Floating solar energy

Courtesy : www.greenmatch.co.uk/

The issues of energy security and rising energy costs to the UK and Europe are of growing concern presently, and renewable solutions from natural resources can contribute to a reliable and efficient solution.

The UK currently generates just under 10% of its power from renewable resources and the government has committed to increasing this percentage over the coming decade. There are other several methods of producing renewable energy, from solar panels, air source heat pumps, and wind turbines.

UK is the windiest country in Europe with about 40% of the total wind that blows across Europe, because of its geographical location which makes it an important source of energy. Another powerful renewable energy source that has great potentials in the UK is tidal energy.

The UK’s tidal power resource is estimated to be more than 10 gigawatts (GW), representing about 50% of Europe’s tidal energy capacity.

GreenMatch has created an infographic that represents tidal and wind resources in the UK and their potential.

If you would like to use this infographic on your website, use the embed code below:Get Embed Code 

What Is Wind Power?

Wind power is the utilisation of of air flow through wind turbines to mechanically power generators for electricity. Wind power is the second largest source of renewable energy after biomass in the UK. It delivers a growing fraction of the energy in the country and it is expected to continue growing for the foreseeable future. Renewable UK estimates that more than 2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity will be deployed per year for the next five years.

The European Wind Energy Association believes Europe could achieve an electricity which is 100% from renewable sources, with wind energy providing 50% of this. Additionally, the European Commission believes that wind energy will supply between 32% and 49% of the EU’s electricity by 2050.

What Is Tidal Energy?

Tidal energy is a type of hydropower produced by the surge of ocean waters during the rise and fall of tides. There are currently three different ways to generate tidal energy: tidal streams, barrages, and tidal lagoons.

Tidal power technologies are not new. Examples were already reported from the Roman times where the ruins of tidal mills installations were found in Europe from around the year 700. In fact, tidal power technologies have advanced considerably over the past few years, and there are a number of ongoing full-scale demonstration projects around the world.

 Video on How Tidal Power is Generated

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Source: Student Energy, 2015

What Is the Current State of Tidal Power and Wind Energy in the UK?

The UK has established the Renewables Obligation scheme to support the emerging renewables industries. Moreover, the government has indicated that tidal energy projects that are installed by 2017 will be eligible for five Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs). This form of incentive will be pivotal in attracting the needed private investment to guarantee that the UK achieves a position as a global leader in the tidal energy sector.

The UK had the highest level of investments in the wind energy sector in 2015, attracting £11.391* billion for the construction of new onshore and offshore wind farms. This accounts for 48% of the total investments made in the wind sector in Europe 2015. Tidal energy and wind power have significant economic benefits. For instance, tidal energy has the potential to power 15 million homes, save 70 million tonnes of carbon and create 16,000 jobs in the UK alone.

According to Eurostat, nine EU countries have surpassed the target of meeting 20% of energy from renewables by year 2020. However, the UK is expected to miss this target. Therefore, Greenmatch asked experts in the renewable energy field in the UK to express their standpoint about the reasons why the UK is far from achieving this target?

According to Professor Ben Wilson from the Scottish Association For Marine Science:
“UK has no energy strategy, and real-time market forces & the constraints on the grid will throttle renewables. Artificially cheap hydrocarbons don’t help”.

Dr Alan Owen from Robert Gordon University Aberdeen added:
“The UK does not have the committed long-term buy-in from government. My belief is that renewables are still seen as ‘left-wing” by the political class.The flip-flopping over FIT’s and other support does not help investors, and Daily Mail campaigns over renewables subsidies (whilst ignoring the subsidies to oil and gas) creates a distorted picture in the public mind, alongside a failure to recognise the importance of energy security”.

And he concluded by stating: “The UK has more resources than it needs but lacks the political will to use them”.

The Levy Control Framework (LCF), which governs the level of subsidy available for clean energy projects in the UK, is expected to provide £7.6 billion worth of financial support for clean energy projects through to 2020. However, the government has in recent months slashed subsidies for a host of renewable energy technologies amidst fears that the LCF cap could be breached before 2020.

Caroline Lucas from Green Party MP urged by stating: “If the Chancellor wants to make a smart investment for a green economy, he should immediately commit to rolling out a nationwide energy efficiency programme – to cut fuel bills, keep people warm in their homes, create thousands of jobs and tackle climate change.” (Business Green, 2016). 

What Are Wind Turbine Costs?

The cost of investing in wind power as a source of energy varies. The construction of wind farms do not incur any fuel costs for wind power production. As a result, the cost can be predicted with great certainty, unlike the fluctuations in the price of oil, gas, and coal used in other sources of energy production. 

Nevertheless, the wind turbine carries the largest cost. This is a capital cost that has to be paid up front. The wind turbines account for 64-84% of total installed costs onshore, with the costs of grid, construction, and other costs making up the balance.

Positively, when the turbine is set and running, there are no fuel and carbon costs apart from operation and maintenance costs (O&M). This is minimal compared to, for instance, a gas power plant where the O&M is 40-70% of total costs.

In 2010, onshore wind was estimated to cost £58.61* per MWh by the European Wind Energy Association electricity cost calculator, but predicted to decrease to £51.85* by 2020. Onshore wind power is competitive once all costs associated with traditional energy sources, such as, fuel and CO2 costs, and the improvements to the environment and people’s health are accounted for.

Offshore wind farms on the other hand are more expensive and cost about £3.16* million per megawatt, with the wind turbine cost accounting for 44% to 50% of the total amount.

If you take into account a cost of £27.09* per tonne of CO2 emitted from traditional power production, than onshore wind energy would be the cheapest source of renewable power generation in Europe.