RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY
EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased focus on renewable technologies and the part they will play in the country’s road to economic recovery as the UK ‘builds back greener’. KENSA CONTRACTING
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n this article, leading supplier and delivery partner Kensa Contracting explores how attitudes towards lowcarbon technologies like ground source heat pumps have changed in the past year and how they can be used with integrated sustainable energy systems that have the potential to decarbonise heating in the near future.
A borehole drill rig
The role of renewables in building back greener As Teresa May left parliament in July 2019, she set the UK the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 – committing the country to the world’s most ambitious climate change target in decades. When the coronavirus outbreak began in the UK in early 2020, it seemed like this national emergency would put the brakes on the country’s efforts to move towards decarbonisation. FC&A – APRIL – 2021
However, reviewing energy trends from the past year shows that during the pandemic – in a time when the production of energy from fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal fell overall – renewable generation rose significantly compared with previous years, demonstrating its increasing importance to the national energy mix. The social restrictions necessitated by the pandemic greatly reduced people’s mobility, and this, as well as a shutdown of industry, caused a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. These widely reported environmental benefits led to a heightened awareness amongst the public of the need to be more eco-friendly and motivated them to campaign to continue the positive impact that it had on our planet. 20
Public opinion was backed up by Westminster, and in November 2020 the Government announced a robust 10-point plan committing to making homes greener and decarbonising the UK’s electricity supply, setting the country back on track to meet its net-zero carbon target. Branded a ‘green industrial revolution’, the plan aims to boost the low-carbon economy, creating 250,000 jobs. However, reduced social mobility alone is not enough to curb air pollution and halt climate change, nor is it something that anybody wants to see long-term. It is worth noting that according to the CCC, 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the domestic heating sector. With more people staying indoors and working from home, figures show that domestic energy consumption rose by 2.5%, with an increase in demand for gas, especially during the cold winter months.
