At a glance
This short and simple guide busts any myths that switching to renewable energy may be too arduous. It provides instructions on how to integrate 100% renewable energy into your daily operations and offers a selection of suppliers that enable you to improve the carbon footprint of your company. This sustainable swap can decarbonise your business and cement climate leadership.
In focus
The UK’s roadmap to accelerating the transition to renewable energy is a divisive instrument to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. For our businesses and homes, we are responsible for making the sustainable swap where possible to renewable power sources in order to mitigate our scope 1-3 greenhouse gas emissions. Our ability to curb global warming at 1.5 degrees, as outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, is dependent on these every day decisions.
Throughout the last decade, our reliance on coal has diminished and instead, the uptake of solar PV, wind and hydroelectric power have grown exponentially.
According to Carbon Brief, during Q3 of 2019, renewables generated an estimated total of 29.5 terawatt hours (TWh), compared with just 29.1TWh from fossil fuels. This marked the first-ever quarter where renewables outpaced fossil fuels since the UK’s first public electricity generating station opened in 1882.
Yet, despite the decrease in dependency on fossil fuels, contradicting consumer behaviours still exist. It was reported by The Competition & Market Authority that over a fifth of energy customers haven’t switched their energy supplier in the last decade, citing reasons including hassle and seeing little product differential!
Doing a little digging and dedicating ten minutes to refreshing your energy providers, is a guaranteed means to power your commercial or private properties with the type of green energy that is crucial to mitigating carbon emissions and creating a resilient planet.
What is green energy?
Green energy is defined as the clean sources of power that are generated using the natural sources of energy available on the planet. They release zero emissions and are also renewable, with the most common sources being solar PV, wind turbines, geothermal and hydro-electric turbines.
How does this translate into our everyday power usage? Through the purchasing of green tariffs which include green gas and electricity, it ensures that all of the energy a customer buys is matched by purchase the of renewable energy.
Green electricity
Selecting a green electricity tariff means the following:
Your supplier must ensure that they feed the National Grid with enough electricity generated from renewable sources
The supplier can ensure this by one or a mixture of the below approaches:
- Generate their own renewable electricity
- Make bilateral contracts with renewable generators
- Purchase Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates from the National Grid. These are sold by renewable generators supplying the grid. A REGO supports each unit of renewable energy the supplier buys for their customers.
Suppliers must verify the source of the electricity they supply to their customers annually by submitting their data to Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator.
It is important to note that opting for a green tariff does not automatically guarantee 100% of the electricity supplying your home or business is generated entirely from a renewable resource. This is because most commercial power stations (both renewable and non-renewable) feed the National Grid. This “mixed pool” of electricity is what is supplied throughout the country.
However, by selecting a 100% renewable tariff, you are demanding that more green electricity is produced in replacement of traditional non-renewable options. Subsequently, this compounds pressure on the Government to support the acceleration of investment into renewable energy infrastructure and technology. It is positive to note that in June 2020, the UK achieved a record two months of 0% coal derived electricity. This marks progress as a decade prior, 40% of the country’s electricity came from coal.
Green gas
Biomethane, or green gas, is virtually carbon neutral and derived from biodegradable materials which are used in the same manner as fossil fuel energy to heat your home or power your cooking.
It’s made by transforming organic matter such as plants or vegetables into biomethane through anaerobic digestion. The carbon dioxide is then removed from the green gas and combined with gas derived from fossil fuels to mitigate the overall carbon impact of gas in the Grid. Accordingly to Ecotricity, we could produce 97% of domestic gas demand from grass by 2035!
Whilst written in 2009, green gas has unlocked potential, the National Grid noted “Renewable gas could meet up to 50% of UK residential gas demand. Produced mainly via a process of anaerobic digestion (AD) or thermal gasification of the UK’s biodegradeable waste, renewable gas represents a readily implementable solution for delivering renewable heat to homes in the UK.”
The list of advantages of using green gas includes:
- It provides renewable energy
- It supports wildlife habitats
- It improves soil quality
- It supports sustainable food production
- It can provide income security for farmers
The landscape for green gas in the UK is still developing and is not yet as advanced as electricity generation. Green suppliers unable to meet the demand of green gas frequently purchase carbon offsets to balance the footprint of regular gas they supply.
UK providers
The below table provides options for energy suppliers in the UK that offer green business tariffs. It includes details on electricity and gas generation methods and acts as a starting point in deciding which green energy supplier is best aligned to your company’s needs.
Green energy suppliers that provide power supply purely for domestic properties include:
How to switch
Making the sustainable switch to green energy will look different to each individual business depending on the type required (electricity, gas or both) as well as energy usage and location.
Numerous comparison sites enable you to review which plans will be best suited to your needs and you can filter by green energy options.
Be sure to check out:
Please note, additional suppliers not listed in the table may offer green tariffs alongside the non-renewable options. Be sure to investigate the fuel mix supporting these tariffs before switching to ensure it is either 100% renewable or carbon offset.
Final thoughts
Energy conscious citizens recognise the more we replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, the more resilient our planet will be.
As with the purchase of everyday commodities, energy and utilities are one of the guaranteed ways in which we can make a substantial impact on reducing our carbon footprint and ensuring we do not cross any more planetary boundaries.
The UK Government is set to release its hotly anticipated Energy White Paper in the Autumn which will outline the blueprint for achieving net zero, be sure to keep your eyes peeled.
For more on energy and climate head here.
The original article was published via ESG Mark.
“ESGmark® is the community for people and organisations who care about the planet and society. They award the ESGmark® to organisations, however small or large, who can prove they take their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) responsibilities seriously and are committed to making a positive difference to the world, their clients, employees and communities.”
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