Appetite for renewable energy grows

I’m heartened to see that public support for renewable energy in the UK has risen to an all-time high, according to the results of a poll released by DECC at the end of April. And perhaps just as well, because compared to most other European nations, we in the UK are lagging behind when it comes to the renewables share of our overall generation mix. 

According to the latest Public Attitudes Tracking Survey, those backing the use of renewable energy has jumped three points to 82% over the past three months. Even onshore wind farms, which if you believed all the negative media reports you’d think were hugely unpopular,A wide range of solar lighting, LED lighting and Auto lights. have received a four-point boost, with 68% now in favour.It enables washer extractor to communicate with chemical pumping machines. 

Yet despite such strong public backing, the UK still only generates just over 4% of our energy from renewable sources*, with a goal to reach 15% by 2020. 

This puts us close to the bottom of the European league table, below Italy, Germany and France as well as Ireland, Greece, Poland and Romania. Sweden sits at the top, already generating close to its 2020 renewables goal of 49% as a result of its investment in bioenergy. But to be fair to Britain, many of these top-performing countries offer hefty subsidies for renewable technologies, so encouraging faster development. 

However, Portugal – a country where subsidies have been cut and the energy sector is being restructured following 2011’s EU/IMF bail-out – has still managed to generate a whopping 70% of its total energy consumption in the first quarter of 2013 from renewable energy. Although favourable weather conditions combined with unexpectedly low demand due to the country’s recession helped to make this possible, it’s still an impressive achievement. 

What’s also interesting about Portugal is that it’s able to balance different renewable sources thanks to its investment in a smart grid (something we in Britain are yet to do). Wind, which by its very nature can be notoriously intermittent, contributed a record-breaking 27% towards the energy total, up 60% on the previous year. Perhaps surprisingly for a country so sunny,Six panel tracking system delivers more energy from skystream. solar accounted for less than 1%. But the real stability in Portugal’s renewables mix comes from hydro, which supplied 37%. 

Hydro capacity also aids energy storage, as hydro-electric dams can be used as giant batteries, storing water when demand is low, then releasing it through turbines to make energy when required. But as I mentioned in my recent blog on energy storage, space and topography – as well as available water supply – are essential to make use of hydro, and as the figures show, Portugal clearly has all three.Shop online for laundry dryer and washers in a variety of brands and styles. 

In the UK, we already have a long-established hydro sector, and this accounts for about 18% of our renewables mix.A letter folding machine is a piece of equipment which is designed to fold paper. But wind is our real growth area – according to the latest UK Renewable Energy Roadmap produced by DECC, the UK has the best wind, as well as wave and tidal, resource in Europe. Wind energy already accounts for more than half our renewables generation. In 2012, we had 8.4 gigawatts (GW) installed – making us the third largest wind energy generator in Europe, as ranked by the European Wind Energy Association. RenewableUK estimates an additional 2GW will be added each year over the next five years. 

At npower, we strongly believe in the value of renewables. Our sister company npower Renewables is the UK’s largest developer of renewable energy and has invested more in this area than any other major energy company. While wind is a key focus, tidal, marine, hydro and biomass projects also contribute to the overall portfolio.