Around two thirds of the UK’s electricity is generated by coal and gas fueled power stations. These plants pump millions of tons of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These gases are known to cause climate change. Much of the remaining electricity in the UK is produced by nuclear power stations, but there is still no satisfactory way to dispose of radioactive byproducts. With the decreasing stocks and rising prices of fossil fuels like gas an oil, environmentalists fear that even more nuclear power stations will be built, and so the race is on to find cleaner ways to produce electricity. Green electricity is electricity that has been produced with only minimal impacts on the environment. Sources of energy like the sun, wind and tides are known as renewable energy. Green electricity can be produced using renewable energy sources.

Wind turbines are growing more popular in the UK, and wind turbines now supply some of the electricity for the national grid. Modern turbines are quieter and more efficient than early models as more research has led to improvements in their design. The placement of so called windfarms in the countryside has been controversial because some people don’t like the way they look and have concerns about how wildlife could be affected.

There is a potential solution to the perceived disfigurement of our countryside which is to build windfarms out at sea. If this can be made to be cost effective, wind could become the UK’s solution to future electricity supplies.

Solar power is an energy source that we could make more use of to generate electricity, even in the UK. Currently, solar panels are so expensive they are not widely used, but as demand increases and more are produced, the prices will hopefully come down. Solar power could one day be the world’s number one source of electricity. A big advantage of solar panels is that they can be used even in remote locations which are not on the national grid.

The energy of rivers can be harnessed by power turbines which generate electricity. There are already a few large hydroelectric plants in the UK, and there is potential for many more low impact, small scale hydroelectric turbines in lots of places in Britain.

Wave power is something of a holy grail for green electricity in the UK. Research is underway to find methods or harnessing the energy that is in the waves all around our coastline. If an efficient, effective way can be found, then wave power could be a great source of green electricity in the future.

As customer demand for green electricity increases, energy suppliers are trying to find less polluting ways of producing electricity. British Gas, a big UK energy supplier, have carbon neutral dual fuel deals if customers use them to supply their gas and electricity. This means that any carbon dioxide released in the production of your electricity, or when you use your gas, is compensated for by British Gas’s involvement in projects to develop green electricity. Opting for carbon neutral packages like this is an easy way to further green electricity production and prevent climate change.

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