Institution of Mechanical Engineers responds to news that the UK has run without coal power for three days in a row

Dr Jenifer Baxter, Head of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to news that the UK has run without coal power for three days in a row:

“The continuous run of coal free electricity is great news for the UK and lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. We can expect with increasing renewables on the grid, energy efficiency and demand management systems to see this record broken many times.

“To ensure the expansion of renewable electricity generation delivers the best results we need to create an energy system where all the electricity generated is used effectively. Longer term storage solutions using, for example, power to gas for hydrogen is a possibility. This means that the electricity generated can be used to produce hydrogen through electrolysis of water, this ‘green’ hydrogen can then be used in industry, fuel cells and in our gas networks gradually reducing our reliance on natural gas.”

Notes to Editors

• For interview requests and queries contact the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on 020 7973 1261 or email media@imeche.org.
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries working at the heart of the most important and dynamic industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries.