In wind turbines provided almost a quarter of electricity, and in EU renewable energy outperformed fossil fuels. Renewable energy also outperformed fossil fuels across the EU for the first time, according to the report, following a collapse in the use of coal last year. It is clear the UK has started its journey towards gas power phase-out in as recommended by the Climate Change Committee. The trend towards renewable energy power accelerated in following a sudden drop in demand for energy from the national grid as shops, offices and restaurants closed during the Covid lockdown restrictions, the report said.
While it is unlikely that renewables will generate more electricity than fossil fuels during the full year of , it is now a question of when — rather than if — this further milestone will be passed. This summer, National Grid predicted that zero-carbon sources of electricity — wind, nuclear, solar and hydro, but not biomass — would generate more electricity than fossil fuels during Over the past year, the most significant reason for rising renewable generation has been an increase in capacity as new offshore windfarms have opened.
The MW Beatrice offshore windfarm was completed in Q2 of this year. These schemes add to the more than 2,MW of offshore capacity that started operating during Further capacity is already being built, including the MW East Anglia One project that started generating electricity this year and will be completed in In total, government contracts for offshore wind will take capacity from nearly 8,MW today to around 20,MW by the mids.
The government and industry are jointly aiming for at least 30,MW of offshore wind capacity by , with two further contract auctions already expected. In September, the latest auction round produced record-low deals for offshore windfarms that will generate electricity more cheaply than expected market prices — and potentially below the cost of running existing gas plants. Other contributors to the recent increase in renewable generation include the opening of the MW Lynemouth biomass plant in Northumberland last year and the addition of hundreds of megawatts of new onshore wind and solar farms.
According to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy BEIS , the rise in renewable output during the first half of was down to these increases in capacity, with weather conditions not unusual for the time of year. Hornsea One offshore wind farm under construction, The remainder comes from an array of smaller sites based on landfill gas, sewage gas or anaerobic digestion. Using biomass to generate electricity is not zero-carbon and in some circumstances could lead to higher emissions than from fossil fuels.
By March , just four coal plants will remain in the UK. Utility firms have plans to build up to 30,MW of new gas capacity — including 3,MW at Drax recently given government planning approval — despite the fact that government projections suggest only around 6,MW might be needed by It is unlikely that all of the planned new gas capacity will get built.
The rise of renewables means that gas generation is likely to continue falling in the UK, whether or not this new capacity gets built. Nevertheless, the UK is unlikely to meet its legally binding goal of cutting overall emissions to net-zero by , unless progress in the electricity sector is matched by reductions in other parts of the UK economy, such as heating and transport. Previously, renewables beat fossil fuels in September — the first-ever whole month — and then again in March This means that there have only ever been four months where renewables outpaced fossil generation, of which three have been this year and two in the last two months.
This is shown in the chart, below, which also highlights the greater month-to-month variability in electricity generation and demand, which is overlaid on top of the broader seasonal cycles. From , renewable energy will continue to be an important part of the strategy to reduce carbon emissions. To achieve this, a range of technologies will need to be used, such as onshore and offshore wind farms, biomass power stations or hydropower systems.
In the UK there are several schemes that provide financial support for renewable energy. These schemes encourage technological development and wider adoption of renewables which in turn lead to economies of scale and lower costs.
The UK is well placed to take advantage of wind power, with some of the best conditions in Europe and high average wind speeds. Both onshore and offshore wind farms are an important part of where the UK sources its energy. The UK has invested significantly in offshore wind and has installed as much capacity as the rest of the world combined.
Biomass can be sourced from any living substance as well as from material such as biodegradable waste, food waste and animal manure. Biomass can be burnt in thermal power and heat generation.
It can also be used in the anaerobic digestion process, making a bio-gas that can be burnt in electricity or heat generation. This gas can also be refined to become methane and injected into the gas grid. To achieve this, elements of the UK energy system must deliver negative emissions — that is to say, they must remove from the atmosphere more carbon than they emit.
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