UK Sets Ambitious Goal for Zero-Carbon Electricity by 2035
The UK accelerates climate leadership, aiming for 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2035 to drive jobs, investment, and environmental progress.
UK Zero-Carbon Electricity by 2035: Stepping Up Climate Leadership
In a decisive move towards climate action, the United Kingdom has set itself the target of generating 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2035. This pledge places the UK among the world’s climate leaders and offers a blueprint for decarbonizing national electricity systems while spurring economic growth, innovation, and a just transition for workers and communities. This commitment comes in the context of the UK’s broader ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Background: The Push Toward Net Zero
The UK’s commitment to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is enshrined in law, representing one of the most ambitious national climate strategies worldwide. This pathway requires rapid transformation of the country’s electricity system, as power generation remains a significant contributor to national carbon emissions. Setting a goal for entirely zero-carbon electricity by 2035 marks a pivotal step in fulfilling overall net zero objectives.
Why 2035? Policy Context and Strategic Opportunity
The choice of a 2035 target for ending carbon emissions from electricity generation is informed by:
- International climate science: Aligns with recommendations for limiting global average temperature rises to 1.5°C.
- UK carbon budgets: Fits the trajectory mapped by the UK’s Carbon Budgets, ensuring deep emissions cuts this decade and beyond.
- Global leadership: Intended to inspire other G20 nations to raise their climate ambition.
The UK government’s target is shaped by advice from the independent Climate Change Committee, which stresses the urgent need for deep decarbonization across sectors. The electrification of transport and heating, coupled with renewable energy, is seen as a cornerstone for slashing overall national emissions.
Zero-Carbon Electricity: What Does It Mean?
A zero-carbon electricity system means all electricity generated on the national grid originates from sources producing no net greenhouse gas emissions. This includes:
- Renewables (wind, solar, hydro)
- Nuclear power
- Other low-carbon technologies (such as carbon capture and storage for any remaining fossil fuel plants)
In practical terms, achieving zero-carbon power means nearly eliminating coal and unabated gas power, firmly shifting the energy mix to clean sources.
The Transformation So Far: Cutting Coal and Boosting Renewables
The UK has already made significant progress in decarbonizing electricity. Key milestones include:
- Shutting down most coal-fired power stations—coal supplied just a tiny fraction of UK electricity by the early 2020s.
- Increasing renewable generation sharply, especially offshore wind. Renewables provided well over 40% of national electricity by 2022.
- Investing in new nuclear projects and advanced storage technologies.
This progress has allowed the UK to cut power sector emissions by around 70% since 1990, even as overall demand for electricity remained substantial or increased due to electrification pushes in transport and heating.
The Current Electricity Mix (as of early 2020s)
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| Energy Source | Share of UK Electricity (%) |
|---|---|
| Wind (onshore & offshore) | 27% |
| Solar | 4% |
| Nuclear | 15% |
| Hydropower & Others | 2% |
| Natural Gas | 37% |
| Coal | <2% |
| Imports | Approx. 10% |
Note: Numbers are approximate and change yearly as investments and retirements continue.
2035 Zero-Carbon Target: How Will It Be Achieved?
The government’s plan to achieve 100% zero-carbon electricity includes multiple complementary strategies:
- Accelerating renewable energy deployment:
- Expanding offshore and onshore wind capacity rapidly
- Scaling up solar energy production
- Increasing investment in hydropower and tidal sources
- Investing in nuclear: Supporting development of large-scale reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to provide dependable baseload power.
- Enhancing energy storage and flexibility: Building large-scale batteries and supporting wider deployment of flexible market solutions to balance variable renewables.
- Modernizing the national grid: Upgrading transmission infrastructure and integrating digital solutions to handle distributed, dynamic renewable generation.
- Phasing out unabated fossil fuels: Setting policies to eliminate traditional coal/gas plants unless equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) or converted to hydrogen fuel.
- Stimulating private investment: Creating stable policy frameworks and incentives to attract tens of billions in annual private capital into clean energy sectors.
The Economic Case: Jobs, Investment, and Global Status
The 2035 zero-carbon target is expected to deliver substantial economic benefits:
- Job creation: Tens of thousands of new jobs in manufacturing, operation, maintenance, and supporting industries for renewables and new grid infrastructure.
- Lower long-term energy bills: Renewables are becoming the cheapest form of new electricity generation, shielding consumers from fossil fuel price shocks.
- National security: Reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels enhances national energy security and resilience.
- Innovation: The transition spurs advances in energy storage, smart grids, and low-carbon transport sectors, positioning the UK as a global clean energy leader.
Estimates suggest the transformation could unlock up to £40 billion in private and public investment every year out to 2030, simultaneously driving reindustrialization in former fossil fuel regions.
Major Technologies in the Zero-Carbon Mix
- Offshore Wind: The UK leads Europe in offshore wind capacity, benefiting from strong North Sea winds and established supply chains. The government aims for at least 40 GW of offshore wind by 2030, up from about 11 GW in 2022.
- Solar Power: Distributed solar panels on homes, businesses, and ground-mounted solar farms continue to expand, with declining costs boosting uptake.
- Nuclear Energy: New investments target both large-scale plants like Hinkley Point C and the development of SMRs, which promise more flexibility and lower capital risk.
- Hydrogen: Clean hydrogen, generated via electrolysis powered by renewables, may play a role in backing up the grid and providing industrial energy.
- Energy Storage: Grid-scale batteries and other forms of storage (such as pumped hydro) are essential to smoothing out supply and demand imbalances due to the intermittency of renewables.
Challenges Ahead: Delivering on the Promise
While the 2035 target is ambitious, several significant challenges must be confronted:
- Planning and permitting: Infrastructure expansion faces bottlenecks in planning approval, land access, and community acceptance—especially for onshore wind and grid upgrades.
- Workforce skills: Rapid growth requires training and reskilling programs to deliver the tens of thousands of skilled workers needed for construction, operation, and maintenance of renewable and grid projects.
- Supply chain pressures: Global demand for wind turbines, solar panels, transformers, and critical minerals may drive up costs and slow deployments if not proactively managed.
- Balancing intermittent supply: Even with modern batteries and demand-side flexibility programs, balancing power supply with weather-dependent resources like wind and solar remains a technical challenge.
- Cost management: The large up-front capital requirements must be offset by long-term cost savings, necessitating clever policy design and robust private-public partnership models.
The Way Forward: Policy, People, and Partnerships
The 2035 target for zero-carbon electricity is a central pillar in the UK’s national decarbonization strategy. Success will require:
- Clear and consistent policy: Cross-party alignment and long-term planning to provide certainty for investors and communities.
- Integration with net zero goals: Electrification will drive down emissions in transport, heating, and industry—most new vehicles and heating are expected to be electric by the 2030s.
- International partnerships: Collaborating with EU and neighboring countries on cross-border interconnectors and research on grid and storage solutions.
Beyond the technical upgrades, social and environmental justice must be at the fore: the benefits of the green transition should be accessible to all, and communities most affected by change (especially historic fossil fuel regions) should be prioritized for investment and retraining.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Why did the UK pick 2035 for its zero-carbon electricity target?
A: 2035 provides a necessary early milestone towards 2050 net zero ambitions, aligns the UK with international climate science, and reflects the urgency in the IPCC’s recommendations for industrialized countries to decarbonize power systems by the 2030s.
Q: Will bills go up because of the transition?
A: Although initial investments are high, renewable energy sources are expected to lead to lower electricity bills in the long term by avoiding the volatility of fossil fuel markets and reducing import dependency.
Q: What happens to workers in the fossil fuel sector?
A: The UK government and industry partners are committed to a “just transition,” supporting job creation in clean energy sectors, reskilling initiatives, and targeted investment in communities facing fossil fuel plant closures.
Q: What about energy security?
A: The transition is designed to boost energy security by reducing reliance on imported oil and gas and strengthening domestic renewables and nuclear capacity, coupled with robust grid resilience investments.
Q: How will the system cope with windless or cloudy days?
A: The strategy includes large-scale batteries, interconnectors with neighboring countries, nuclear baseload, and, potentially, hydrogen backup to ensure reliable supply during periods of low renewable output.
Conclusion: A Bold Path Forward
The UK’s commitment to full zero-carbon electricity by 2035 is both a climate imperative and an opportunity for economic renewal. With its rich wind and solar resources, world-class research, and policy momentum, the UK is poised to redefine what’s possible in national decarbonization—and offer a model for others to follow.
References
- https://www.wri.org/news/statement-uk-releases-ambitious-2035-ndc-putting-country-path-net-zero
- https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-the-uk-plans-to-reach-clean-power-by-2030/
- https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/the-seventh-carbon-budget/
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-2035-nationally-determined-contribution-ndc-emissions-reduction-target-under-the-paris-agreement/united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-irelands-2035-nationally-determined-contribution
- https://academic.oup.com/oxrep/article/39/4/779/7425298
- https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/how-much-uks-energy-renewable
- https://green-alliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-building-blocks-of-a-zero-carbon-power-system.pdf
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