There are many options for generating electricity with low carbon emissions, and the electrification of heat
and transport can decarbonise energy use across the economy. This places the power sector at the forefront
of any move away from fossil fuels, even though fossil-fuelled generators are more dependable and flexible
than nuclear reactors or intermittent renewables, and vital for the second-by-second balancing of supply and
demand. Renewables tend to supplement, rather than replace, fossil capacity, although output from fossilfuelled
stations will fall and some will have to retire to avoid depressing wholesale power prices. At times of
low demand and high renewable output prices can turn negative, but electricity storage, long-distance
interconnection and flexible demand may develop to absorb any excess generation. Simulations for Great
Britain show that while coal may be eliminated from the mix within a decade, natural gas has a long-term
role in stations with or without carbon capture and storage, depending on its cost and the price of carbon.