Environmental Sustainability

Friday, July 17, 2009

Matt Orlowski
Research Question How would the creation of a fully renewable energy electricity supply company, with a fraction of the annual UK defense budget, affect the utilities with non renewable sources of energy in the UK?

Contents Page:

Abstract .. 3

Introduction ... 4

Main Part 4

Conclusion . 5

Bibliography .. 6

Abstract
How would the creation of a fully renewable energy electricity supply company, with a fraction of the annual UK defense budget, affect the utilities with non

renewable sources of energy in the UK? This is what I aimed to find out through researching on new renewable energy procuring methods that are constantly becoming more efficient, therefore able to produce more energy with each tiny breeze, each ray of sunshine, or the smallest wave or current in the sea. The United Kingdom has incredible potential in natural renewable energy resources that could easily cover more energy than is needed, fully replacing environment harming electricity production through fossil fuels.

Introduction Every single year millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses are sent into the atmosphere because of dirty production of electricity through fossil fuels. At the same time, the UK government is planning on spending almost 37 billion pounds each year through the Ministry of Defense, a lot of which is simply blown up (i.e explosives). I want to raise awareness on how creating a similar budget in order to create a fully green electricity company would help to decrease our reliability on unclean energy obtained from oil, coal, gas and other fossil fuels. Injecting a similar amount of money into the environmentally friendly electricity industry would decrease the number of power plants that are increasingly depleting the richness and destroying the natural beauty of our unique planet earth, and make the UK a role model for the governments all over the world, starting the revolution of clean, green energy versus dirty, polluting fossil fuels that are slowly constricting the Earth. The United Kingdom has incredible potential in natural renewable energy resources that could easily cover more energy than we need, fully replacing environment harming electricity production through fossil fuels. This island nation not only has an incredible opportunity to use the wind power available, but thanks to being situated in the North Sea, which is famous for the rough seas, could be utilizing the incredible power available through many different and increasingly efficient wave and tidal power generators. This country could be leading the renewable energy revolution, being the model for hundreds of other nations that could follow in the UKs steps. Unfortunately the United Kingdom has predominantly failed with renewable technologies, having been repeatedly compromised by feeble policies, a lot of hesitancy, positivity towards nuclear power, and other similar hurdles. Main Part Paragraph 1

This planned company would have to use several different methods of obtaining electricity through only renewable energy resources. extraordinarily great potential through primarily wave and wind natural resources, and the technologies exist to create increasingly efficient power stations that could make more free and environmentally friendly electricity than the UK population needs, allowing it to be sold off to other countries grids, generating profit which can then be used to increase the living standards of citizens of the UK as well as aiding other countries in need, perhaps starting similar but smaller scale projects in poorer areas in desperate need, as an example to great population slowly starving below the poverty line in Africa. Paragraph 2 First of all, the government must establish a secure base where energy can be produced in order to supplement the fossil fuel energy production, before they can start shutting down these harmful methods of energy production. There are currently 216 wind farm projects in the UK, with 2534 running turbines. This supplies over 2 million homes with power (UK Wind Energy). However, there are over 25 million homes in this country ("Homes in the UK") so in order to supply all of the energy consumption in the United Kingdom, including not only homes but also office buildings, industries, services and transport.
("Final energy consumption: 1980-2006." UK Defra.)

This table shows that in 2006 all sections used the energy equivalent of 157.8 million tonnes of oil. As well as this we can see that the general trend is that the energy usage is going up, therefore we can say that in the next few years we will be using the equivalent energy of around 160 million tonnes of crude oil. Conclusion In order to cover this amount of energy many wind farms would have to be established in the United Kingdom, and it would take a lot of financing, planning, time and a lot of work for many people.

However, not only will it supply profits and environmental benefits for years to come, but it will also supply economical prosperity as it supplies jobs and a morally right future for the human race, as the United Kingdom leads the world into a sustainable and greener future. Works Cited About Defence. Ministry of Defence. 13 July 2009 <http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/Organisation/KeyFactsAbout Defence/DefenceSpending.htm>. Business Leaders Attack UK Energy Policy. Sky News 13 July 2009. 13 July 2009 <http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Business-Leaders-AttackUK-Energy-Policy-For-Focussing-On-Wind-Rather-Than-Coal-And-NuclearPower/Article/200907215336529?lpos=Business_First_Buisness_Article_Teaser _Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15336529_Business_Leaders_Attack_UK_Energy_Po licy_For_Focussing_On_Wind_Rather_Than_Coal_And_Nuclear_Power>. Final energy consumption: 1980-2006. UK Defra. 16 July 2009 <http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/supp/spkf05.htm>. Homes in the UK. BBC News. 16 July 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456991/html/>. Renewable energy. Greenpeace UK. 13 July 2009 <http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/climate/solutions/renewable-energy>. Renewable energy resources. Science Online. 13 July 2009 <http://www.scienceonline.co.uk/energy/renewable-energy.html>. UK Wind Energy Database. BWEA. 16 July 2009 <http://www.bwea.com/ukwed/index.asp>.