Where does UK energy come from?
We don’t often think about where UK energy comes from when we turn on the light, but understanding the carbon footprint of our energy sources is an important element of fighting climate change.
You might be surprised to hear that almost 60% of the fuel used to generate the UK’s energy comes from abroad. We import coal from Russia, gas from Norway and uranium from Kazakhstan.
This fuel travels an average distance of over 2,500 miles before it even reaches us. This only adds to the carbon emissions that are put into the atmosphere as a result of the fuel source later being burnt to generate energy.
Generating energy in the UK
In fact, the UK is the only one of Europe’s five biggest energy users to be increasing its reliance on imported energy. Our dependence on imported fuels is now at a level not seen since the 1970s.
But things are beginning to change, thanks to a quiet revolution that’s happening right now.
Renewables have become the second biggest source of electricity in the UK, providing a quarter of our power needs.
Choose renewable energy generated in the UK by switching to Good Energy
Renewable energy is making a difference
Clean energy is picking up the slack where fossil fuels are being phased out.
Half of the energy generated from ‘home-grown’ fuels (including fossil fuels like coal and gas) now comes from renewable sources. That’s up from less than a third in 2013.
The UK is a true global leader in tackling climate change. We’ve got world-beating carbon targets and thanks to cleaner, greener energy sources we’ve made a good start towards reducing our emissions by 80% by 2050.
We have some of the best natural resources for generating electricity in the world, so there’s no reason why renewables can’t continue to grow rapidly. Wind power in the UK is one of the cheapest forms of energy available and clean energy sources like this are also safer and give us more independence than relying on other countries for our fuel.
You can choose safe, home-grown clean energy for your home or business by switching to Good Energy’s 100% renewable power.