Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is GREAT - it's zero-carbon and provided free of charge by Mother Nature! However, the UK doesn't produce very much … although the media tend to use the term 'energy' and 'electricity' interchangeably, they're not. Electricity is the smallest of three broad categories of energy production/supply and renewables contribute around 25% to electricity generation - as shown in the latest (2018) official figures published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Here's the breakdown:
- Gas - largely used for heating - 44 units
- Electricity - many uses - 30 units, of which
- 7 units from hydro, wind and solar PV
- Bio-fuels (4 units)
- Balance from gas, nuclear, coal
- Petroleum products - largely used for transport - 77 units
Electricity can be used for heating (e.g. heat pumps) and electricity can be used for transport (electric trains, electric cars); the figures above show there is a huge shortfall. Presently our National (electricity) Grid compensates for renewables' intermittency to balance supply and demand by managing output from Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power stations (the work-horses of UK electricity generation) and the relatively few still operating coal-fired power stations