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 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
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 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 is a great and appendant source of energy, it's called solar energy. Solar panels were
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 greatest energy that can be produced by the sun is electricity. Photovoltaics, or solar cells, capture the sun and convert it into electricity. Solar cells were discovered by the Europeans back in the 1870’s when they used selenium to develop the telegraph. They found that when light hits selenium it would produce and electrical current. Soon enough there were many scientists and engineers working on photovoltaic systems. Silicon and Selenium proved to be the two best elements to conduct electricity when light hits them. Photovoltaic systems (PV cell) work by converting the suns light into electricity. A semi conducting material absorbs the sunlight, that energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, this allows the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. The further development of solar cells can be attributed to the satellite industry. Solar cells were expensive and there was no use for them until satellites came. Because it is impractical to tether satellites it became important to develop solar energy at any cost that would power these satellites. This created a sustainable market for solar power, the first of its kind.
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
It is determined to reduce carbon emissions from the power sector 32 % of 2005 levels by 2030. The primary objective of the clean power plan is to establish unique emission rate goals and mass equivalents for each individual state to reach this target.
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.
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
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)
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.
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
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.
Solar power harness the sun 's energy to create electricity. Solar energy assets are enormous and boundless, and they can be tackled anyplace that gets sunlight. The measure of solar radiation, otherwise called insolation, coming to the earth 's surface consistently is more than all the energy at present devoured by every single human activity yearly [1]. Various variables, including geographic area, time of day, and current climate conditions, all influence the measure of energy that can engage in for electricity creation or heating purposes.