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| How realistic is the Government's target to supply 20% of the UK's electricity from renewable sources by 2020? |
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| How much power does renewable energy currently contribute to the UK's electricity supply? |
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| Which renewable energy source provides the greatest contribution at the moment? |
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| Which renewable energy source is growing most quickly? |
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| How efficient are renewable energy technologies? |
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| Doesn't the use of biomass involve a lot of anti-social odours and emissions? |
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| How much potential for geothermal power is there in the UK? |
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| Has the hydroelectric potential of the UK now largely been exploited? |
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| Is fuel cell technology only being developed for transport? |
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| How much power are we harnessing from the ocean? |
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| Is the use of solar energy restricted to domestic situations e.g. for providing hot water? |
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| Aren't most people opposed to wind farms? |
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| Are most wind farms now going to be built offshore? |
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| How realistic is the Government's target to supply 20% of the UK's electricity from renewable sources by 2020? |
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| Currently the UK is slightly behind target. However, wind power, both on- and off-shore, can deliver almost all of the required growth in renewable energy to meet the 2010 target (of 10%) and is likely to continue to be the dominant renewable technology to help reach 2020 targets (source: DTI and Carbon Trust Renewables Innovation Review). This assumes that current regulatory, planning and grid/network connection issues can be successfully addressed.
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| How much power does renewable energy currently contribute to the UK's electricity supply? |
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| Renewable energy sources in the UK now provide 3.86% of the total electricity supply.
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| Which renewable energy source provides the greatest contribution at the moment? |
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| Hydroelectric: the UK currently generates about 1.8% of its electricity from large-scale hydroelectric schemes.
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| Which renewable energy source is growing most quickly? |
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| Wind energy, both on- and offshore. As of late 2003, in addition to existing operating wind farms (around 600MW at end of 2003): 1,172 MW has been approved onshore, 1,183 MW approved offshore and a further 1,605 MW is in the planning system. A further 7,500 MW (7.5 GW) is being prepared for submission, making a cumulative total of 11,460 MW. By 2006 this will exceed the contribution made by nuclear energy.
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| How efficient are renewable energy technologies? |
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| The technology for generating hydroelectric power is well-established with efficiency levels of 90%. Wind is usually assumed to generate at an average of 30% of installed capacity, but this figure is likely to be higher for many offshore and highland sites. The current efficiency of a solar PV panel is about 10%. Biomass boilers can operate at efficiencies of up to 90%.
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| Doesn't the use of biomass involve a lot of anti-social odours and emissions? |
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| Properly-designed combustion chambers used for combustion of biomass will minimise emissions of particulates and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the atmosphere. The atmospheric emissions from a 1MW wood-chip fired biomass boiler used to provide district heating are equivalent to the emissions produced by a single domestic coal fire. Anaerobic digestion treatment stabilises slurries, significantly reducing odours. A properly-managed anaerobic digestion scheme will also contain the intense nutrients found in animal slurries and food residues which can otherwise leach out in high concentrations and pollute soil and water courses.
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| How much potential for geothermal power is there in the UK? |
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This is a developing technology which has not been exploited at anywhere near its potential in the UK, although recent advances in drilling technology have improved its economics, and several areas of the UK are now under investigation.
Geothermal technology is only relevant to certain geographical and geologically-suitable areas. It requires the presence of 'hot rocks' which are fractured and relatively near to the surface which can be tapped into by drilling. The Weardale Granite which underlies much of the North Pennines is a good example of fractured hot rock - this granite was of interest in the 1960's and advances in drilling technology have revived an interest in this area. There are similar areas of hot rock underneath parts of Southern England and Derbyshire but the only area where these have been successfully exploited to provide power is at Southampton where geothermal hot water provides power for a district CHP system, administered by the City Council (see Biomass Case studies).
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| Has the hydroelectric potential of the UK now largely been exploited? |
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| Economic and environmentally-sensitive considerations mean there is very little scope for more large-scale hydroelectric schemes. Potential new schemes in Scotland have been vigorously opposed. However, small-scale and off-grid micro hydroelectric schemes offer some potential.
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| Is fuel cell technology only being developed for transport? |
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| The major application at present is in powering vehicles. However, much research is underway, with some combined heat and power schemes in operation (see Hydrogen Case studies). Large stationary hydrogen fuel cells could store power in the future.
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| How much power are we harnessing from the ocean? |
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| Not as much as the potential suggests (see Facts & figures). Currently it amounts to 0.5 MW or 0.006% of national electricity consumption, with one scheme, the Islay wave generator (see Case study.) However, more research into wave and tidal renewable technology is underway at a number of locations including the Orkney Islands and Blyth in Northumberland.
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| Is the use of solar energy restricted to domestic situations e.g. for providing hot water? |
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| No, it also has commercial applications and can be used in hotels, leisure centres etc in the case of active solar heating. Photovoltaic cells (PV) technology systems in operation in the UK currently tend to meet small power requirements in applications such as phone booths and roadside monitoring systems, but larger-scale applications on buildings connected to local networks where electricity can be 'stored' by the grid are becoming more commonplace.
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| Aren't most people opposed to wind farms? |
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| There is some localised opposition to some wind farm developments but public surveys consistently demonstrate that a clear majority of between 70 and 80% of the general public are in favour of wind energy. The same surveys have shown that this positive feeling is highest amongst those living near wind farms. Similar numbers do not believe that wind farms spoil the scenery or cause noise nuisance.
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| Are most wind farms now going to be built offshore? |
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| The development of onshore wind farms is continuing. Offshore wind farm technology is a new area where development is only beginning. At the end of 2003, developments with the potential of 1,172 MW had been approved onshore and 1,183 MW offshore. The offshore wind farms already built are Blyth Offshore (4MW) and North Hoyle (60 MW). Another, at Scroby Sands (60MW) is under construction. Up to an additional 7.5 GW (7,500 MW) of offshore wind is currently being licensed through the second round of offshore leases, administered by the Crown estate. In total up to 8.7 GW of offshore wind is in the pipeline, a figure greater than the current installed capacity of the UK's AGR nuclear power stations.
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