The great news for all the citizens of the UK is that renewable electricity generation in the year 2013 increased to 30 percent, as per the DECC’s annual UK energy statistics. Previous to this, in 2012, the electricity generated from renewable sources was just 14.9 percent. This has proved that a brighter future of green energy is possible in UK, and that the government’s investment is paying off.
The use of clean and green energy seems to be increasing exponentially in the near future too. If we consider England alone, it has 2380 km of roof space. Hence, if it is lined with conventional solar panel technology, it would return a maximum energy generation, 380 GWp.
Solar capacity can be amplified by using unprofitable land like road verges and building facades. Secondly, as solar generation is accessible only during the daytime and more abundant in summer, there must be a proper provision of either storing it in batteries or complementing it with other sources like flexible gas plants or any other. This can be understood better with an example, in Germany winter winds are very strong. Thus, the seasonal fluctuation in solar energy is partly balanced by the wind power at that time. The same potential complementary use of solar and wind energy can be applied in the UK.
In the UK wind turbines have emerged to be an integral part of its landscape. It has turned the energy graph in a way that no other renewable technology does. Although, the government aims to curb subsidies for wind farm developments, the future for this renewable technology also remains bright.
In the future, you will also get to see the different shapes and sizes of wind turbines. Research has been made to improve initial propeller designs. It will soon be possible to generate electricity from minimum wind speeds of 2mph. Instead of using giant blades, funnels and tubes will be used to drive the turbine. Also, it is estimated that a special system similar to the Invelox system will be able to generate 600 percent extra energy when compared to the old bladed counterparts.
From above discussion, it is pretty clear that these renewable energy resources are set to continue as one of the major sources of energy production all across UK. The future developments will for sure bring greater efficiency which would take it beyond a need to rely on the fossil fuels.
The article came from Green Energy Scotland Limited which offers green deal assessment services in Scotland and helps people of Scotland to lower their energy bills. They provide energy saving advice and energy efficiency home improvement solutions. Connect on twitter to get regular updates.