Friday 21st April 2017 was an important date in the history of electricity production in the UK. For the first time since 1882, coal provided no electricity to the National Grid as West Burton 1 power station was taken off-line for 24 hours1. Instead gas, renewables and nuclear power filled the gap to ensure the lights did not turn out. The percentage of British electricity produced by coal burning dropped from 23% in 2015 to 9% in 20161, a dramatic fall, but at a time of record low oil and gas prices, it remains to be seen whether fellow fossil fuels will see similar reductions compared to renewables and what effect this may have on the test and measurement industry.
Fossil Fuels: An International Market
Despite the publicity surrounding Britain’s first coal-free day, fossil fuels still accounted for over half of domestic generation in 2015 with gas (30%) and coal (22%) the two major sources2. Generation from diesel and oil grew slightly but remains an extremely small portion of overall electricity production, acting mainly as backup supply to the main energy sources as the gap between peak consumption and peak production has closed over the last 15 years.
Thankfully for the ‘intrinsically safe’ market, oil and gas production in the North Sea bucked recent trends and rose slightly, in part due to low oil prices in 2015, but the UK remains a net importer of fossil fuels. Norway accounts for over half of crude oil and natural gas imports to the UK whilst coal, the other main organic electricity fuel, was principally imported from Russia, Colombia and the USA2.
With decommissioning work starting on the iconic North Sea Brent field3 and plans for several more small-scale diesel and gas generators, it appears as though the UK will remain a net importer of energy with 38% of its needs coming from overseas in 2015, constituted mainly of fossil fuels. In the future, the likelihood is that the UK will also see an increase on the 21.8 TWh imported from France and Holland via interconnectors which added up to 5.8% of total electricity consumption in 20154.
Nuclear Power: An Uncertain Future
Nuclear electricity production in the UK accounted for roughly 21% of total generation in 2015, but that figure masks a potential stress point for the nuclear industry which is due to hit around 2025 when all but one of Britain’s nuclear power stations will have stopped running. The new reactor at Hinkley Point is the great hope for UK nuclear energy over the next three decades but uncertainty still surrounds the project and the prospective start date is still unclear. However, with the possibility of increased electricity imports from France, it is possible that we will remain indirectly reliant on nuclear power as 72% of French electricity comes from nuclear power stations5.
Increased Renewables
Renewable energy has produced an ever larger percentage of the UK’s electricity over the last few years with a climb from 19.1% to 25% in 20152. Surprisingly, this was largely fuelled by increases in wind and solar production caused by large scale investment as opposed to the smaller domestic installations favoured by previous government policy.
The Fifth Fuel: Energy Efficiency
Aside from coal, gas, renewables and nuclear power, industry analysts often discuss the so-called fifth fuel: energy efficiency. This can involve everything from better insulation and heat management in properties (a useful application for thermal cameras) to more efficient electric motors and devices. Although this may seem like a minor saving, it is reckoned that the equivalent of 1.4 billions tonnes of crude oil was saved in the 11 IEA member countries in 20115. With a large part of that down to more efficient electricity use, the role of datalogging equipment is clear in this important aspect of national energy consumption.
The pattern of UK electricity generation is so volatile that it is difficult to pick out particular trends to monitor. However, there are one or two things to keep an eye out for over the next few years. Firstly, the conversion of coal power stations to biomass and the long-term fall in North Sea production point to a slow-down in fossil fuel use over the next few years, albeit tempered by a new gas-fired generation. Secondly, other sources will have to compensate for decommissioning nuclear stations if Hinkley Point C suffers any delays. Finally, with the potential for increased electricity imports from the Netherlands and France, the effect of Brexit on energy prices is uncertain and highly dependent on the outcome of negotiations. What is certain, however, is that energy efficiency will remain a number one priority for both the UK government and consumers for the foreseeable future.
[4] http://www.energy-uk.org.uk/energy-industry/electricity-generation.html
[5] https://opendata.rte-france.com/explore/dataset/prod_par_filiere/table/?sort=-annee