Blog: Reaching a carbon neutral energy mix - what are our options?

There are a vast number of technologies that can assist us in this mission, and all have advantages and disadvantages. In our previous blog post, we have discussed the merits and risks of nuclear energy obtained by fission or fusion. Here, we offer a broader overview of the energy sources that might help reach carbon neutrality by the agreed on deadline.

Our future energy sources: what are the key considerations?

Our energy system has historically relied on fossil fuels, with most energy coming from oil and natural gas. These provide a reliable, steady supply of energy and have established infrastructures and supply chains for extraction and distribution. However, they are polluting, contribute to global warming, are subject to dramatic price fluctuations, and rely on finite resources.

The good news is that we already have alternative energy sources that can help us achieve a more sustainable future, and that these sources are playing an increasingly important role in the UK’s energy landscape. In fact, electricity generation from renewables reached 50.9% of the total generation in Q1 of 2024.

The bad news is that the UK is currently lacking a comprehensive plan for how these resources should be scaled up to the level required – and at the necessary speed – to reach net zero by 2050.

But with this in mind, what should we prioritise when considering our future energy sources? Key considerations should be, among others:

• Sustainable generation and distribution
• Safety for the public and for energy workers
• Cost-effectiveness
• Technological maturity
• Efficiency
• Public sentiment

These considerations can help policy-makers make informed decisions when setting out how our future energy system will look like.

Renewable energy sources in our energy mix

There are several alternatives to fossil fuels that can be – and to different extents are – incorporated into our energy mix. Renewable energy sources are those most people are familiar with, but they are not the only option to help us reach carbon neutrality.

Renewable energy is energy generated from resources that are infinite and cannot run out. These are solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, biomass and hydrogen generated through electrolysis using renewable sources.

The limitless supply of these energy sources is clearly an advantage. Moreover, renewable energy generation produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions. In the case of renewable sources that do produce carbon or methane emissions, such as biogas from anaerobic digestion, pairing them with carbon capture and storage technologies can reduce their environmental footprint, while enabling us to use the sequestered carbon dioxide for industrial purposes.

Looking at the key considerations explored above, we can also say that renewable energies are generally considered safe for both the general public and energy workers. And thanks to their booming popularity, they are becoming increasingly cost-effective and have reached a stage of technical maturity where we have an established and resilient infrastructure and supply chain for their generation and distribution.

Dispatchable vs non-dispatchable renewables

For all the benefits they offer, some renewable energy sources can be intermittent, and their output difficult to predict and control. In fact, the most commonly used renewables in the UK, namely solar and wind, are dispatchable, meaning that they are weather-dependent and offer variable outputs depending on the season, the time of the day, weather conditions and geographical characteristics.

However, not all renewables are dispatchable. Hydropower, for example, provides a virtually endless supply of water that stays relatively consistent throughout the year, provided that water scarcity does not impact generation. In hydropower plants, moreover, operators can control the water flow through turbines to adjust power output.

Biogas and biomethane power plants can also be switched on and off as required, and their output can be regulated. The same happens for geothermal plants, where the steam flow can be controlled through control valves and other mechanisms. In green hydrogen production, the output can be managed by controlling the power supplied to the electrolyser, as well as by adjusting the electrical current flowing through it to split water molecules.

Our future energy mix: challenges and opportunities

Data from the first quarter of 2024 show that the UK is still much too reliant on oil and natural gas, but that wind and solar power are becoming an increasingly important part of our energy mix, as are bioenergy and energy from waste.

The increase in dispatchable renewable generation is undoubtedly a good thing. However, there are challenges to overcome to accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality and ensure the UK meets its decarbonisation commitments.

Firstly, tackling grid constraints will be key to ensure that wind and solar projects can go online at scale, allowing the UK to build the diverse, decentralised and flexible power structure it needs for a successful transition.

Secondly, it is unlikely that solar and wind alone will be enough to ensure energy stability in the future, or to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors like the steel industry or logistics. That’s why achieving a good mix of dispatchable and non-dispatchable energy sources will be crucial.

In this sense, the UK is making steady progress in bioenergy generation, but other viable energy options are lagging behind. For example, stakeholders in the hydrogen sector are still waiting for a decision from the Government on the role this gas will play in the decarbonisation of heating. While research projects and small-scale trials are providing important data on the feasibility of using hydrogen at scale, a clearer regulatory landscape could fast-track the development of a thriving hydrogen economy.

Finally, it will be important to consider the role of additional solutions that can help us bolster energy security and bring us closer to net zero – such as energy storage and carbon capture technologies.

The UK is still on time to reach carbon neutral by 2050, but must significantly accelerate efforts to do so. Incorporating diverse renewable sources and sustainable technologies into our energy mix is the only way to get to net zero while ensuring the sustainable but reliable power the UK requires.

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You can read our Statement of Planning Principles (SPP) document, which officially starts the Business Plan 2025-2028 process, on our dedicated Business plan webpage.

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To learn more about how Xoserve supports the decarbonisation of gas, take a look at our decarbonisation knowledge centre.

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