9 Reasons the UK Needs To Abandon Natural Gas
At Good Energy we see natural gas as being a transitional fuel towards the ultimate goal of a 100% renewable future. Many people believe that the biggest issue we face at the moment is fracking, but the problem is our heavy reliance on natural gas for generating electricity, heating and cooking.
There is a lot of work that needs to be put into removing natural gas from the UK’s fuel mix – some of which everyone can do at home, others which rely on suppliers like Good Energy and the smaller generators we support.
Our Green Gas is different to standard natural gas for a few reasons:
- It contains at least 6% biomethane which is chemically identical to natural gas but can be created and used with less impact on the environment
- Through supporting carefully selected carbon reduction projects in Vietnam, Nepal and Malawi, we balance the carbon emissions from our customer gas use.
- These projects bring real and tangible economic, social and health benefits to the local communities.
Join Good Energy to support our Green Gas projects every time you use your cooker
Here are nine reasons why we believe the UK’s reliance on natural gas needs to end:
#1 It doesn’t create a low carbon system
Natural gas isn’t a clean, sustainable form of energy. Burning it creates carbon dioxide which is the largest contributor towards climate change (regardless of what Donald Trump might say, it does exist). In order to truly tackle climate change we need to move away from burning natural gas altogether and move to a 100% renewable future.
#2 We don’t want to be locked into long-term reliance on a finite fuel
The thing about fossil fuels is that they won’t be around forever. We can make the choice now to ensure that new pipelines and power stations can use alternative fuels and leave the fossil fuels in the ground, or we could leave it until later and be forced to look for new solutions yet again. We need to consider carefully whether our current plans are compatible with the UK’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
#3 The transition needs to start now
We believe that the government should invest in more ways to encourage a transition away from natural gas. This could be with stricter building standards that ensure new homes are more efficient and use renewable heat technology or it could be re-purposing the existing gas network to carry bio-methane or hydrogen. The technology exists, but Government must provide and set the right direction.
#4 We need flexible energy systems that are compatible with a renewable future
At Good Energy we’ve always said that renewables should be a major source of electricity generation in the UK. Thanks to their advantages over other technologies and the UK’s unique geography, they are an ideal fit. But renewables work best when paired with flexible technologies like battery storage and demand side response, not relatively inflexible gas power stations which are difficult to turn up and down.
#5 There are huge issues with fracking
While they may be fracking in America, we should not be following their lead. The UK is small and densely populated with greater geological complexity than the US. There are massive implications for carrying out fracking safely because of the potential escape of chemicals being used and the possibility of contamination of water supplies.