What types of renewables are available?
Marine Power
Wave power
A proportion of energy from waves, which crash onto our shores every day, can be harnessed and converted into electricity. It would provide a steady, reliable form of renewable electricity generation to meet a significant amount of the UK’s energy demands.
Tidal power
Although it sounds similar, it differs from wave power. As the tide goes in and out it releases energy during the changes, which can be used to produce electricity. It is a good renewable source because it is very predictable; however, there are times at high and low tide when no electricity can be produced.
Wind Power
Large scale wind power
As the UK is such a windy country, the wind is a renewable energy that is readily available. This energy can be used to turn wind turbines, which then generate electricity. Britain currently has 1,296 large scale wind turbines, including many in the north east, which create enough energy for 600,000 homes.
Small scale wind power
These turbines operate the same as their larger counterparts but as the blades have diameters of between 1 and 3 metres, can be used at a variety of fixed locations, such as on motor homes and boats. They produce 400 to 3,000 watts of power. A small turbine, which can create 4,200kwh electricity per year, is currently being developed for use in homes. It will provide 30% of household electricity, save 1.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide [Link to carbon dioxide] and £280 on your electricity bill each year.
Solar Power
Solar PV
This type of solar power uses Photo Voltaic (PV) panels to transform the sun’s energy into electricity that can either be stored in batteries or fed directly into the National Grid. These panels are now made to work well in the UK, despite our cloudy days.
Solar thermal
This does not produce electricity, but heats water which can be used in your house. Although the system Link to solar century or the EST website costs about £3,000 to £5,000, it will pay for itself in about seven years.
Hydro Electric
Large scale power plants
These work by storing large volumes of water high up behind large dams and then, as the water is released, it is used to drive turbines to produce electricity. The majority of the UK’s hydro plants are pump-storage facilities that use excess electricity from the National Grid to pump water from a reservoir at the bottom of the dam up into the top reservoir.
Small scale power plants
Water is taken directly from fast-flowing rivers and streams to drive small turbines to produce a few KW of electricity. These power plants are useful due to the relative reliability of water flow.