This June, the UK government committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – making it the first major economy and G7 member to do so. But what does that mean? And how are they planning on getting there? The integration of renewable energy sources is key, for starters, and a lot needs to happen to the way we produce, supply and store energy. From the stats on our increasing reliance on the “right” energy sources, and a look at how we’re changing our lifestyles for the better, to what might stand in our way, these are our energy facts and figures as they stand.
Renewables are on the rise
The International Energy Agency (IEA) calls modern bioenergy – such as ethanol – “the overlooked giant” within renewable energy, responsible for half of all renewable energy consumed in 2017. Bioenergy is also expected to account for 30% of the growth in renewables consumption between 2018-23, mainly due to its use in heat and transport. The growth in renewables overall will also continue during the same period, and by 2023 will account for almost 30% of total power demand globally.
Source: IEA
The grid is big
Electricity Transmission owns and runs the network of cables and transformers within the National Grid. It transmits electricity from power stations to homes, schools, hospitals, factories and other places. The network consists of 4,474 miles of overhead line, 969 miles of underground cable and 346 substations.
Source: National Grid ET
We’re attached to Europe
Our future relationship with the EU may be uncertain, but interconnectors will still link our power system to mainland Europe. These high-voltage cables are designed to connect separate electricity systems, allowing national markets to trade and transmit power. Providing about 6% of the country’s electricity supply in 2017 , they link the UK’s power system with those of Ireland, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Eleven further connections linking the UK to other European countries are also planned or under construction (including the 450-mile long North Sea Link to tap into Norway’s hydropower, and the 470-mile long Viking Link to harness energy from Denmark’s wind farms), which could meet a fifth of the UK’s electricity needs by 2025.
Source: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Coal consumption is declining
Coal consumption has fallen from 157m tonnes in 1970 to 11.8m tonnes in 2018, and the UK’s seven remaining coal power stations are set to close by 2025. In May this year the UK also went 18 days without burning coal to generate energy – the longest streak the country has managed since 1882.
Source: BEIS / National Grid ESO
Offshore wind capacity is increasing
A third of the UK’s electricity generation came from renewables in the third quarter of 2018 – a new record. That percentage is likely to go even higher: the government hopes that offshore windfarms alone will provide a third of our electricity by 2030 – with the number of jobs in offshore wind potentially tripling to 27,000 in that period.
What will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm, Hornsea One – 75 miles off the Yorkshire coast – is also due to be completed in 2020. It will cover an area five times the size of the nearby city of Hull, and the 174 turbines – each taller than London’s Gherkin building – will be capable of powering 1m homes. In times of peak demand, the smarter energy network will also help to better integrate energy from offshore wind.
We’re reducing the amount of energy we use
Last year the power output of British power stations fell to its lowest level since 1994. A total of 335 terawatt-hours were generated in 2018, down by 1% on the year before. Since 2005 the level has fallen by 16% – the reduction equivalent of two-and-a-half times the projected output of the new Hinkley Point C nuclear plant. On an individual level, this reduction is in part due to a combination of more efficient appliances and energy-efficient lighting, and an increase in environmentally conscious consumers.
Source: Carbon Brief
We’re making more efficient appliances
Energy-efficient appliances helped the average household reduce gas and electricity usage between 2008 and 2017 – saving £290 a year. The most efficient dishwashers on the market cost about £7 less to run than the lowest-rated models of the same size, for example, and use less water. Eco kettles that only boil the amount of water required for a cuppa also use 20% less energy than a conventional electric kettle – quite a saving when you consider that the average UK household boils the kettle 1,500 times a year. Furthermore, smart meters help people keep tabs on their energy use, making it even easier to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
Source: Committee on Climate Change / Energy Saving Trust
And our homes are improving …
Homes account for about 18% of the UK’s emissions. The government’s Clean Growth Strategy aims to tackle this by improving the energy efficiency of around 1m homes. As of February this year, about 852,000 homes have received at least one improvement measure – such as better cavity-wall or loft insulation – since the scheme launched in 2015. Energy suppliers are also offering smart meters to every home in England, Wales and Scotland – these transmit energy data to the network so it can better cope with energy supply and demand, helping our country to integrate more renewable power into the grid and tackle the climate emergency.
Source: BEIS
… As are our cars
More than 2m electric vehicles were sold globally in 2018. This figure is expected to rise to 10m in 2025, 28m in 2030 and 56m by 2040, when they will account for 57% of global car sales. A smarter, more flexible grid will be crucial in managing the increased demand EV charging will place on our electricity system.
Source: BloombergNEF
And there’s appetite for improvement
More than six in 10 (62%) of the British public would install solar panels to tackle the climate crisis if there was greater assistance from the government, according to a 2018 YouGov survey carried out on behalf of the environmental law group ClientEarth. A total of 60% of respondents would also buy an energy storage device (such as a home battery), and 71% would join a local energy scheme, such as a community windfarm or solar panel collective.
Source: ClientEarth
But we’ve got a long way to go
According to independent government advisory body the Committee on Climate Change, which campaigned for the government’s net-zero commitment, the foundations are already in place to achieve that goal, including initiatives such as increased tree planting and reducing emissions on farms.
But, it reports, these policies must be strengthened. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero levels will require, among other measures: low-carbon heating throughout the UK’s building stock; electric vehicles becoming the only option to buy from 2035 or earlier; the development of carbon capture and storage technology; and a supply of low-carbon electricity that will need to quadruple by 2050. All that will require an investment at an annual cost of up to 1-2% of the UK’s GDP to 2050 – and a collective effort by consumers to adjust our lifestyles accordingly.
Source: Committee on Climate Change
Part of Britain’s commitment to creating a more sustainable, low-carbon future includes making our energy network “smarter” – implementing digital tech to make our energy grid more responsive to increased demand and variable wind speed. By collecting data on our energy use through smart meters, our network can better understand, plan for and balance out peaks and troughs in demand, making it easier to integrate renewable energy sources. Of course, smart meters can’t help Britain meet its carbon emissions targets on their own but, with the smarter, more energy efficient grid they help to create, they are a start. To find out about installing a smart meter, search “I want a smart meter” or call 0300 131 8000*
This article was paid for by Smart Energy GB, a government-backed organisation tasked with informing Great Britain about the smart meter rollout.
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