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4.6% of the UK's electricity now comes from renewable sources. 2 gigawatts of this is from wind. By 2015 we expect that around 15% will come from renewables - a tripling of present levels.
It is likely that wind power will continue to be the dominant renewable technology to help reach our 2020 aspiration. However, there are a number of important factors such as regulatory, planning and grid/network connection issues that must be addressed in order to reach our targets. BERR is working hard to make sure that these are resolved in a timely fashion.
In 2006, renewable energy sources contributed 4.6 per cent of total UK electricity supply. This is based on the international definition of renewable energy sources and excludes the use of non-biodegradable waste.
Biofuels Biomass. About 2.3 per cent of the electricity generated in the UK is from biofuels, which includes electricity generation from landfill gas, sewage gas, the biodegradable portion of municipal solid waste, and co-firing of biomass with fossil fuels. Within the biofuels category landfill gas is the largest, on its own providing 1.1 per cent of the electricity generated in the UK. Nearly 90 per cent of the renewable energy sources used in the UK are for electricity generation and only 10 per cent for heat. Domestic sector (household) use of wood is the largest source of renewable energy for heat. Full details are provided in Chapter 7 of the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES).
Wind energy, both onshore and offshore. By the end of 2003, around 680 megawatts of capacity had been installed (64 megawatts offshore). In 2004, 10 new wind farm projects were commissioned, representing an additional 240 megawatts of capacity. The second large-scale (60-megawatt) offshore wind farm at Scroby Sands is currently undergoing final testing. A further 600 megawatts are currently being built and will be in operation by the end of 2005.
There is over 1 gigawatt of onshore wind with planning permission and a similar quantity of offshore wind from the Round 1 offshore wind programme. It is expected that these projects will be completed by 2010.
Site licences from the Round 2 offshore wind programme have been granted for 15 sites, with the potential for up to 7.2 gigawatts of new capacity. Half of these projects could be completed by 2010.
The efficiency of renewable energy technologies can vary markedly. For example, the efficiency with which a hydro plant converts the potential energy of running water into electrical energy is around 90 per cent, but the efficiency with which a commercial solar cell converts solar energy into electrical energy is currently only around 10 to 15 per cent. However, comparing the efficiency of renewable energy technologies with others, such as gas turbines or coal plants, can be misleading because for the majority of renewable technologies the fuel is free. A more useful comparison is the cost to generate a unit of energy.
With the exception of large hydropower plants, most renewable energy is not as economic as fossil fuel generation – although landfill gas and onshore wind in favourable locations are becoming reasonably close. However, there is significant scope for cost reduction. For example, wind costs have declined by over 80 per cent in the last two decades, with room for further improvement.
Many renewable technologies are expected to become cost-competitive with fossil fuels in the next 10 to 20 years, especially as fossil fuel prices rise as reserves begin to decline. Renewable energy’s competitiveness will also be enhanced by policies that begin to incorporate the environmental and social costs of using fossil fuels, which are not currently reflected in their price (such as global warming, acid rain, air pollution and its effect on human health, etc). Some examples of these policies include the existing Climate Change Levy and the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
Properly designed combustion chambers used for the burning of biomass will minimise emissions of particulates and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the atmosphere.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.
Geothermal power, using high temperature grades of heat, is only relevant to certain geographical and geologically suitable areas. It requires the presence of ‘hot rocks’ that are fractured and relatively near to the surface, and that can be tapped into by drilling. The Weardale Granite, which underlies much of the North Pennines, is a good example of fractured hot rock. Advances in drilling technology have increased the 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 in Southampton, where geothermal hot water provides energy for a combined heat and power system, administered by the City Council. The economics of this type of geothermal energy mean that, compared with countries such as New Zealand or Iceland, the UK is unlikely to exploit it significantly.
Ground-source heat pumps, which exploit lower grades of thermal energy (10–20°C) just beneath the surface, have much greater potential in the UK, and can provide a highly efficient method of heating.
Economic and environmentally sensitive considerations mean that there is very little scope for more large-scale hydroelectric schemes. Only one new scheme at Glendoe in Scotland, due to commence generating in late 2008 has been given planning permission over the past 40 years. However, small-scale and off-grid micro hydroelectric schemes offer some potential for further expansion.
Not as much as the available potential (see facts and figures). Total installed capacity amounts to only 1.25 megawatts spread between two different devices (see wave case studies). These are still at the prototype-testing phase, but if they are successful they will offer the potential to tap the UK’s excellent wave energy resource.
No. Aside from passive solar designs, which use principles like south-facing windows to make the most of sunlight, there are two main ways of using solar energy. The first is using active solar heating to heat water. This can be used in applications such as swimming pools, individual houses and office blocks. The second way is via solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. These convert sunlight into electricity and can be used in anything from powering calculators to phone booths and houses. Larger-scale applications of solar PV are generally connected to the main electricity grid so any surplus power can be sold back to it.
Surveys undertaken by BERR and other organisations show broad support for the expansion of renewable energy.
A BERR-commissioned survey in March 2007 of awareness and attitudes towards renewable energy discovered that public support for renewables remains high. The quantitative research project explored awareness and attitudes to renewable energy amongst the general public in Great Britain. The survey revealed that 83% of the general public supports the use of renewable energy, 82% are in favour of wind power and 59% would be happy to live within 5km (3 miles) of a wind power development.
Another survey for BBC Scotland has suggested that more than half of adults in Scotland favour renewable energy sources like wind power to supply future needs. Of the 1007 people who responded to the survey, 52% saw renewable energy sources like wind, tidal, solar and wave power as the "preferred method of meeting future energy demands in Scotland".
Opportunities to increase large-scale hydroelectric in the UK are limited as most commercially attractive and environmentally acceptable sites have by now been utilised. That said, In the spring of 2005 construction began on a large 100-megawatt scheme at Glendoe Scotland. This scheme is due to commence generation towards the end of 2008. There are several new small-scale hydroelectric schemes in planning or development.
A number of other smaller schemes have also been approved in Scotland over the past few years, such as the 3.5-megawatt development at Kingairloch in Lochaber and the 2.2-megawatt scheme at Braevallich in Argyll. These schemes will provide enough electricity to meet the demands of over 5,000 households.
Some old watermills are being refurbished and bought back into the energy supply network. If small-scale hydroelectric power from all of the streams and rivers in the UK could be tapped, it would be possible to produce 10,000 gigawatt hours (1 gigawatt hours = 1,000,000 kilowatt hours) per year – enough to meet just over 3 per cent of our total electricity needs and making a significant contribution to the Government’s renewables target of 10 per cent by 2010.
All new hydropower is eligible under the Renewables Obligation, the main support mechanism for renewable electricity generation.
