Solar and wind beat coal for first time: BBC Learning English from the News — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00From BBC Learning English.
2. 0:02This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
3. 0:06In this programme:
4. 0:08Solar and wind power now generate more electricity than coal
5. 0:12for the first time ever.
6. 0:18Hello, I'm Georgie. And I'm Phil.
7. 0:20In this programme, we look at one big news story
8. 0:23and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.
9. 0:27You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,
10. 0:30as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com
11. 0:35So let's hear more about this story.
12. 0:42For the first time ever,
13. 0:44more electricity has been generated through wind and solar power
14. 0:48than from coal power plants.
15. 0:50That's according to a new report.
16. 0:51The amount of electricity used globally has increased since last year,
17. 0:56but 100% of that increase has been met by renewable energy sources.
18. 1:01In the last year, solar power generation has increased
19. 1:04by a third and wind power by 7%. China and India are responsible
20. 1:10for a large part of this growth of renewable energy.
21. 1:13Europe and the US actually increased their coal and gas power generation.
22. 1:1758% of solar generation is now in lower-income countries.
23. 1:22It's been predicted that renewable energy generation could double
24. 1:25by the end of the decade.
25. 1:27Let's have our first headline.
26. 1:29This one is from The Guardian in the UK.
27. 1:31Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time.
28. 1:36That headline again from The Guardian
29. 1:38in the UK: Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal
30. 1:43for first time.
31. 1:44Now this headline is comparing renewable ways of generating energy with coal.
32. 1:49We're going to learn the word 'surpass'.
33. 1:51Yes, surpass is a verb and it means to be more than or to exceed.
34. 1:57Here it's saying that the amount of energy generated
35. 2:01through renewable means is greater than the amount generated by burning coal.
36. 2:06It is quite formal, so we're more likely to see it in written English.
37. 2:10It's often used with numbers and figures to compare them. For example,
38. 2:14the estimated global population has now surpassed eight billion.
39. 2:19It can also be used to say that something is better than something else.
40. 2:22Her talent has surpassed all those who came before her.
41. 2:26The word 'surpasses' includes the prefix 'sur' - S-U-R,
42. 2:30which we often use to mean over or more.
43. 2:33For example, a surcharge is when you have to pay more.
44. 2:36If you survive, you live for more time.
45. 2:43We've had surpass - to be more than or to be better than.
46. 2:47For example, the runner surpassed his previous best time by three seconds.
47. 2:55This is Learning English
48. 2:56from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
49. 3:00We're talking about the fact
50. 3:02that more energy is now being generated globally by renewable means
51. 3:06than by coal.
52. 3:07And here's our next headline.
53. 3:09This one is from Semafor, an American news website.
54. 3:13Renewables overtake coal as world's primary source of electricity.
55. 3:18That headline again, renewables overtake coal
56. 3:21as world's primary source of electricity.
57. 3:24And that's from Semafor, an American news website.
58. 3:27Now, the headline says that renewables have overtaken -
59. 3:31that means the same as surpassed - coal.
60. 3:33We're going to learn 'primary source'.
61. 3:36Yes. The primary source of something is where most of it comes from.
62. 3:40When we talk about the primary source of electricity,
63. 3:44we mean where the largest amount of it comes from.
64. 3:47The phrase primary source can be used in many different contexts.
65. 3:51So I could say that the primary source of fibre in my diet is fruit.
66. 3:55Or you could talk about the world's primary source of gold.
67. 3:58You're just saying where the largest amount comes from.
68. 4:01Now, primary source is quite formal.
69. 4:03You'll see it in news reports, but not so much in everyday speech.
70. 4:09We've had primary source - where the largest amount of something comes from.
71. 4:13For example,
72. 4:14Cars are the primary source of pollution in this city.
73. 4:18This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.
74. 4:23Today we've been talking about how renewable energy has become
75. 4:26the world's primary source of electricity.
76. 4:29And here's our next headline.
77. 4:31This is from AP news:
78. 4:33Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year,
79. 4:37report says.
80. 4:38And that headline again from AP news:
81. 4:41Solar and wind power has grown faster than electricity demand this year,
82. 4:45report says.
83. 4:47So this headline compares the growth of solar and wind power
84. 4:51with the demand for electricity.
85. 4:54And the noun demand is what we're going to learn next.
86. 4:58Yes. So the verb demand is very common
87. 5:00and means to ask for something forcefully.
88. 5:03But as a noun, we use it to talk about an economic concept.
89. 5:07Demand for something is how much of something people actually want.
90. 5:11Yes, the demand for electricity is how much electricity people want.
91. 5:16Developments in technology can affect this.
92. 5:18If more people buy electric cars, there will be more demand for electricity.
93. 5:23And from this noun we get the phrase 'in demand'.
94. 5:26If something is in demand, lots of people want it.
95. 5:30For example, around Halloween, pumpkins are in demand.
96. 5:36We had demand - how much people want something. For example,
97. 5:40High energy bills have led to demand for more efficient heating systems.
98. 5:45That's it for this episode of Learning English from the News.
99. 5:48We'll be back next week with another news story.
100. 5:51If you want to practise what you've learned,
101. 5:53go to our website to see more example sentences and try our free worksheet.
102. 5:58Don't forget you can find us on social media.
103. 6:00Just search for BBC Learning English on your favourite platform.
104. 6:04And if you're interested in the environment,
105. 6:06we have a topic page on our website all about it.
106. 6:10Go to bbclearningenglish.com
107. 6:12Goodbye for now. Bye.