At least 75% of UK homes will be powered by renewable electricity by 2030, according to a report by Friends of the Earth.
Falling renewable energy costs and improvements in the way that electricity can be stored and delivered means that at least three quarters of homes will be reliably supplied with clean and affordable electricity from renewable sources by 2030, says the report.
It is onshore wind and solar energy that generate the cheapest electricity so when this is combined with falling energy prices from offshore wind farms, there is a clear downwards trend in renewable energy costs.
More competitively priced renewable energy is already increasing the demand from consumers. In 2016 renewables supplied a quarter of UK electricity, which an increase of about 7% compared to 2010.
Even though wind and sun activity can be variable, improvements in the way that energy can be stored and distributed will ensure that electricity can be delivered to homes even when the weather is not conducive to renewable power generation.
The biggest risks to our energy supply are currently disruption at ageing fossil fuel and nuclear plants and fluctuating oil prices, so a greater dependency on a reliable supply system based around renewable power would be advantageous in the future.
Alasdair Cameron, report author and energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said:
“It’s increasingly recognised that renewables like wind and solar are among the cheapest options for generating power in the UK, and it is also clear that they can be the foundation of a stable and reliable energy system.
“If we get this right we should be able to provide at least three quarters of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030, decarbonising our power supply as well as driving down costs and maintaining reliability.”
Chris Ray, MoneyHighStreet.com comments: “It is pleasing to see Friends of the Earth predicting that most of our homes will be powered by renewable electricity by the end of the next decade.
“Even though this predominance of green energy is 13 years away, we are already seeing a welcome shift towards the supply of green energy amongst some highly innovative small energy suppliers.
“Small energy companies like Bulb already supply 100% rewnewable electricity and 10% of their gas from green sources so you can benefit from their highly competitive prices by easily switching to them today, without having to wait for the rest of the market to catch up.”
