When you think of Easter many things likely come to mind: bunny rabbits and daffodils, family dinners and religious services - but you probably don’t instantly think of sustainable energy. Well, according to a recent report from Great Britain’s National Grid Electricity System operator, you should. 

Easter Monday of 2021 was unique for an unexpected reason, Britain recorded a record high level of power generated by ‘low-carbon energy sources’. Due to an advantageous combination of both windy and sunny weather, as well as a low demand for power, resulted in a massive increase in electrical power derived from renewable sources of energy. 

More specifically, on Easter Monday low-carbon energy sources accounted for approximately 80% of Britains power. Of that, wind power accounted for 39%, solar power 21% and nuclear power 16%. This is not only an impressive accomplishment, but also an indication of a wider trend in the UK. The reliance on fossil fuel in the UK has been slipping all year with 43% of energy provided by gas in January but only 37% in February. 

The entire of 2020 was a year of broken records in sustainable energy for Great Britain. This includes an almost 68-day coal-free run between April 10th and June 16th. Further, solar power provided more than a third of the electric supply during the month of May. Perhaps more impressively, 2020 saw the first coal-free Christmas day since records began in the UK. While these are great achievements, there is still much to be done in order to achieve the governments commitment to have almost all of its energy needs met by low-carbon sources by 2030.

Many leading experts attribute the recent lockdowns and more broad changes in how we live our lives  to the reduced reliance on fossil fuels. The previous record for Great Britain’s greenest day occurred during the lockdown last year on May 24th. However, it has also been noted that as investment in renewable energy increases, so too will the regularity of these sustainability milestones, as seen at Easter. Some of the factors which contribute to this progress in sustainability include more flexible working arrangements, which has lead to less carbon emitting vehicles on the road, the uptake in electric vehicles in the UK and the emergence of modern sustainable technologies and services. 

For example, UFODRIVE eliminates the need to own a car by allowing users to have a vehicle when they need it. Similarly, by operating a completely electric fleet means our drivers don’t need to worry about their impact on their environment. The UFODRIVE UK fleet were booked out for the Easter weekend, with all of the vehicles running on clean, green electric fuel, it certainly appears that Great Britain are ready to make the big switch to sustainable travel. 

These recent accomplishments come only months ahead of this years COP26, the UN international climate change summit which will be held in Glasgow this November. Last years event had to be postponed due to the lockdown so all eyes will be on the United Kingdom for this years conference. Head of climate at Greenpeace UK commended the government on this achievement but tempered their celebration with some advice, “As Glasgow climate summit looms closer, ministers really need to up their game on tackling UK carbon emissions right across the board”.