Renewable Energy is Fixing the Ozone (Slowly)

You may have heard in the news lately that the Earth is making very slow progress in healing itself. The ozone layer has closed ever so slightly and countries are doing much more to reduce their emissions.

But there is still a long way to go. We can reduce our carbon emissions even more by embracing renewable energy.

The UK already makes a big effort when it comes to renewable energy, but recent events such as the cuts to the Feed-in Tariff and the go-ahead of fracking in Lancashire means that we could do much more.

Here are the UK’s types of renewable energy to help power our homes and businesses.

Wind

Wind energy is the number one source of renewable electricity in the UK. There are almost 7,000 turbines spread across the country that generate electricity. Over the years, wind energy is expected to rise and we could see wind providing a huge percentage of our total electricity generation.

Solar

Solar electricity exploded when the government introduced the Feed-in Tariff scheme where homeowners are paid for each unit of electricity they generate. Even though the government made cuts to the scheme in January, the UK is still in the top 10 solar-producing countries in the world.

With solar, you’ll cut your electricity bill in half. You can increase that by getting a storage battery with your system too. You’ll also earn 4.19p/kWh through the Feed-in Tariff. Plus, you’ll get 4.91p/kWh for the electricity you export to the grid.

By 2018, it’s predicted that 4 million homes will be powered by solar electricity.

Biomass

Biomass is another renewable energy solution that is rising in popularity. Biomass boilers use fuel in the form of pellets or small logs to heat your home. As well as helping the environment, you can save money with a biomass boiler if you had an oil boiler before.

Since biomass boilers use wood as fuel, they only release the same amount of carbon as the tree absorbs when it is alive. That means that they’re a great way to reduce your carbon emissions and help the environment.

Hydroelectric renewable energy

Hydroelectric power refers to the process of water flowing through a turbine to generate electricity. It’s usually produced in a power plant that uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir.

The biggest hydroelectric plant in the UK is in Wales, which is a pumped storage plant. They still use electricity, but they contribute more, which makes it a great source of renewable energy.

Hydroelectricity currently generates 2% of the total of the UK’s renewable electricity. Room for lots of improvement!

Marine energy

You might not know what marine energy is because the government hasn’t spent money on developing systems to make it work. It refers to wave and tidal power, which is perfect for us since we’re surrounded by the sea.

But experts aren’t convinced that it is economically viable, and there are worries that it may affect sea life, so we don’t know exactly how much electricity it could produce us at the moment.

Want to do your bit for the environment? There are plenty of different renewable energy options available for your home. Speak to one of our energy saving advisers to see how much money you could save on your energy bills whilst reducing your carbon emissions.