I've been finding it incredibly refreshing to see Department for Energy Security and Net Zero making some ambitious announcements regarding GB Energy plans. In my corner of the world, many are relieved that at long-last, structural barriers are being replaced with a supportive policy environment. Yet from speaking to people, a surprising number have met headlines with scepticism... seeming to think that net zero plans are 'going too far'... so to address some of those concerns, with some high-level geeky numbers...
We are reaching records with avg. 50% renewable energy in Q1 this year. This is great, but that's at a time when the electrification journey is just beginning:
- 75% of homes are still reliant on gas heating. 55k heat pumps were installed in 2022, the government targets see that rise to 600k per year by 2028.
- We've just passed 1.15m EVs on the roads, of a total 41m licensed vehicles.
- 1.39m households have home solar of a total 30m (GB).
* All government data sources, I've rounded for ease.
According to a report by Ecotricity, if all 65% of homes that are suitable for solar were covered in panels, that would generate a further 13% of current demand.
In other words, we have a long way to go to reduce our reliance on burning stuff for power. Rooftop solar is not the full picture. This journey will bring jobs, growth, technological advancement, and of course most importantly, mitigate climate impact. We've got to manage land-use and ecology impacts with sensitivity, and consider supply chain - but these are factors the clean energy industry takes serious account of, in my experience.
Proud to be part of a team that is innovating in this area.
📣 Announced today – Great British Energy will work in partnership with the private sector and The Crown Estate to accelerate the deployment of new renewable energy projects and support UK supply chains.
Great British Energy will be a new publicly-owned company set up to help make Britain a clean energy superpower, create jobs across the UK in our supply chains and boost our energy independence.
Find out more 👇
https://lnkd.in/d4G7six5