The world’s first coal power station opened in London in 1882. For the next century, coal dominated the UK’s energy supply, powering homes and industry. Even as gas began to take hold in the 1990s, coal comprised nearly half of the electricity mix into the 2010s. Over the last 14 years a surge in green energy has transformed the UK grid. As the country’s last operational coal power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar was closed on 30 September 2024, renewables are powering more than half the grid.