More power came from renewable sources for the first time in Britain last year. From January through December 2019, the nation got 48.5% of its electricity from renewable energy and only 43% from fossil fuels. The National grid released figures that show hydro plants, wind and solar farms, nuclear energy, and clean power imported by sub-sea cables combined were what delivered the record-breaking amount of clean energy.
The surplus 8.5% was generated by biomass, which is considered renewable, but it is not clean because it produces carbon emissions in the process. When the wood pellets are burned to make power, they release CO2 (and PM2.5 pollution).
John Pettigrew, National Grid CEO, told Sky News:
2019 is a massively historic milestone in that it’s the first time ever in the UK that we’ve had more electricity produced from zero-carbon fuels than from fossil fuels. Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen a gradual shift away from fossil fuels. So, in 2009, about 30% of electricity in the UK was produced by coal but what’s been happening over the last decade is a move towards wind and solar as well as zero-carbon electricity from Europe being imported into the UK as well.
Many more projects are in the works, such as a connection to Norway via cables under the North Sea so the UK can harness hydropower being generated there. There are five more projects like this in operation or under construction. They are called “interconnectors” and consist of cables between Britain and the surrounding European countries.
As good as this news is, there are still hurdles to cross if the UK is to achieve its net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 target. Mr. Pettigrew said:
If you’re going to achieve net-zero you’ve got to decarbonize energy which is something the National GQrid is really focused on, but also you’ve got to decarbonize transport. If you think about decarbonizing transport it’s really about moving from traditional petrol and diesel for cars to electric vehicles.
If we’re going to achieve net-zero you’re probably going to see something like 36 to 40 million electric vehicles by 2050 and all those cars need to be charged so the National Grid is thinking very carefully about how we actually make sure that we’ve got the infrastructure that we need.
A team of scientists at the University of Warwick is working on developing batteries to be used in electric vehicles. They are focusing on improving their efficiency and seeing if they could be applied in situations beyond the automotive industry. For example, they are looking into ways they can be used to store renewable power.
Lead engineer for battery systems at the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Stene Charmer, said:
The UK is really well-placed for capturing wind energy or tidal energy. But storing that energy such that we can get it on the demand that we need is something that still needs to grow. These will be assembled into what we call second-life battery packs and be stored in our homes, stored in factories or warehouses up and down the land and they’ll capture that wind energy and store it such that you and I can boil our cup of tea when we need it.
Nuclear power has been included in the National Grid’s figures for renewable energy. Still, there is a growing concern over how big a part nuclear should play in providing electricity to Britain in the future.
Mark Sommerfield, the policy director at the Renewable Energy Association, said:
Nuclear power has always been a fairly controversial area. It is recognized as a low carbon solution and therefore probably does have a role to play in decarbonizing the energy grid. Of course, there are significant concerns around it particularly around what you do with that nuclear waste.
Mr. Pettigrew believes nuclear “doesn’t have to be part” of achieving the net-zero goal. He added:
As we move forward over the next thirty years some of those nuclear stations are going to close and one of the debates will be will they be replaced with new nuclear or replaced with renewables such as wind and solar so that’s not entirely clear at the moment but that will work itself out over the next 20 to 30 years.
We are edging nearer and nearer to 2050, and the consensus across the industry is that the pace of change needs to accelerate.
