Imagine a future where the energy industry has to adapt to survive. Dirty coal-fired stations have been closed down and replaced by millions of clean and efficient mini power stations. Local authorities and even households have become players in the energy business.
The current centralised model typified by large cooling towers and electricity pylons wastes nearly two-thirds of the energy. Virtually all the heat is thrown away and "shipping" electricity for miles is a leaky business.
Decentralised energy systems allow buildings - from a terraced house to a block of flats - to become energy generators. Using a local distribution system the power is used close to the point of creation allowing any waste heat to be harnessed and used, such as for household heating.
This isn't a new idea either - more than 1,000 UK hospitals, leisure centres and homes use decentralised cogenerating systems - where heat and power are the combined output. Still, this means that just 5% of the UK's electricity is created using decentralised systems, as opposed to 40% in the Netherlands. In Finland, 98% of Helsinki is supplied with locally generated heat through community heat networks.
Closer to home, Woking Borough Council has implemented a decentralised energy strategy and reduced emissions by 77% through use of renewable technology, fuel cells, cogenerating systems and other means. Waste heat from their electricity production goes into the heating and cooling of buildings.
The Queen has also given decentralised energy the royal approval with two cogeneration plants powering Buckingham Palace, saving 19,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions during the lifetime of the system.
The concept of decentralised energy is genuine common sense - delivering real power to the people. Local authorities and individuals taking responsibility for local needs.
Decentralising the UK's electricity system is our best chance of decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions - it could halve our electricity system's contribution to climate change within a few decades, reducing UK emissions by at least 15%.
Not only does this decentralised approach radically reduce our emissions and empower local people but it also drives energy efficiency. Why leave a light switched on when it is your valuable electricity that you are wasting. It also improves the security of supply. A network of many small power stations interlinked is less likely to be blacked out than a town dependent on a single power line from a small number of large power stations.
And how much does this cost? In the long run, it will cost us less than the current wasteful systems. As decentralised energy models are adopted across the country and throughout Europe, those costs will continue to decrease. The real question is can we afford not to transform our energy systems and reduce emissions.
Yet the barriers go beyond the mere cost. Our current centralised system of energy production severely limits the way energy can be produced and delivered. Decentralised energy systems have been pushed out of the market by short-sighted and inappropriate regulations and allocation of government resources.
Take Action
Bold government leadership is required. As key parts of the UK electricity network are reaching the end of their natural life, there is an opportunity to remodel our electricity system to allow everyone to be a part of the solution.
More Information
Read the Greenpeace report Decentralising Power: an energy revolution for the 21st century
Download the summary as a pdf
Download the full report (5Mb, 74 pages)
