Every week the news from the UK energy industry highlights the fact that the energy crisis keeps deteriorating. Prices are going up at an extremely high pace, making certain families worry that next time there is an increase, they will no longer be able to pay for their supply.
The government has introduced a number of measures designed to help families deal with the increasing costs but a solution needs to be found to finally stop the crisis.
Recently the UK government announced that the UK will start focusing more on homegrown energy to boost the country’s energy independence. But can placing more emphasis on homegrown energy actually help put an end to the energy crisis?
The government’s plan
In a press release published last month, the UK government said that the Prime Minister intends to improve Britain’s energy security while at the same time making the UK rely more on renewables rather than fossil fuels. The plan foresaw ‘quicker expansion of nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, oil and gas, including delivering the equivalent to one nuclear reactor a year instead of one a decade.’
One of the aspects of the government’s new Energy Security Strategy is to boost homegrown power in Britain. The strategy ‘sets out how Great Britain will accelerate the deployment of renewables, whilst supporting the production of domestic oil and gas in the nearer term – which could see 95% of electricity by 2030 being low carbon.’
As Conservatives explains, ‘This will be central to weaning Britain off expensive fossil fuels, which are subject to volatile gas prices set by international markets we are unable to control, and boosting our diverse sources of homegrown energy for greater energy security in the long-term.’
Generating energy from renewable sources is significantly less expensive than using fossil fuels so the transition has not only environmental but also economic
benefits for the country.
Importance of homegrown renewables
As wholesale energy prices are hitting record highs, many countries wish they weren’t dependent on anyone else for gas deliveries. If a country sources the majority of its energy from renewables, its supply is not affected by geopolitical events such as the ongoing war in Ukraine. Moreover, by becoming more energy independent, states can achieve greater resilience and energy security.
Homegrown renewables are a great option also for individual businesses that want to mitigate the impacts the energy crisis has been having on them. By generating their own energy, consumers can detach themselves from what is happening at global markets.
According to Race to Resilience, ‘in the UK, as many as one-third of businesses now generate at least some of their electricity themselves, mostly from solar,’
This shows that the trend is becoming popular. Hopefully in the near future more businesses, as well as domestic customers, will follow the lead.
As Conservatives explains, ‘This will be central to weaning Britain off expensive fossil fuels, which are subject to volatile gas prices set by international markets we are unable to control, and boosting our diverse sources of homegrown energy for greater energy security in the long-term.’
Therefore, homegrown energy can be a solution allowing the UK to prevent future energy crises. But, implementing the government’s plan and moving away from fossil fuels takes time so it might unfortunately be too late to try to use homegrown energy to end the current energy crisis.