Author Avatar

UK can be almost entirely powered by renewable energy by 2030, new study shows

Posted by Greenpeace UK - 21st September 2015


“Can the UK run on renewable energy, and how long will it take us to get there?”

Here at Greenpeace those are two questions we get asked a lot, so today we’re pleased to say we took a big step toward answering them.

We’ve just launched a new independent report from energy system analysts Demand Energy Equality showing that by 2030, it will be possible for the UK to use mostly clean, renewable power — keeping the lights on without the need for new nuclear plants such as Hinkley.

The research, commissioned by Greenpeace, for the first time uses 11 years of real weather data to model hour by hour electricity demand and supply from renewable energy.

The plan is ambitious but completely doable. The model is economically viable if the government chooses to support a major expansion of both onshore and offshore wind and solar farms. The scenario also utilises and promotes the introduction of new technologies, such as ‘smart fridges’ that will use less electricity at peak hours, electricity storage, energy efficiency, tidal power and electric cars.

We’ve published a more-detailed write-up of the research over on our Energydesk blog.

Or you can download the full report here.


Article Tagged as: Energy, Featured