Sustainable Energy Facts January 2023

Sustainable Energy Facts | January 2023

| 2022 - a record breaking year for UK renewable energy

A record amount of energy from renewable sources was generated in the UK in 2022, according to new research. The data was analysed by academics from Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights. The researchers found that 40% of the UK’s electricity was made up of solar, wind, biomass and hydropower last year, an increase of 5% from 2021. The increase in power from renewable sources in Britain resulted in a lowering of carbon dioxide emissions by almost three million tons compared to 2021, a press release from Drax said. Power supplied by renewables has quadrupled in the past ten years.

According to an analysis by National Grid, windfarms produced a record amount of the UK’s electricity in 2022.

Figures from the company’s electricity system operator (ESO) showed that wind-powered electricity accounted for 26.8% of generation in 2022, up from 21.9% the year before.

| What happened at COP27?

The complexity of the global climate challenges going into COP27 meant that the outcome was mixed. There was no significant progress on closing the ‘ambition gap’ and keeping a rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C possible. There were no significant new steps since Glasgow’s COP26 on reducing dependence on fossil fuels and reducing emissions this decade. In this regard, the world’s major emitters made no notable new commitments on climate mitigation.

However, the biggest and arguably most significant moment from COP27 was the agreement amongst national governments to create a ‘loss and damage’ fund to aid vulnerable countries to deal with the impacts of climate change. Other major developments included: signatories to the Global Methane Pledge now totalling 150 countries; Brazil symbolically re-joining global cooperation in the fight against climate change thanks to president-elect Lula da Silva attending and reassuring the conference in person; and multilateral development banks (MDBs) coming under pressure to reform, with specific calls for them to be ‘fit for purpose’ to tackle the climate emergency.

Ultimately, COP27 did provide some positive moments, but it also fell short in many instances. Once again, the conference served the purpose of bringing the world’s attention squarely back to climate change and brought world leaders together to face the issue head on. The UK remains a key player in driving positive change in climate policy across the globe.

The good news is that we know what to do and we have the financial and technological tools to get the job done.” António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations

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Renewables’ share of electricity generation - Q3 2021 and Q3 2022

Source: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Statistical Release 22 December 2022

Regulatory update

December represented a busy month in Westminster for regulatory announcements and here are a two key ones that caught our eye:

• On 13 December, BEIS published its UK Hydrogen Strategy update to the market, summarising hydrogen policy developments and schemes since the last market update in July 2022. Policy areas covered in the update include: hydrogen production, hydrogen networks and storage, use of hydrogen, creating a market, hydrogen sector development and international leadership in hydrogen. The UK is now aiming for 10GW of hydrogen capacity.

• On 22 December, a consultation on Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy was opened, including proposed changes to planning policy for onshore wind to deliver a more localist approach. It explores how local authorities demonstrate support and respond to views of their communities when considering onshore wind development in England. If passed, these changes should unlock further opportunities for onshore wind turbines in the England. Responses are requested by 2 March 2023.

| Where has Net Zero already been reached?

According to research by Energy Monitor, eight nations have already achieved Net Zero. None of the nations are in Europe, with Bhutan, the Comoros, Gabon, Guyana, Madagascar, Niue, Panama and Suriname leading the charge.

The study shows that nature preservation and reducing humanity’s impact on wildlife is the key to quashing emissions and hitting the Net Zero milestone.

It is not necessarily a fair comparison to compare these nations with the UK as they are vastly different in terms of their population, land use and natural environment. However, the key take away is that the importance of sustainability and preserving what you have. If Net Zero is on your mind, do speak to a member of our Delivering Net Zero team to see how we can potentially help.

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| Some final thoughts…

As we enter 2023, the demand for renewable forms of energy generation and storage in the UK is more important and significant than ever. With the impact on fuel and energy costs following Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine as well as our own economic challenges, how we produce and store our energy is of critical importance. Renewable sources of energy are vital in this respect and will help to reduce our reliance on external sources of fossil fuels as we commit to increased energy independence in the UK. Our environmental biodiversity will also play its part and its role must be recognised as we continue our journey to net zero.