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From BBC Learning English.
This is Learning English from the News,
our podcast about the news headlines.
In this programme:
Solar and wind power now generate
more electricity than coal
for the first time ever.
Hello, I'm Georgie.
And I'm Phil.
In this programme,
we look at one big news story
and the vocabulary in the headlines
that will help you understand it.
You can find all the vocabulary
and headlines from this episode,
as well as a worksheet
on our website, bbclearningenglish.com
So let's hear more about this story.
For the first time ever,
more electricity has been generated
through wind and solar power
than from coal power plants.
That's according to a new report.
The amount of electricity used globally
has increased since last year,
but 100% of that increase has
been met by renewable energy sources.
In the last year,
solar power generation has increased
by a third and wind power by 7%.
China and India are responsible
for a large part
of this growth of renewable energy.
Europe and the US actually increased
their coal and gas power generation.
58% of solar generation
is now in lower-income countries.
It's been predicted that renewable
energy generation could double
by the end of the decade.
Let's have our first headline.
This one is
from The Guardian in the UK.
Global renewable energy generation
surpasses coal for first time.
That headline
again from The Guardian
in the UK: Global renewable
energy generation surpasses coal
for first time.
Now this headline is comparing renewable
ways of generating energy with coal.
We're going to learn
the word 'surpass'.
Yes, surpass is a verb and it means
to be more than or to exceed.
Here it's saying
that the amount of energy generated
through renewable means is greater than
the amount generated by burning coal.
It is quite formal, so we're more
likely to see it in written English.
It's often used with numbers and
figures to compare them. For example,
the estimated global population
has now surpassed eight billion.
It can also be used to say that
something is better than something else.
Her talent has surpassed
all those who came before her.
The word 'surpasses' includes
the prefix 'sur' - S-U-R,
which we often use
to mean over or more.
For example, a surcharge is
when you have to pay more.
If you survive,
you live for more time.
We've had surpass - to be more than
or to be better than.
For example, the runner surpassed his
previous best time by three seconds.
This is Learning English
from the News, our podcast
about the news headlines.
We're talking about the fact
that more energy is now being
generated globally by renewable means
than by coal.
And here's our next headline.
This one is from Semafor,
an American news website.
Renewables overtake coal as world's
primary source of electricity.
That headline again,
renewables overtake coal
as world's primary source
of electricity.
And that's from Semafor,
an American news website.
Now, the headline says
that renewables have overtaken -
that means the same
as surpassed - coal.
We're going to learn 'primary source'.
Yes. The primary source of something
is where most of it comes from.
When we talk about the primary source
of electricity,
we mean where
the largest amount of it comes from.
The phrase primary source can be used
in many different contexts.
So I could say that the primary
source of fibre in my diet is fruit.
Or you could talk about
the world's primary source of gold.
You're just saying
where the largest amount comes from.
Now, primary source is quite formal.
You'll see it in news reports,
but not so much in everyday speech.
We've had primary source - where the
largest amount of something comes from.
For example,
Cars are the primary source
of pollution in this city.
This is Learning English from the News,
our podcast about the news headlines.
Today we've been talking
about how renewable energy has become
the world's primary source
of electricity.
And here's our next headline.
This is from AP news:
Solar and wind power has grown faster
than electricity demand this year,
report says.
And that headline again from AP news:
Solar and wind power has grown faster
than electricity demand this year,
report says.
So this headline compares the growth
of solar and wind power
with the demand for electricity.
And the noun demand is
what we're going to learn next.
Yes. So the verb demand is
very common
and means to ask
for something forcefully.
But as a noun, we use it to talk
about an economic concept.
Demand for something is how much
of something people actually want.
Yes, the demand for electricity is
how much electricity people want.
Developments
in technology can affect this.
If more people buy electric cars, there
will be more demand for electricity.
And from this noun we get the phrase
'in demand'.
If something is in demand,
lots of people want it.
For example, around Halloween,
pumpkins are in demand.
We had demand - how much
people want something. For example,
High energy bills have led to demand
for more efficient heating systems.
That's it for this episode
of Learning English from the News.
We'll be back next week
with another news story.
If you want to practise
what you've learned,
go to our website to see more example
sentences and try our free worksheet.
Don't forget you can find us
on social media.
Just search for BBC Learning English
on your favourite platform.
And if you're interested
in the environment,
we have a topic page
on our website all about it.
Go to bbclearningenglish.com
Goodbye for now.
Bye.
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