Real energy independence in Wales

The small principality of Wales — an area where coal was once a dominant part of the local economy — has launched an ambitious plan to get almost all of its electricity from renewables within 20 years.

As reported in the UK Guardian, the legally binding plans "are far in advance of anything planned for England or Scotland and would see it become energy self-sufficient in using renewable electricity within 20 years and reduce waste to zero by 2050."

Wales is about one-fifth the size of Kentucky with a population of just under 3 million people. Kentucky has about 4.2 million people.

"We intend to reduce by 80-90% our use of carbon-based energy, resulting in a similar reduction in our greenhouse gas generation," the Welsh environment minister is quoted in the article.

Communities in south Wales — one the most known of European coal mining regions — will become part of one of Europe's few "low carbon regions" with 40,000 social housing homes equipped with solar, wind and heat-saving equipment.

Read the full article from The Guardian here.