As temperatures have risen to record-breaking highs this week, we’re reminded of the need to move faster; the need to meet net zero targets sooner; the need for governments, businesses, and society to make changes, now.
Despite a ruling this week that the Government’s net zero strategy is unlawful, the need to meet targets remains and there are still ambitious plans in place to accelerate the deployment of wind, new nuclear, solar and hydrogen.
But how is all this energy – mostly coming from sites based either at sea or in remote areas – going to make it to the end user?
The answer is “the grid.” But can the grid cope?
We need solutions if we’re going to move faster, and we think generating energy locally needs to be one of those solutions.
There are many benefits of generating energy locally, including:
- Lower transmission distance means lower transmission costs, which in turn means lower electricity prices
- Opportunity to increase network resilience
- Bring balance to the local grid
- Aids local sustainability goals
After a year of increased energy bills, the idea of generating electricity locally is increasingly compelling.
This winter, an estimated 30% of UK households are expected to have to decide whether to feed their families or turn on the heating. How can we have so many people in fuel poverty in 2022?
We often hear that one of the main downfalls of renewable energy is its reliability; after all we can’t control the weather. However, smaller, lighter, and easier to install turbines that don’t rely on just the wind but can harvest the untapped energy produced by moving vehicles makes local energy generation more viable than ever.
Renewable energy needs to become a year-round solution, and increasing green infrastructure investments and creating sustainable towns should be a priority for communities.
There are many businesses, like ours, striving to make a difference and provide solutions. One of these is a Finnish company which has developed a ‘sand battery’ that – according to the BBC – could solve green energy’s big problem.
We’re looking forward to seeing more headlines about local energy generation soon.