BBC: Solar and wind beat coal for first time

In this programme, solar and wind power now generate electricity than coal for 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 headline that will help you understand it. 

You can find all the vocabulary and headline 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 elecrticy used golbally has increaded since last year, but 100% of that increased 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. 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 mroe 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 golbal population has now surpassed 8 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 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.