Renewable energy myths busted
At Good Energy we see a lot of misinformation about renewable energy.
Because this is the internet and anyone could make anything up, we’re going to back up all our points with solid research from independent third parties. Here are some of the common myths we see:
Myth #1
Renewable Energy is Too Expensive
Wind power is one of the cheapest forms of energy available, with solar power also being cheaper than coal and nuclear. These renewable forms of energy might currently be slightly more expensive than gas, but the cost of energy from gas is forecast to increase while that generated from renewables is only going to go down even further.
Here’s the Electricity Generation Costs report by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Myth #2
Renewables are the only energy type that gets subsidies
The belief that fossil fuels or nuclear don’t get subsidies is completely wrong. See our recent blog on renewable subsidies to understand more. In value terms, the UK Government pays much more in subsidies to fossil fuels than it does to renewable energy sources. And with government changes to renewable subsidies, the support clean, green energy receives has been drastically cut.
You can find out more about these subsidies here.
Myth #3
Climate change isn’t real
The science of climate change is clear. It’s how the world reacts that remains uncertain.
Here’s NASA’s page all about climate change: https://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consensus/
Myth #4
Wind farms kill birds and bats
This myth comes from early wind farms in the USA which were poorly designed and not well placed – however, this led to a change in process that ensures new turbines are less harmful to wildlife and a huge amount of consideration goes into their placement.
In fact, the number of birds killed by wind turbines is drastically less than that caused by cats, cars, buildings and agricultural pesticides. Find out more here.
Myth #5
You can’t switch to a 100% renewable energy provider
Like every supplier, our electricity reaches our customers via the national grid; otherwise, we’d have to run wires from our wind and solar farms and other renewable generators directly to the premises of our customers.
So at any given moment, our customers – like everyone else – are getting power from whoever is generating on the grid, including fossil and nuclear power stations.
But unlike other suppliers, we guarantee that, over the period of a year, every unit of electricity our customers use is matched by a unit going into the grid from our community of 2000 renewable generators. As we grow, this helps increase the amount of renewable electricity that’s going into the grid.
You can see this by looking at our fuel mix.
Myth #6
Renewables can’t provide electricity 24/7
The weather is rarely the same across the whole country, so spreading renewable generators out means you can reduce the impact of unfavourable weather in one place.
Some renewable technologies like biomass and hydropower, together with battery storage, can work together to help meet energy demand when solar and wind are producing less. It isn’t about relying on one specific form of energy; we need a balanced mix of sources, spread across the country and matched with battery storage and other smart technologies, to provide us with a steady supply of electricity.
Check out this statement from academics at Stanford University, which says “the main barriers to a conversion [to 100% renewable power] are neither technical nor economic; rather, they are social and political.”
Myth #7
We will never be able to leave natural gas
Currently, the UK is reliant on natural gas. It is cheap, easy to use and there is a good working system in place to deliver it to homes around the country which makes it seem impossible that we’ll ever be able to survive without it. However, natural gas comes at a cost to the environment, and there are other ways to heat our homes and businesses – one of them being air source heat pumps.
The Government have put in a target for 600,000 heat pumps to be installed every year from 2028. Find out more here.
Myth #8
We’re wasting land putting solar farms in fields
At Good Energy we’re big supporters of rooftop solar farms, however, we also think solar farms can be built in fields in harmony with wildlife and existing biodiversity. More often than not, these fields are dual purpose – providing a grazing area for sheep as well as generating renewable energy. In some cases, solar arrays are spaced far enough apart to grow crops in between and this is certainly the case with on-shore wind turbines too.
Here’s an entire article on agricultural good practice for solar farms.
Myth #9
Wind turbines are not efficient
Wind turbines cannot extract all the power from the wind, just as coal fired power stations cannot capture all the energy from coal and put it to good use. Neither method is 100% efficient – the science says they can’t be. However, on its own efficiency is not a good metric for wind turbines, because the fuel costs nothing and is an infinite resource. We should instead look at a turbine’s availability – how much of the time it can generate. Wind turbines do not break down very often and do not require much down time for maintenance, so can operate about 99% of the time.
Here is everything you need to know about the mathematics behind this.
Myth #10
Having solar panels will make your meter run backwards
This one actually can happen, but it shouldn’t. This would be a result of a faulty or non-compatible meter being used with a PV system. The company installing a PV system should check the compatibility of your meter and should inform your supplier if your meter needs to be upgraded.
Here’s what Which? has to say on this.
