 Fossil Fuels
At present, most of the UK’s electricity is generated through the burning of fossil fuels. This includes coal (33%) and natural gas (39%).
How is electricity produced from fossil fuels?
The fossil fuels are burnt to produce steam. The steam then powers a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity.
Why are fossil fuels bad?
Fossil fuels are non renewable and therefore cannot be replaced. Once they have been consumed, they are gone forever. But, more importantly, the burning of fossil fuels emits CO2, which contributes to global warming.
Nuclear Power
Approximately 20% of the UK’s electricity is currently produced from nuclear power. Like fossil fuels, a nuclear power plant produces steam that powers a turbine and spins a generator to produce electricity.
Nuclear power is seen as a clean green alternative to fossil fuels because it does not emit CO2, so does not contribute to global warming. Whilst this is true, there is massive risk with nuclear power. If anything goes wrong with the power plant, it can create nuclear fallout with devastating impact. A nuclear power plant is susceptible to a terrist attack for this reason. The waste that a nuclear power plant produces is very dangerous and at this stage, there is no effective way of disposing of this waste.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is an alternative to the burning of fossil fuels or nuclear power. Renewable energy is much better for the environment as it does not produce CO2, so does not contribute to global warming and it is not a finite resource, so it can be reused. The main renewable energy sources are: wind, solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal, tidal, wave and ground source. At present, only 4% of the UK’s energy means are met by renewables. However, there is untapped potential to be explored and substantially increasing the use of renewable energy can help reduce global warming and reduce our reliance on nuclear power and fossil fuels.
Green Alternatives
Wind
Wind turbines harness the immense power of the wind to generate electricity. Wind turbines are ideally suited to the UK’s vast coast line, where the wind is often consistent and strong. Wind turbines can be used with good effect in almost any rural or urban location. You can even use your own wind turbine to produce enough electricity for your house. If you produce more than you need, you can sell the surplus to the national grid for others to consume. You are in effect becoming a mini power station.
Solar
Solar power works by converting sunlight into electricity directly using a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel. It does not even need to be a sunny day to work effectively.
Solar can be used in any environment including urban cities. Solar panels can easily be mounted on rooftops. It is even possible to construct solar roof tiles that blend into the normal tiles.
Hydro
Hydropower works by using the power of water to spin a turbine to produce electricity. Hydropower currently produces approximately 1% of the UK’s electricity.
Biomass
Electric power stations can use specially grown plants or agriculture waste to generate electricity. Plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grown and then release it when they are burnt. The amount they release is cancelled out by the amount that they absorb, so biomass is actually a carbon neutral form of generating electricity.
Geothermal
Hot rocks are buried under ground. Geothermal electricity can be produced in some parts of the world by using the steam that is naturally produced by the hot rocks to spin a turbine. If steam is not produced naturally, it is possible to pump water down onto the rocks, which is then heated to create the steam.
Tidal
Tidal power is a dependable source of electricity that has been used in the UK for many years. Barrages are created to trap water at high tide. The water is then released at low tide through turbines to generate electricity. Marine current turbines can also be constructed to harness the power of tidal currents.
Wave
The sea and ocean around Britain produced some of the most powerful waves in the world. It is possible to tap into this to produce electricity using a variety of methods.
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