Energi Mine research highlights the missed potential of solar power during 2018’s record heatwave

· Record levels of sunlight in this summer’s heatwave have resulted in a spike of energy production from solar cells in the UK.

Solar power’s share in the overall renewable energy market has plateaued compared to other forms of electricity generation, sitting at around 10%.

The UK is likely to miss EU’s Renewable Energy Directive targets for increased renewable output.

Energi Mine, the blockchain and AI powered business that rewards energy efficient behaviour, today announced results of its analysis of UK energy consumption figures* and UK renewable energy trends**.

The governments statistics reveal that overall UK energy consumption has fallen by 999 ktoe (11.6 GWh), a fall of 0.7% from 2016. This reduction is mostly attributed to higher than average temperatures in 2017, and a temperature corrected basis reveals overall consumption actually increased by 1,316 ktoe (15.3 GWh) or around 0.9%.

Omar Rahim, CEO Energi Mine said: “From an environmental standpoint, at our current rate of progress we are no longer on track to meet our 2020 targets laid out in the Renewable Energy Directive 9 years ago. This is at a time when scientists are warning us that a domino effect of melting ice, warming seas, shifting currents and dying forests could push the planet into a state that will make our efforts to reduce emissions futile.”

Prior to 2014, overall UK energy consumption had in fact been decreasing year on year when varying yearly average temperatures were accounted for. However since 2014 energy consumption has reversed direction, and has now risen to levels last seen in 2009.

However there is a silver lining to this rise in energy consumption, as renewable energy sources have continued to increase their share of overall power output. In fact they now account for 27.9% of the UK’s total energy generation, up an impressive 3.5% on 2016’s total. Most of this increase is accounted for by on-shore and off-shore wind, which combined account for 50% of the UK’s renewable output.

Surprisingly, Energi Mine’s research reveals that solar power failed to make gains against other kinds of renewable energy. New installations of solar photovoltaic panels and solar thermal panels have tapered off drastically in recent years, and currently sit at a quarter of what they did in 2015, following the government’s cuts to the Feed-in tariff (FiT) programme. Overall share of UK electricity generation from solar sources languishes at around 10%-11%***, despite the technology’s massive potential being augmented by advances in power generation and storage.

During the height of the heatwave, the UK’s limited solar capacity outperformed gas to briefly become the UK’s top power source****. While this may be an exceptional example created by exceptional weather conditions, it underscores how much more energy we are capable of generating from solar sources, at a time when the technology has never been cheaper to implement. This is especially noticeable in the context of the wider European drop off in solar investment. The UK contributed the most new solar capacity in 2014, 2015 and 2016, but in 2017 Germany overtook the UK and contributed the most new solar capacity in Europe*****.

Lord Rupert Redesdale, CEO of the Energy Managers Association and Energi Mine advisor said that: “The government’s mismanagement of the Feed-in Tariff subsidy scheme for solar power generation is slowing the adoption of promising new technology, while UK consumers are facing higher than ever energy prices. Without appropriate legislation, it falls to businesses and consumers to build their own peer-to-peer solutions for exchanging energy, in a way that circumvents the dominant energy companies and better realises the cost saving potential that solar energy is able to provide. It is time for a radical rethink to get people to change the way they interact with energy, and the consequential carbon emissions, for the long term.”

For more information about Energi Mine and its energy-saving ETK reward scheme, or to become a partner, please visit www.energitoken.com, follow on twitter at @EnergiMine or join the Energi Mine telegram group