The Main Energy Options in the UK - Essay Example

?Evaluate the Main Energy Options Currently Available In the UK Table of Contents Introduction 3 The Main Energy Options in the UK 4 Wind Energy 4 Energy Obtainable Through Tidal-Waves 5 Bio-Fuels Energy 5 Solar Energy 7 Hydro-Electric Energy 7 Geothermal Energy 8 Nuclear Energy 9 Evaluation of the Energy Sources Available In UK 10 Conclusion 12 References 13 Bibliography 17 Introduction In the present day context, energy sources have turned out to be one of the imperative factors to support the survival of human life. It has been observed that energy is quite essential in every aspect of human life such as for cooking purposes, industrial manufacturing purposes and transportation purposes along with for various mechanical operations. At present, the required amount of energy is obtained from various sources such as oil, gas, coal, wood, nuclear and other primary sources including solar, wind and water power. In order to effectively source energy from the available means, machineries or end-use equipments such as turbines, motors and hydro-machineries among others are used at huge quantities. Contextually, in a majority of instances, a substantial quantity of primary energy is reported to be wasted due to inefficient design of machineries or equipments utilised to generate energy. From a general perspective, energy sources can be categorised in two broad sections, i.e., the primary or non-renewable sources of energy (such as natural gas, oil, coal and conventional nuclear power) and renewable sources of energy (such as wood, plants, geothermal sources, tidal wind and wave energy) (Crown, 2009). Notably, the United Kingdom is considered as one of the leading nations constituted with a large variety of renewable energy sources. The UK is also considered as a major production house of offshore wind energy where more than 700 wind turbines have been already launched (Committee on Climate Change, 2011). Based on this context, the paper will aim at identifying and discussing the various energy options currently available in the UK. The Main Energy Options in the UK Wind Energy In the year 2011, the UK installed wind power of about 5.7 gigawatts. The nation is considered as one of the leading producers of wind power all over the world. In the UK, wind power sources are continuously developing in terms of its production capacity, which is further expected to increase by more than 2 gigawatts in the next five years. To be specific, wind power is considered as the second largest source of energy within the UK. In the year 2010, the UK wind industry was reported to have already installed several types of on-shore as well as off-shore wind energy production turbines. For instance, medium-sized UK wind-energy production companies such as Gunfleet Sands Offshore Wind Farm, Robin Rigg Wind Farm and Thanet Off-shore Wind Farms among others have been deemed eligible for government grants. It has further enhanced their financial capabilities to install advanced technologies in order to generate more than 1.1 gigawatts of electricity per day. It is worth mentioning in this context that the wind-energy producing farms in the UK distribute electric power primarily to the manufacturing industries. In the next five years, the government of the UK is expecting to obtain 960 gigawatts of electricity on a yearly basis from this energy source (DONG Energy Power, n.d.; E.ON UK plc, 2012; GL Group, 2010). Energy Obtainable Through Tidal-Waves Apart from the wind-energy sources, the UK also has the capability to produce electricity from ocean waves by utilising the tidal power. In February 2007, the UK had established its first wave farm which was categorised as one of the world’s leading producers of electric energy from tidal currents of the ocean. In the UK, on a yearly basis, it has been observed that this particular energy source can generate more than 3 megawatts of electricity through its four different types of Pelamis machines. In the UK, ocean currents are used to produce energy principally in two regions i.e. England as well as Scotland. In a majority of companies, advanced Ocean Power Technology known as PB150 PowerBuoy is commonly used to convert tidal currents into energy to produce electricity (Eurosai Wgea, 2010). Bio-Fuels Energy In the UK, Bio-fuels are considered as another major energy source which contributes approximately 39.4% of the quantity-demanded for electricity within the entire nation. According to the forecasted reports, the summative amount of energy to be produced through this particular energy source, i.e. bio-fuels, is expected to increase to 49.4% in next five years. It is worth mentioning in this context that this particular energy source is considered to be a renewable energy source which is produced from crops, feedstock, grasses and trees principally. Such energy sources are also recognised to produce minimum environmental hazards owing to which they have been gaining increasing demand within the national context of the UK. With this concern, in order to substantially reduce carbon emission within its national territory, Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) of the UK has been operating with a motive to encourage the use of bio-fuels within the nation. Contextually, recent researches have depicted that the UK is the world’s largest consumer of bio-diesels. As per a recent statistical report, the European Union (EU) has been recognised to consume around 71% of the bio-fuels produced in Argentina (Worldwatch Institute, 2013). Apart from bio-diesels, the UK has also been focusing on increasing its production of bio-ethanol (Eurosai Wgea, 2010). According to the statistical report of 2011, the production of bio-fuels by the UK has been summarised in the table below: Source: (AEA, 2012) Solar Energy In the UK, solar power is identified as another source of generating energy through which more than 230,000 solar plants have already been installed in different regions of the nation. These plants have further been observed to generate approximately 1,000 megawatts of electricity from solar energy on an annual basis (Eurosai Wgea, 2010). It is in this context that statistical reports have been depicted that a substantial rise on the year-on-year basis can be evidently identified when assessing the production rate of solar energy within the UK. As stated by Bennett (2012), during the year 2011, the UK solar energy producers were recorded to contribute around 0.05TWh. However, by the year end of 2012, the UK solar energy producers were recorded to produce approximately 0.5TWh through the installation of 1.38 gigawatts solar generation capacity. This apparently depicted a massive 840% increase in the solar energy production in the UK. Following such hikes in its demand, the solar energy producing companies also grew which today constitute an astonishingly large cluster of around 4000 companies within the nation (Bennett, 2012). Hydro-Electric Energy According to the data revealed through a statistical report in the year 2012, in the UK the hydro-electric power stations located all around the nation generate more than 1.65 gigawatts of electricity per annum. This particular energy source has also been claimed to have contributed around 2% of the total electricity consumed by the UK households (Palmer, n.d.). Notably, this particular energy source is also qualified under the Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) scheme of the UK whereby the assured government grants and rising demands for renewable energy are expected to propel the production of hydro-power within the nation substantially in the subsequent years. Contextually, hydro-electricity in the UK is produced through turbines in micro-units and through dams in major units. The UK also enjoys a geographical benefit from the numerous rivers flowing within its territories which further encourages the production of hydro-energy among small and large producers. Notably, a majority of the electricity produced through hydro-power conversion is used by households. This figure is estimated to increase to 850,000 homes in the subsequent years amounting to almost 3% of the total quantity-demanded for electricity (Gray, 2010). Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy in the UK is produced by using the energy stored in active volcanoes where the heat is converted into electricity to be used by the residents for household or industrial purposes. It is also regarded as a renewable energy source which produces as well as delivers electric energy within the entire nation of the UK and is considered as the fifth largest contributor to the total renewable energy demanded in the UK. As stated by Harvey (2012), recent studies reveal that the geothermal energy stored in the geographic landscapes of the country has the potential to contribute approximately 20% of the total electricity demanded by the households of the country. This particular energy source is also expected to reward the country with 100 gigawatts of heat which is further estimated to be sufficient in satisfying the aggregated space heat requirements of the nation. Emphasising on these credentials of geothermal energy stored underneath the crust of the UK, the government has taken significant initiatives to entertain the production of increased energy through this source (Harvey, 2012; Eurosai Wgea, 2010). Nuclear Energy In the UK, nuclear power is also considered as one of the leading energy sources. Currently, the sector comprises sixteen nuclear reactors at nine operational plants. It has been observed that on an average more than 26% of electricity is generated from the nuclear power plants on an annual basis in the UK. However, it is worth mentioning in this context that as the nuclear energy source is not considered to be a renewable energy source, or rather because it is categorised as a non-renewable source of energy, the UK government has already been inclined towards implementing several assessment processes in order to re-design its nuclear plants in a more environment-friendly and secure way. Aggregately, the nuclear power plants in the UK produce around 19 gigawatts of electricity for the nation. These plants are further expected to produce electricity at a huge scale by 2018. According to an assessment made in the year 2011, 365 billion kilowatts of electricity had been generated in the UK which comprised 69 TWh of electricity generated from nuclear, 145 TWh from gases, 109 TWh from coal, 15.5 TWh from wind, 8.6 TWh from hydro-electric sources and 14.9 TWh from bio-fuels (World Nuclear Association, 2013; Spring, 2011; University of Birmingham, 2012). Hence, it becomes quite apparent that the nuclear energy source acts as a major energy producing industry in the UK. Evaluation of the Energy Sources Available In UK In the year 2009, the UK government had launched ‘Low Carbon Transition Plan’ in order to generate more than 30% of energy from renewable sources by reducing 40% carbon emission. On an annual basis, the government of the UK also focuses on generating at least 15% of the required amount of energy through renewable sources by the year 2020. Hence, it can be affirmed that the government policies play an imperative role in generating and distributing the required energy which is produced from renewable sources throughout the country (Crown, 2011; Eurosai Wgea, 2010). The UK is also considered as one of the largest sources of wind, wave and tidal energies. Wind turbines are situated in various parts of the nation which generate in excess of 20% of the UK’s demanded electricity. In the UK, wind turbines are often categorised as the largest sources of energy which produce electricity for the entire nation. According to the obtained data, modern technological turbines have been producing outputs of about 1000-2000 kilowatts per day. These turbines are installed in ‘wind farms’ of the UK. Additionally, the UK also generates electricity from the tidal waves of the sea water taking the virtues of the water currents. There are various deep-water (hydro-electric) machinery projects installed in the bay regions producing more than 50% of the nation’s required electricity. Stating precisely, the hydro-electric power system produces nearly 8000 megawatts electricity to be distributed in every province of the UK according to the consumption requirements (The Open University, 2013). Apart from these sources, the UK also produces energy from the solar power which is also quite cost-effective. The UK generates solar energy with the help of ‘passive-solar’ mechanism which is designed in the form of a panel capable of capturing solar heat from sunshine. After capturing the solar power, it is converted to electricity through ‘photovoltaic solar cells’. The UK also generates energy from several types of bio-fuels, chemical gases and woods (The Open University, 2013; Eurosai Wgea, 2010). During the period of 1990s, renewable energy sources were reported to satisfy a considerable proportion of the energy requirements within the nation. They were facilitated by medium scale hydro-electric dams. However, a statistical record reported in the year 2011 depicted a significant increase in the production capacity of the UK based hydro-electric firms. In this context, it can be ascertained that the renewable resources delivered approximately 9.4% electricity within the provinces of the UK, which is equal to 34.4 TWh of electric power (Eurosai Wgea, 2010). Conclusion The core concept which emerges from the above discussion is that the UK possesses several alternative energy sources through which the nation produces and delivers as well as satisfies the huge demand for electricity and other power supplies within its national context. However, even though a large quantity of energy can be observed to be produced from nuclear and hydro-power in the country, the government is reported to be increasingly focused on encouraging the non-renewable energy source usage in order to preserve the natural resources in an efficient manner. The UK generates energy from the renewable sources such as bio-fuels, coals, woods, hydro-turbines and tidal-waves as well as geo-thermal power sources in order to reduce greenhouse emission. Stating precisely, every year the nation produces a huge scale of electricity from wind-power, solar-power, tidal-waves and nuclear power. References AEA, 2012. RESTATS: UK Production of Biofuels for Road Transport in 2011 – Abstract. Report for DECC, Issue Number 1. Bennett, P., 2012. Solar-Generated Electricity in the UK Increases By 840 Percent in One Year. Solar Media Limited. 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