The propitious phase of reducing carbon emissions is certainly evident all around the world. Yesterday we talked about how some conservation efforts from Dubai airports helped in mitigating over 70,000 tons of carbon dioxide emanation. And, now by virtue of last year’s warmer climate in UK, power requirement from conventional sources were substantially cut down. As a favorable impact of this scope, more systems of low emission power were applied throughout the island, from sources such as gas, nuclear and renewable components.
When it comes to core figures, the trend positively alludes to long term sustainable changes. Back in 2010, UK emitted a total of 590 million tons carbon dioxide equivalent of the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. But, from the statistics of 2011, the figure has come down to 549 million tons, which is a reduction of around 7 percent.
And, to compliment this auspicious change, the state also increased its energy production from renewable and nuclear sources. For example, in the current circumstance, renewable power accounts for a significant 9.5 percent of UK’s total energy mix, which is greater than the 7.5 percent share of 2010.
However, the most astonishing change was witnessed in the power generation sector. Electricity production from renewable sources accounted for 34.8 terawatt hours, which is an increase of 35 percent from previous year. In fact, the renewable power capacity also came at around 12.2 GW, which is more than 2.9 GW from the previous year.
Now, when it boils down to a more localized impact, it is Scotland that takes the top honors for renewable power utilization. In 2011, the country had around 35 percent of its electricity generation from sustainable systems, which in fact is greater than the 31 percent set by the Scottish government. Moreover, having just 9 percent of United Kingdom’s population, Scotland admirably accounted for a whopping 40 percent of the Britain’s renewable output.
Via: GreenBiz
