Spotlight on the UK: How green are we?

After focusing my last post on global renewable energy use, I came across a fantastic study by the Carbon Brief which looks at the spatial distribution of energy production in the UK (I will explain in more detail later). I then started thinking about the UK's sustainable energy efforts and thought it would be interesting to see how we rank against other leading green nations.

Earlier this year, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) released details of the change in the UK's energy production between 2013 and 2014. At first glance, the statistics look promising, with a reduction of 1.5% in total energy generation. Fossil Fuel and Nuclear Power production decreased by 3.6% and 0.7% respectively, with renewable energy increasing by 4.3% in the same period.

UK Electricity Generation, 2014
Source: DECC

These statistics confirmed my opinion that renewable energy is becoming more and more common throughout the UK. From the offshore wind turbines I can see from my grandparents' window on the North Norfolk coast, to the solar farm that has emerged on the side of the A14 as I drive to Cambridge, I have become increasing aware over recent years of the acceptance and spread of renewable technology. So I was shocked to see that the UK's share of electricity generated by renewables in 2014 was only 19.2%, slightly below the global average of 22.8%. 

This got me thinking; who are the global leaders when it comes to renewable energy? 

Many reports mention China as renewable energy leaders, because they are the biggest generator of renewable power- but this can be explained by the sheer size of the country. For this post however, I am not considering them as leaders of clean energy; as a nation they still meet 66% of their energy demand with coal and 24.2% with oil & gas. Instead, I'll be using examples of countries that are meeting the majority of their energy requirements with renewable power. 

Iceland, for example, produces 100% of its electricity (85% of its primary energy) from clean sources. This has been achieved by harnessing the hydropower and geothermal energy available in the region. Other advanced European countries, such as Denmark, Germany and Spain, all generate large amounts of solar and wind power. Looking outside of Europe, two countries that are leading the way in sustainable energy are Paraguay and Costa Rica, both of which produce the majority of their energy from renewable sources. Not only do they both supply their own country's electricity predominately through hydropower, they provide clean energy for other nations as well. For example, the Itaipu Dam on the border of Paraguay and Brazil provided 75% of Paraguay's and 16.9% of Brazil's electricity in 2013.

Another country that I think is certainly worth mentioning here is Norway. Although enough renewable energy is produced to meet 98% of their demands, the majority of this is exported to other nations. Norway certainly cannot be considered a green nation because it is  currently the third-largest producer of gas and seventh-largest producer of oil in the world, but their three biggest sources of energy are still hydropower, wind and geothermal energy.

It is clear that the UK's is not yet reaching these levels, so I am keen to share with you the study that motivated me to take a closer look on the UK's energy production because it gave me a better insight into the resources available to us and the complexities we face.

Spatial Distribution of the UK's Energy Production:

The Carbon Brief recently published research on the geographical distribution of the UK's electricity generation. The results are shown in the diagrams below, giving a visual insight into how different areas can benefit from their different resources.

Geographical Distribution of Hydropower, Wind Power and Solar Power
Source: Carbon Brief 

Geographical Distribution of Nuclear, Oil and Gas

Source: Carbon Brief

The first diagram, shown above, gives a clear picture of renewable energy distribution across the UK. Hydropower is predominately confined to mountainous areas where steep valleys are available for dams, while wind power is widely distributed across the country, located either along coastlines or in areas of high elevation. Solar energy is largely contained within the South of the UK where higher irradiation allows for greater energy production. The second diagram shows the wide distribution of coal and gas, with nuclear plants located in coastal locations with access to large amounts of water for cooling.

To conclude...

Other countries are successfully harnessing the clean resources available to them and as a developed nation with a varied geography, the UK has both the financial and geographical resources to move away from fossil fuel and increase reliance on renewable energy.

However, I can now see the complexities that arise with this transition. In my last post, I concluded that clear strategies are required on a global level in order to increase the reliance on renewable energy, however this research made me realise how important it is to also produce strategies on local/regional levels. 

Using the UK as an example, vast geographical variations exist within a relatively small area, therefore there is a lot to consider when implementing renewable technologies on a national scale.  Even if COP-21 results in legally binding targets, it won't be a straightforward rollout of renewable technologies - whether it is finding the highest areas for new wind turbines, or calculating insolation levels to build new solar farms, it is imperative that variations in regional resources are taken into account to maximise energy production and ensure that we are meeting the UK's energy demands.