To what extent will the UK achieve their energy roadmap goals agreed at COP 21 in Paris in 2015?
Introduction
Renewable energy is on the increase, however the rate in which this increase is taking place is too slow. This leads to our country not being very sustainable. Before we begin to talk about the roadmap, it is important that we must understand the definition of sustainability. Sustainability is conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources . In terms of energy this can be achieved by increasing our use of renewable energy. Renewable energy is when energy is sourced from natural and alternative energy such as wind and solar .
There are many different types of renewable sources such as solar panels, wind turbines and hydroelectric power. Solar panels work by using sunlight and enhancing it into electricity which is then distributed. They work when the sunlight hits the anti-reflective coating of a solar panel which creates a charge with the delocalised electrons in specially treated semiconductor material. These were first created in 1954 by Bell Laboratories . Although it was very expensive at the time of discovery, over the years the price of manufacturing and installing the solar panels have decreased while the efficiency of the panels has also decreased meaning more energy can be produced at a faster rate. Another type of renewable energy which is very popular is wind energy produced by turbines. This produce energy by using the
Solar energy is a renewable energy source meaning that the energy is generated by the sun. The way that solar produces energy is by the sun's rays that reach earth and converts into heat and electricity. Its transported by photovoltaic ( pv devices ) and solar thermal electric power plants. Examples of this energy source is : solar powered window blinds, bulbs, refrigerators, radios, calculators,
The UK government had made concerted efforts over the years in developing a definite course of action for the Renewable energy industry in the UK in light of changing conditions of the industry. This was done in order to guide and determine the conditions of engagement while proposing future directions and decisions. The intentions of these high level overall plans were to provide clear goals for the relevant stakeholders including, regulators, generators, suppliers and consumers.
The sun, wind, and water are just some of the natural resources that people were able to use to make energy. There are solar panels, wind and water turbines that harvest the energy within these elements and converts them into electricity. These new technologies could potentially solve some pollution problems that have arisen over the years. First, look at how a solar panel is able to convert sun energy to electricity. Every single day, the sun rises over the horizon shining its rays over the land. Solar panels convert photons from the sunlight into direct current electricity. This electricity is
The definition of sustainability is the ability to support a long term ecological balance while not harming the environment or depleting its natural resources. According to Robert Goodland and his essay “The Case that the world has reached limits” the world is currently being run unsustainably, “being fueled by inherited fossil fuels is the best single example” (Goodland 602). Fossil fuels are non renewable gases and oils and we are using them to provide 60 percent of the global energy, because of the extensive usage of these nonrenewable fossil fuels, we barely have fifteen years left of reserves. Goodland uses his essay to build on Brundtland’s leads to gain and maintain sustainability, claiming that we need a “new era of economic growth” to meet the needs of sustainability (Goodland 602). Goodland
The United Kingdom is in the midst of a power shortage with fossil fuels running low and the closure of the coal mines and ageing nuclear power stations. In the upcoming winter months parts of the UK are likely to have “power blackouts.
Solar panels utilize photovoltaic power in large quantities, a method that became possible following the discovery of the silicon cell in 1954. A photovoltaic power system was developed for El Paso in 1980. Photovoltaics are
Recently, the price of unrenewable energy resource such as oil, coral and natural gas is increasing by time because of rare and more and more usage for individual and industries. Solar panels which use energy from Sun are considered as renewable energy through the form of solar radiation, UV. Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they
Solar power is nothing completely new; it has been used for years to power small devices from calculators to watches, but what is new is its improved efficiency. Solar panels can be used to collect energy from the sun and now are being used on a much larger scale. Homeowners and business can use energy generated from the panels to power their homes and offices and have it purchased by energy suppliers. Solar power is proving to be an economical energy source available to the public that is consumer friendly.
Using this multi-tier framework “can present an advantage compared to other existing metrics, where relevant data paucity is an issue” (Nerini). The measurements being made for target 7.1 are conducted by calculating the “percentage of [the] population with an electricity connection” and the “percentage of [the] population with primary reliance on non-solid fuels” (“Progress”, 19). The data collected is from internationally standardized questionnaires which are given in national household surveys (19). In regard to the targets 7.2 and 7.3, both objectives use “national energy balances collected in standardized form by the International Energy Agency (IEA) for larger countries and by the UN for smaller countries” for their data source (19). While the target 7.2 is measured by the “percentage of total final consumption of energy from renewable sources”, the target 7.3 uses the “compound annual growth rate of total primary energy supply to gross domestic product […] at purchasing power parity […]” (19).
The European Union’s total expenditures on research and development have grown rapidly since the mid-1980s. For example, in the period between the EU’s First Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (spanning the period 1984-1987) and the Fourth Framework Programme (1994-1998), R&D investments under the Framework Programme grew in real terms by more than 120%. The budget for the Fifth Framework Programme (1998-2002) is projected to be approximately $15 billion. R&D investments in the health, biotechnology, information technology, and transportation areas have grown most markedly in recent years. Energy R&D constitutes a major, yet declining, share of the total R&D expenditures of the European Union (EU). Adoption in 1996 of a Directive for the Internal Market for Electricity: The Directive marks the first major legislative step toward the creation of an open and competitive European electricity market. Under this law, all Member States were required to open at least 25.37% of their electricity markets to competition as of February 1999. Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the European Union committed itself to an 8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2008-2012. Greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate change mitigation now occupy a central position in EU Energy policy. The increase in funding for renewable energy R&D in the Fourth Framework Programme aimed to propel the growth of renewable energy in Europe and to spur European
In 1831, scientist Michael Farday discovered the first form of electricity. He found that when a magnet moved inside a copper coil it created what is known as an electric current. This invention is known as a turbine generator. Even today, in full sized power stations this simple invention is still used and works very effectively. These power stations create mass amounts of energy to turn the turbines. Most of the time the energy is made from the heat, for example when coal is burned. More environmentally friendly power stations use wind or flowing water to turn these turbines. This is known as renewable energy because it will not run out, unlike when oil and coal are used.(3)
The creation of solar energy requires little maintenance and solar electricity power plants produce zero emissions. Solar power plants use two different types of technologies: Concentrated solar power and Photovoltaic systems. Concentrated solar power plants, also known as “concentrated solar thermal”, uses solar thermal energy to make steam that is converted into electricity by a turbine. A photovoltaic system, also known as solar panels, generates electricity from sunlight. It is a device that converts light energy into electrical energy.
The phrase sustainable development is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. To create an impact on lowering the usage of fossil fuels and high levels of greenhouse gases there are several different forms of renewable energy available for worldwide use today. This includes biofuels (bioethanol and biodiesel), biomass, geothermal energy, hydroelectric power stations, solar powered cells, and wind turbines to name a handful of sources of energy. Solar energy from the sun can also be derived to produce photochemical, photoelectric, and photovoltaic energy to diversify its format.
In the current state, most of the world is using fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable sources. Fossil fuels are cheap and limited. They will soon be depleted. The world needs to find a source of energy that is not only renewable but sustainable. Sustainable Energy is usually associated with renewable energy. This is because renewable energy is a continuous source. However, the sustainability of each of different types of renewable energy vary. Sustainable energy means that amount of energy that is used, is also generated. The idea of sustainability means essentially that overall the plant or building is net zero. A net zero building would greatly prolong further damage to the Earth.
Renewable energy, what is it ? To put it simply, it’s a type of energy source that is eco-friendly and for the most part efficient. Fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil, methane gas, and other harmful energy sources will only aggravate earth's health and will inevitably affect our biosphere and atmosphere, in which we humans reside. There is nothing inherently wrong with this issue but can seriously be spoken more and enforced upon society, for the sake of humanity. It will take centuries before we can consider colonizing other planets and have humans living on them. We are unfortunately not there yet technologically speaking. All we can do is prolong earth's life before that happens, which will take some time. According to scientists, earth is approximately 4.3 billion years old, which is a long time, but as time progressed we humans kept finding ways to harm the earth at an exponential rate. In some cases we have also caused the extinction of many species that once inhabited earth. Some countries and certain states have started to take note of these trends and started to implement public policy and also have come up with new ways to combat this. Renewable energy is one of the best options at the moment and will hopefully make our earth a better place,literally. Many people go about their day always concerned about the political spectrum,which is fine, but the issues that accompany earth such as climate change are always swept under the rug and never heard of again.