In truth, we not only need to switch from fossil fuel derived energy to renewables but we also need to dramatically reduce our energy consumption across society. As you might expect, this is a gargantuan task and will require great changes in behaviour across our (and all other developed country’s) society.
Generate the power you need, where you need it.
Estimates of the amount of energy used in UK homes as a percentage of the UK total vary, but are generally quoted as being between 30% -40%. Whatever the precise figure, it is clear that in order to tackle this issue effectively we all need to take steps to reduce our energy consumption or find renewable ways of supplying it.
On the reduction side, it is one thing to make a commitment to turning the lights off when not needed or use the tumble-dryer less often, but another to really stick with it. Added to this we increasingly use so called energy saving devices and electronic gadgets in our ever more automated lives. For example, you are reading this on a computer, which is using electricity that is most likely to have been generated by burning coal or gas in a power station miles away.
Surely it makes much more sense to produce it on your roof, and get paid for it in the process?
Make a significant impact on your own ‘Carbon Footprint’
We’ll make the assumption that, like us, you accept that climate change is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with urgently. The key point is how can we reduce our production of so-called ‘greenhouse gases’, the largest culprit of which is CO2?
A typical domestic Solar PV installation of 2kWp will reduce your CO2 production by approximately 1.2 tonnes per year.
What does this mean? Figures published by the Guardian in September 2009 show that in the UK we produce 9.66 tonnes of CO2 per person, per year. With an average occupancy of 2.37 people per household in the UK (ONS, 2008) would mean a 5% drop in those CO2 emissions which, let’s face it, doesn’t sound great!
However the 9.66 tonnes is made up of many different activities and pursuits including travel, food production and distribution, leisure activities and so on. So if we measure as a percentage of what actually gets generated in the home we arrive at a figure nearer 20%. Furthermore, if we take heating the home out of the calculation (generally done using gas or oil rather than electricity in the UK), we arrive at close to a 30% reduction in per capita CO2
There has been much talk (or perhaps misinformation) about the energy usage and consequent carbon cost of producing a PV panel. The real answer is, on average, somewhat less than 2 years. You can download the Energy Usage of PV Production on this.
UK Energy policy
The UK has been dependent on North Sea oil and gas for some 40 years, and unlike countries such as Norway, we haven’t really saved much of the revenue for a rainy day.
Our dependency on foreign oil and gas is now a significant issue. Periods of shortage or political upheaval in the future may leave the UK exposed, often at the end of pipelines, or trying to negotiate with other countries that hold all the cards. This is not a good situation to be in.
Furthermore, our electricity production capability is also in a precarious position. With our nuclear power stations at the end of their lifetime, and coal power stations too dirty to pass EU regulations, the UK is at risk of failing to build enough capacity to keep the lights on over the next 10 years.
The 2009 Renewable Energy Strategy talked about large growth in renewables, and the need to reduce emissions from homes. It continues to fail to link the two.
Our homes provide us with the ability to make a real difference.
First through insulation and solar hot water, we can reduce our energy requirements.
Heat Pumps, in combination with solar hot water, can begin to solve our need for heat from oil or gas.
And finally, we can begin to turn our houses into power stations with solar photovoltaic (or wind turbines for some) providing electricity for our homes and to feed back into the grid for others.
Solar Photovoltaic systems make great environmental sense in many ways and because of the advent of significant feed-in tariffs, the financial case for installing them on our homes has become even more compelling. UK households are set to make a significant difference to the UK energy production mix and our meeting of commitments for a sustainable and low carbon environment.