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We can’t deny the fact that how important are the energy sources for us. We all require energy to keep our homes, offices, industries, and everything else running.
UK energy-mix is changing in line these days. The main motto behind this wonderful initiative is to decarbonize the energy network. It is a great initiative that not only has added to the convenience of the residents of the country but also has added to its overall economy as well.
What is UK’s, Energy Mix?
The mixture of the primary energy sources used is known as the energy mix. National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) is the legal independent business group and an electricity system operator for the UK that ensures the proper supply of energy to the different sectors of the grid. ESO takes good care of the seamless energy supply for homes and businesses. The energy mix of the UK consists of different things including, gas, wind, coal nuclear fuel, biomass, solar, imports, hydro, energy storage, and much more.
The UK uses different sources of energy and that makes it independent of any particular source. It is the best possible thing a nation could do for the constant supply of electricity. The different types of electricity sources are:
Gas
The UK uses the best use of natural gas at this moment. It is a fossil fuel that emits a great amount of CO2 and hence puts on a bad impact on the environment as well. Moreover, the UK also imports around 50% of its gas supply.
Wind
Wind power is also serving as the bigger part of the UK’s energy supply at this moment. The UK government favors both onshore and offshore facilities for energy production. The onshore wind is the cheapest and the fastest method for scaling up renewable energy.
Nuclear Energy
The UK government also established different nuclear power stations throughout the nation to increase power generation by 2035. Due to some political controversies at this moment, the UK’s current nuclear power facilities are in bad shape and require replacement. The government has already woken up and is trying up different initiatives for the potential of nuclear energy.
Biomass
It is the second largest source of renewable energy in the UK. This energy is generally generated from burning wood, organic matter, and plant waste. Although this process also releases carbon dioxide still it is quite less than that of the one produced during the burning of fossil fuels. The country relies on the wood pellet important for running biomass power stations successfully. The best thing about this type of energy is that it is not weather dependent and hence can serve to be a constant and reliable source of energy.
Coal
It is another most important but the most polluting way of generating electricity. Burning coal in huge amounts for energy products not only adds a large amount of carbon dioxide to the environment but also serves to be the main reason behind climate change and the declining people’s health. Raising awareness has put on a greater impact and has reduced the power production through this source to a greater extent.
Solar Energy
Despite the Uk’s bad weather conditions, the UK still is serving as one of the top ten countries for generating electricity using solar panels. About 470 solar farms have been established throughout the nation that supplies energy to the millions of houses all across the nation.
Imports
The UK imports a lot of energy through different countries like France, Netherlands, and Ireland through the interconnector cables.
Hydro Energy
The majority of the hydroelectricity production in the UK comes from the mountain regions including Scotland and Wales. The energy is generated from the flowing water i.e. from the rivers and the man-made installations.
Storage
The stored energy facilities help the UK fill up the energy supply gaps perfectly while changing the energy sources. It not only helps in ensuring a consistent supply of energy throughout the nation but also absorbs the excess power when the power supply is quite low.
Renewable Sources of Energy: The Future
UK government recently has taken over a lot of initiatives in the growth of renewable sources of energy throughout the nation. It is a great initiative towards clean power generation. If we go with the records a record amount of energy i.e. about 40% was generated from renewable sources in the year 2022 and that is something quite enough to explain its possibilities in the future.