Energy Transition Report 2018

Changes in sources of energy Growth in renewable energy has been particularly significant and by 2017 renewables accounted for 17% of total electricity consumption, or 11% of total primary energy. When combined with increased use of gas-fired generation, the main effect of this has been to displace coal in the electricity generation mix. The impact of renewables or other low carbon sources in the heat and transport sectors has, so far, been minimal.

UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Sector

300

Transport

Other

Agriculture

Business

Industrial processes

Energy supply

Residential

250

200

150

100

50

Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections (MtCo2e)

0

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

2026

2028

2030

2032

2034

Source: UK Climate Change Committee

The combination of reduced energy demand and the changing energy mix has meant that the UK has already met its 2020 objectives with respect to reduction of carbon emissions. This has largely been achieved without a major economic impact and indeed the delinking of GDP growth from energy and carbon intensity has been a key feature of the last twenty years in many developed countries. The chart above, reproduced from the UK Climate Change Committee, showed the electricity sector as the main source of the reduction in carbon emissions. 2

2 BEIS – Energy and Emissions Projections 2017

7