It’s no secret that the planet is warming, and it’s because of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases that we emit into the atmosphere every time we turn on our boiler or switch on our lights. In the first two months of 2018, the news about global warming has been alarming: the Arctic had its warmest winter on record and its sea ice hit new lows; the oceans are the hottest they’ve ever been since records began; and sea levels are rising at an unprecedented rate.
In a bid to reverse global warming and drastically slash our greenhouse gas pollution, the UK has legally committed itself to reducing 57% of emissions by 2030, and 80% by 2050. There’s no doubt that a low-carbon, renewable energy revolution will give us the best chance to hit these targets.
Renewable resources include solar energy, wind, falling water, the heat of the earth (geothermal), plant materials (biomass), waves, ocean currents, temperature differences in the oceans and the energy of the tides. Renewable energy technologies produce power, heat or mechanical energy by converting those resources either to electricity or to motive power. The development of the national grid system will focus on those resources that have established themselves commercially and are cost effective for on-grid applications.
