The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) has announced it is joining the global alliance of governments, businesses and organisations working to progress the transition away from coal power, the Powering Past Coal Alliance.

ESO reported the first-ever fortnight of coal-free operation in May, a milestone along its stated ambition of being able to operate a zero-carbon electricity system by 2025. The carbon intensity of the electricity system has halved over the last five years and 2019 ESO reported a record number of coal-free days and record levels of solar and wind generation.

ESO also facilitates the innovation programme Power Responsive, encouraging stakeholders to be more flexible in the way they use energy and leads Distributed Restart, a project testing how generation from the distribution network, mainly from renewable sources, can be used in the event of a Black Start scenario. (Blackstart, the process of restoring power after a shutdown of the electricity system, and is currently reliant on traditional power sources, including coal.)

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