I’ve spent some serious time trying to research the issues surrounding energy. An initial glance tells me that going ‘green’ is the most promoted of the ethical issues surrounding energy. With this in mind I’m going to focus this blog on what it means to be green. Next week I’m going to take a look at some questions that might have got lost in the shadow of ‘green’.
What is Green Energy?
I’m going to start right from the beginning since maybe some of you out there are as clueless as me! Green energy is any power that comes from sustainable sources (wind power, solar etc). The effect of carbon emissions on the world’s atmosphere are well documented but fossil fuel usage is the main culprit, in fact carbon dioxide emissions from power stations account for one third of the total produced.
The challenge of course is that the wealthy fraction of the world (of which we in the UK are part) have access to cheap energy however this energy contributes to climate change which has devastating results not for those of us who use it but for the poorest in the world. The evidence of floods, drought and other climate related problems through much of the world is rarely far from our TV screens.
What makes a company ‘green’?
So I think most of us know moving towards more greener sustainable forms of fuel is really important, in fact the lives of our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world quite literally depend on it. But how does it actually work? Well when I buy green fuel clearly it’s the same old gas and electric coming from the pipes and wires. The difference is that I’m now paying a different supplier. This supplier buys energy for the supply chain, if a company is green then they promise to buy a certain amount of energy from Green sources. Most companies offer this option however if differs how much they promise to buy, for example a ‘green tarrif’ could promise to buy £30 worth of green energy for every £100 you spend. Of course the best companies buy £100 for every £100 which leads me to look at some green options. This is explained much better here.
Looking into energy options feels totally overwhelming, there are just so many companies and tariffs offering green options. After reading lots and getting some recommendations I’ve narrowed it down to three options, as always I’m no expert, I’m just trying to wade my way through this stuff and make it slightly more coherent!
Ovo (Greener Energy)– This has been recommended by lots of people. Their website is great but in terms of being green only the Green Tariff is 100% renewable most of the other tariff’s are only 15%. This page shows where they get their energy from.
Ecotricity– Over the last six years, Ecotricity have invested more per customer per year in building new sources of renewable energy than all other UK suppliers put together. They will give £40 to Tearfund if you take up electricity or gas, or £60 to if you switch to their dual fuel option.
Good Energy – They come top on Ethical Consumer and The Good Shopping Guide. They are ethically accredited which means they have jumped through lots of tight hoops. The most important things is they are the only UK electricity supplier to use 100% renewable energy. They are trying to ‘make a difference to climate change’ and use many independent generators, lots more here.
What I found interesting is that all the ethical ratings for renewable energy companies focus on their green output and whether they fund nuclear power. While this is really important it’s interesting that the ratings for ethical issues surrounding people only take into account armaments or political donations (see below). This is something I will take a look at more in my next blog!
