Analysis Suggests England Can Produce 13x Current

Analysis Suggests England Can Produce 13x Current Green Energy on 3% of Land

A recent analysis has revealed that England has the capacity to produce 13 times more green energy than it is currently producing using less than 3% of its land mass. Like most major nations, England is looking to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to combat global-climate change.

This would require a mass transition from oil and natural gas in power generation to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind over the next couple of decades. According to a study from Exter University, England could supply this growing demand and produce enough renewable energy from solar and offshore wind to power all English households “two and a half times over,” using only a small portion of land.

Commissioned by the Friends of Earth (FoE), the research suggests that England could produce up to 130TWh from solar and 96TWh from offshore wind facilities compared to the 17TWh of clean energy it currently produces. These estimates indicate that England can power most or even all of its households using domestically generated clean energy.

The analysis also challenges the notion that ramping up clean-energy generation in England could affect the country’s ability to cultivate food for its residents. For its research, Exeter University researchers excluded agricultural land, heritage sites, national parks and even places with outstanding natural beauty, only including the most suitable areas in their analysis.

Conversely, golf courses currently occupy much more land than solar farms despite providing the nation with little utility. If green-energy providers take up more land to install wind and solar farms, they will also be required to improve the local biodiversity through simple actions such as maintaining ponds and hedgerows.

A map produced by Friends of the Earth showing potential renewable-energy generation sites suggests that East Riding of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire have potential for solar and onshore wind generation. These locations cumulatively add up to 926,400 acres (374,900 hectares) or around 2.9% of England’s available land.

Unfortunately, former UK Prime Minister David Cameron banned onshore wind farms in 2015 and cut the country’s wind-power generation potential significantly. Although current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed that his administration was working to lift the ban via small amendments to planning regulations, green-energy proponents say those steps have been ineffectual and are calling for real planning reform.

In the meantime, there were no plans submitted for new wind farms in the country last year, and few developments are expected to emerge in the near future despite sky-high gas prices as well as the rising cost of living. Offshore wind energy is currently among the cheapest sources of energy on the globe, and developing wind-energy sources could be instrumental in bringing down energy costs in England and the United Kingdom.

With many companies such as Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) committed to availing the needed green-energy transition metals, there will be nothing to stop England and the UK from ramping up the proportion of green energy in their energy mix.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Reflex Advanced Materials Corp. (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/RFLXF

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