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| Fig. 1: 2018 primary energy consumption by source in the UK. [3] (Courtesy of the DOE.) |
The United Kingdom is one of the most developed countries in the world and is thus one of the most energy consuming nations too. Historically, the UK has been very dependent on fossil fuels to power its towns and cities, in part due to the abundance of natural gas. [1] However, declining production levels and depletion of said fossil fuels could leave the United Kingdom increasingly relying on imports to satisfy its energy needs. [2] The UK government, keen to void this dependence on foreign sources, has implemented several schemes to encourage the development of new energy production, particularly in the form of renewable energy.
The push for renewable energy has been driven in large part by both government efforts and technological improvements in the efficiency of such generation. Today, 17% of all energy consumed in the UK comes from renewable and nuclear sources, and despite being a higher figure than in the past, still lags far behind petroleum and natural gas. [3] (see Fig. 1.)
As of February 2018, the total installed capacity of solar photovoltaic in the UK reached 12.7 GW across nearly 1 million installations. [4] While this is nearly 30% of total renewable capacity, it only contributes to 7% of total electricity generation. Global horizon irradiance (GHI) is not very high overall in the UK, certain regions are much more favorable for solar power than the rest of the country, particularly in the south near Plymouth. [4] About one million households in the UK have installed solar photovoltaic panels, with about two thirds of them using the panels for self-generating power. [5] As a matter of fact, the UK's embrace of PV has seen it emerge as the fastest growing renewable energy technology in the world, and supports over 30,000 jobs in the country. [6] Solar is also one of the most efficient methods of renewable energy generation from an area perspective, delivering as much as 20 W m-2, compared to 0.24 W m-2 for gravitational potential from rainfall, 0.5 W m-2 from tops, and 2.5 W m-2 from wind energy; for a nation which consumes on average 1.25 W m-2, the use of solar energy should go a long way to bridging the gap. [7] Overall, solar PV is commonly deployed in commercial and domestic buildings, and it offers the most appropriate source of distributed renewable energy generation in urban areas, due to the ease of incorporating solar PV into building materials. Small scale solar PV generation also qualifies for the FITs scheme, a government incentive to increase energy production from renewable energy. [8]
Wind energy in the United Kingdom is the largest source of renewable energy, with onshore and offshore together accounting for over 50% of total capacity. [3] Offshore wind has advantages over onshore both technically and in terms of public perception, as offshore average wind speeds are higher and turbulence is generally lower than in the onshore environment, which results in greater energy capture for a given wind farm size. [9] Moreover, there is a lot of opposition to onshore wind turbines due to their large space requirements as well as displeasing aesthetic to many residents. The UK's ability to install such offshore turbines has enabled it to become the nation with the largest wind capacity in Europe. There are 20 offshore wind farms in the UK, with strong concentrations in the Southeast near Norwich, as well as in Northern England near Liverpool. However, the large majority of onshore capacity of the UK is in the Highlands of Scotland, where weather conditions favor strong electricity generation. [9] The key issue with wind energy is the high capital requirements to install these costly turbines, though operating expenses are much more reasonable afterwards. It is important to note that forecasting wind variability is essentially impossible, which has caused investment levels to be much lower than the required amount. [10]
The UK has set several targets regarding the total level of energy it generates which must come from renewable sources. It has pledged to reduce GHG emissions to 20% of its 1990 levels by 2050, with one method being the implementation of renewable energy in parallel with nuclear power. [11] However, another approach being touted is the use of natural gas and other fossil fuels complemented by carbon capture storage. A study by British scientists have concluded that the first approach is preferable due to the technological advances in renewables, but this is only possible with significant long-term investment in wind energy, which has the potential to provide up to 29 GW of capacity by the end of the decade. [11] Many have been lobbying for greater efforts to move the UK to a more sustainable energy path, but this will take time and a lot fo energy by those directly involved in such projects.
© Omar Fidawi. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
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