Energy today
Less than 3% of the UK's energy came from renewable sources in 2008
Around 95% of UK customers get their energy from the 'Big Six' suppliers
60% of the UK's final energy needs are met by imports
Our current energy set up is unsustainable and in no shape to support future energy needs. It must evolve. The country has both the knowledge and the resources to make the changes that are necessary – it’s the inclination that is still lacking. Time is not on our side, but as more and more people understand what needs to be done, momentum and urgency is building.
However, the UK still languishes shamefully close to the bottom of the EU league table for renewable energy.
And this is despite being surrounded by a wealth of natural resources that will never ever run out. Take wind, for example. Depending on how many times your umbrella has been flipped inside-out on a blustery day you may or may not be surprised to hear that the UK is Europe’s windiest country. We enjoy 40% of the continent’s entire resource. Yet, in 2010, we used it to generate only around 2.5% of our electricity. We don't have to look far to find a country that takes the wind’s potential far more seriously. Denmark harnessed its natural power for over 19% of its electricity supply in 2008.
There is the potential for a local, natural homegrown energy future in the UK. And there is no time to be lost.
Supplementary Content
We're often told to save electricity, but as you can’t see it and can’t touch it, energy remains difficult to conceptualise. We try to address this in our educational projects, turning electrical energy into something physical. Good Energy share this idea of combining an awareness of where our energy comes from with educating consumers about energy consumption.