In April, Boris Johnson announced the UK intends to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 78% by 2035 compared with 1990 levels – an increase from the previous target of a 68% reduction by 2030. But what does that mean? And how are we going to get 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
In 2020, 43% of the UK’s power was generated from renewable sources. It’s a similar story globally. The International Energy Agency (IEA) calls modern bioenergy – such as ethanol – “the overlooked giant” within renewable energy, responsible for roughly one-tenth of world total primary energy supply today. Bioenergy output is forecast to increase 25% to 2024. The growth in renewables overall will also continue – by 2025, renewables are expected to supply one-third of the world’s electricity.
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 about 4,474 miles of overhead line, 932 miles of underground cable and 342 substations.
Source: National Grid
We’re attached to Europe
Brexit may have changed our relationship with the EU, but interconnectors still link our power system to mainland Europe. These high-voltage cables are designed to connect separate electricity systems, enabling national markets to trade and transmit power – they link the UK’s power system with those of Ireland, France, the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2019, interconnectors supplied 8% of total electricity consumption in Great Britain (zero-carbon sources generated 66% of this electricity), rising to 9% in the first six months of 2020.
Two more interconnectors are currently under construction: the 450-mile long North Sea Link to tap into Norway’s hydropower, and the 475-mile long Viking Link to harness energy from Denmark’s wind farms. By 2030, 90% of the energy imported by interconnectors will be from zero-carbon energy sources.
Source: National Grid
Coal consumption is declining
Coal consumption has fallen from 157m tonnes in 1970 to 2.3m tonnes in 2020, and the UK’s three remaining coal power stations are set to close by 2025. In 2020, the UK also went more than 67 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
In 2020, 43% of the UK’s power was generated from renewable sources – 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.
The world’s biggest offshore wind farm, Hornsea One – 75 miles off the Yorkshire coast – began supplying power to the grid in 2019. It covers an area five times the size of the nearby city of Hull, and the 174 turbines – each taller than London’s Gherkin building – are 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
In 2020 the power output of British power stations was 3.7% less than in 2019. A total of 313 terawatt-hours was generated in 2020. While the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns contributed towards this, the decline is an ongoing trend. Since 2005, electricity generation has fallen by 21.5%. On an individual level, this reduction is in part due to a combination of more energy-efficient appliances and lighting, and an increase in environmentally conscious consumers.
Source: BEIS
We’re making more efficient appliances
The most efficient dishwashers on the market now cost about £7 less to run a year than the lowest-rated models of the same size 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: Energy Saving Trust
And our homes are improving …
Homes account for about 20.8% of the UK’s emissions. The government’s sixth carbon budget outlined ambitious plans to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint, in part by using technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 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
Passenger electric vehicle (EV) sales rose to 2.1m in 2019, up from 450,000 in 2015. EV sales are expected to rise further to 8.5m in 2025, 26m in 2030 and 54m by 2040, when they will account for 58% of global car sales. A smarter, more flexible energy infrastructure 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 (65%) of the British public either have or would install solar panels to tackle the climate crisis, according to a 2019 survey by environmental law group ClientEarth. A total of 64% of respondents have or would also buy an energy storage device (such as a home battery), and 67% have or would install smart metering or other electricity regulating technology.
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
Join the energy revolution and contact your energy supplier to request a smart meter. For more information visit smartenergygb.org.
This article was paid for by Smart Energy GB – the not-for-profit, government-backed campaign helping everyone in Britain to understand the importance of smart meters and their benefits to people and the environment.
