China is the world largest wind and solar power producer, but some regions are estimated to be losing more than 40% of their power because of technical restraints and bottlenecks in the grid. [Reuters]
• On May 9, several old UK power stations broke down, leading to a growing deficit in the wholesale electricity market. National Grid issued an emergency request for more supplies. Prices spiked accordingly to £1,250 per MWh ($1.79/kWh, wholesale). The price in summer is usually £50. [FT Alphaville]

Offshore wind farm. in Dronten, the Netherlands. AP Photo / Peter Dejong

• Massachusetts’ omnibus House energy bill will likely come in below Governor Charlie Baker’s proposal for hydropower procurement and below what the offshore wind industry wants to produce and sell to ratepayers, according to a House chairman working on the bill. [wwlp.com]

Sunday, May 15:

Bliss Wind Farm near Eagle, New York. Photo from Windtech at English Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

• Wind turbine construction in the United States has rebounded to its highest level in three years in the aftermath of a long political fight over the future of federal tax credits that support renewable energy projects. More than 8,500 MW of wind power capacity was built last year. [Longview News-Journal]
• Facebook Inc and Microsoft Corp are joining forces with environmental groups to promote the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance. They hope to develop 60 GW of renewable energy by 2025, enough to replace all coal-fired power plants in the US over the next four years. [domain-B]
• Power-stingy homes are a must in California. State policies now include a law requiring California’s built environment, tens of millions of structures, to operate twice as efficiently by the year 2030, cutting consumption of electricity and natural gas to half their projected levels. [LA Daily News]

Monday, May 16:

Polysolar glass PVs.

• An Innovate UK-funded industry group is working on a new generation of transparent solar panel technology that matches the costs and performance of standard high-performance glazing while delivering clean, renewable energy to the buildings in which they are installed. [Power Technology]
• Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, established a new division to invest in renewable and low-carbon power. The move came days after experts at Chatham House warned international oil companies they must transform their business or face a “short, brutal” end within 10 years. [The Guardian]

Wind farm in UK. Author: Mycatkins. License: Creative Commons. Attribution 2.0 Generic

• Wind farms in the UK produced more power than coal for a whole month for the first time in April, industry body RenewableUK pointed out. According to National Grid statistics, wind generated 2,290 GWh of electricity, while coal provided only 1,755 GWh. [SeeNews Renewables]
• In the US, CO2 emissions from electricity generation totaled 1,925 million metric tons in 2015, the lowest since 1993 and 21% below their 2005 level. This was partly due to shifts in the electric generation mix, with natural gas and renewables displacing coal-fired power. [Your Renewable News]

Tuesday, May 17:

Coral bleaching, Great Barrier Reef. The once-abundant fish are gone.

• Earth experienced the warmest April on record, keeping 2016 on track to be the hottest year yet and by the biggest margin ever. New data released by NASA put this April’s land and sea temperatures at 1.11 degrees Celsius warmer than average April temperatures between 1951 to 1980. [CNN]
• The Power Company of Wyoming plans to start roadwork this summer for the two-phase 3-GW Chokecherry Sierra Madre wind farm in the southern part of the state. The developer proposes to kick off in August with work on a haul road linking up to a new 14-mile rail spur. [reNews]
• Last week, Portugal hit a major milestone in its ongoing effort to move to renewable energy. The entire country ran for more than half a week without having to resort to fossil fuels. That’s thanks to a big push toward solar, wind, and hydro power and a little nudge from the EU. [Geek] (UK went without coal for about half the week. A report came from Germany that it had been powered by 100% renewables for a full day, but that might be wrong.)

Wednesday, May 18:

Vestas wind turbines in Austria. Photo by Kwerdenker. CC BY-SA 3.0 unported. Wikimedia Commons.

• A record $330 billion has been invested in renewable energy after the crash of oil and gas prices, according to Bloomberg’s Michael Liebreich. Unsubsidized renewable energy prices now outcompete gas, with bids for wind and solar sometimes well below 4¢/kWh. [MyBroadband]
• The declining use of coal last year sent Arkansas carbon emissions lower than would be required by the Clean Power Plan in the rule’s final year of implementation. Carbon emissions dropped last year to 30.1 million tons. The CPP would limit Arkansas emissions to 30.6 million tons in 2030. [Utility Dive] (Arkansas is one of the states suing over the plan.)

 

2016-05-12 Energy Week

Thursday, May 5:

Fort McMurray fire. AP photo. According to The Weather Channel, high temperatures were at 90° F, or 32° C, breaking the old record of 82° F.

• A fire has forced evacuation of all 88,000 residents of Fort McMurray, Alberta. The fire, which broke out on Sunday in the heart on the country’s oil sands region, has already gutted 1,600 buildings, including a new school. High temperatures and wind are driving the fire. [BBC]
• A Superior Court judge in the state of Washington ruled in favor of 7 young plaintiffs who brought suit on climate change. He ordered the state’s Department of Ecology to promulgate an emissions reduction rule during 2016 and bring recommendations to the state legislature in 2017. [CleanTechnica]
• Dynegy Inc will shut down three coal-fired units at two Illinois power plants because they are no longer economical in the Midwestern power market, the Houston-based electric utility said. The three units together have over 1,800 MW of capacity, about 30% of southern Illinois’ total. [Reuters]

Friday, May 6:

E.ON Climate & Renewables will build one of the two systems. E.ON image.

• Tucson Electric Power has received approval from the state’s regulator to build two 10-MW energy storage systems, including one co-located with solar. The utility had originally sought bids for a single system, but the bids were so low that the two projects fit within its budget. [PV-Tech]
• Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is positioning himself for the November election by vowing to bring coal-mining jobs back to states that he now sees as critical to his presidential hopes. Since 2008, coal has been in sharp decline in the US. [Renewable Energy Magazine]
• The Science Based Targets initiative said 155 companies have committed to set emissions reduction targets in line with attempting to keep global warming well below 2° C. The companies include Coca-Cola, Dell, Kellogg, NRG Energy, Procter & Gamble, Owens Corning, Toyota. [CleanTechnica]

Saturday, May 7:

Florida cities are in danger of rising seas. Shutterstock image.

• Two Florida mayors are unique positions for local leaders: they both believe that climate change is occurring, and that the consequences will hit Florida residents hard. That puts them at odds with the state government, which fervently denies that climate change is occurring. [ThinkProgress]
• The only land convoy evacuating people trapped by a huge wildfire in the Canadian state of Alberta has been suspended after 200-ft (60-meter) flames flanked the road, officials say. There is also concern about oil facilities, particularly near Nexen’s Long Lake oil extraction site. [BBC]

Wind power in China

• Installed wind power capacity in China will more than treble from about 149 GW in 2015 to over 495 GW by 2030, a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 9%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. China had a third of total world wind power capacity in 2015. [Today’s Energy Solutions]

Sunday, May 8:

Kali River in Karnataka. Photo by solarisgirl from pune, india. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic. Wikimedia Commons.

• The failure of monsoon last year led to declining water levels at dams across the river Kali in the Indian state of Karnataka. If there is no rain by June, the reservoirs are likely to dry up, with effects on power generation at both hydro-electric and nuclear power plants. [Times of India]
• Former US Energy Secretary Steven Chu commented on energy auctions in Mexico, which are unsubsidized. Mexico’s state utility got bids on solar, wind, hydro, cogeneration, combined-cycle gas, and geothermal energy. Solar and wind cost about 4¢/kWh, far below the costs of fossil fuels. [Forbes]

Monday, May 9:

Village in the Solomon Islands. Photo taken by Irene Scott for AusAID. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic. Wikimedia Commons.

• “After the Pacific Ocean swallows villages and five Solomon Islands, a study blames climate change” • In a recent paper in the journal Environmental Research Letters, scientists link destructive sea level rise to anthropogenic, or human-caused, climate change. [Washington Post]
• The top official at the US EPA said the ongoing legal fight over regulating carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants won’t delay the nation’s accelerating shift to cleaner sources of energy. She spoke at Climate Action 2016, a conference n Washington, DC. [Sioux City Journal]

T3200 trenching vehicle (DeepOcean)

• DeepOcean 1 UK has contracted SMD to deliver a mechanical cutting boom and cable handling system for its T3200 tracked trenching vehicle. Combining simultaneous mechanical and jet trenching, it enables protection of submarine power cables in rock and other hard ground areas. [reNews]
  Note to Tom: Info on this can be found at this link: deepoceangroup.com/asset/t-3200/.

Tuesday, May 10:

• According to the calculations by Agora Energiewende, due to the weather conditions on Sunday, May 8, renewable energy generation in Germany reached a new high. At 11 AM local time, renewables covered a record 95 % of the country’s electricity consumption. [pv magazine] Also, anticipating this, day-ahead spot prices went to minus €130.09/MWh (minus $147.94). See also [ICIS]
• Anbaric Transmission and National Grid filed with the New York Public Service Commission for a permit for an extension of their Vermont Green Line. The project would connect 400 MW of New York wind generation to Vermont through lines under Lake Champlain. [RTO Insider]

Construction of the proposed 650-megawatt plant, called the CPV Valley Energy Center in Wawayanda, Orange County, seen here in a rendering, has already begun, but progress could soon grind to a halt. Photo Credit: New York Energy Highway

• Developers of a $900 million upstate New York [gas-fired] power plant are at the center of a federal probe into allegations of improper lobbying and conflicts of interest. They had sought and received important state approvals to fast-track the plant. Now, progress could soon grind to a halt. [Newsday]

Wednesday, May 11:

Evacuation of Fort McMurray. Photo by DarrenRD. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

• Worried evacuees desperate for a glimpse of their streets and neighborhoods got their first authorized peek inside the city ravaged by wildfire one week ago.  In all, 2,400 structures were destroyed, but another 25,000 buildings, along with hope for the future, remain. [CTV News]
• Vermont-based manufacturer AllEarth Renewables announced a new program for Vermont homeowners, small businesses, and non-profits to go solar for just $1,000, which can be applied to purchasing the solar system after 5 years. Customers will see immediate electric bill savings. [pv magazine]
• Opinion: “Almost Everything You Know About Climate Change Solutions Is Outdated, Part 1” • First, climate science and climate politics have been moving quickly to broad consensus. Second, technology for key climate solutions has become very affordable. Third, the media is largely clueless. [ThinkProgress]

Coal plants are increasingly unprofitable to run Credit: Phil Noble / Reuters.

• Britain generated no electricity from coal on Tuesday for what is believed to be the first time since the 19th century, in a major milestone in the decline of the polluting power source. National Grid confirmed that none of Britain’s coal stations were running between midnight and 4 AM. [Telegraph.co.uk]