Have you ever wondered - how much space would need to be covered by solar panels, if we tried to produce the amount of power used by every home in the UK? Well, here's the answer...
0.3% of the UK. That's about 827 km². Or, to put it another way, an area about half the size of Greater London.
A Greenpeace video (the one at the top of this page) breaks down what that'd look like if all the solar panels were in the same place. If you've watched it and now you're wondering how we arrived at the final numbers, this blog explains how the calculation was made.
To start with, we worked out how much electricity we’d need to produce. Based on government data from 2015, we know that UK homes consumed about 108.2 billion kWh of electricity over the course of the year.
Next we calculated approximately how much electricity an average solar PV installation produces. To simplify things, we looked at how much power would be produced by south-facing PV panels only. Using data from The Energy Saving Trust, we can say that an average installation (roughly what’s generated by a semi-detached bungalow or a detached house) will produce 3400 kWh over the course of a year.
That means we’d need 31,823,529 of these installations to match all domestic power needs. As an installation of this size will take up about 26 m² (based on the same data from the Energy Saving Trust), we can multiply these figures together to work out that we’d need 827,411,764 m² in total. That’s roughly 827 km².
The UK is about 242,495 km². So we'd need to devote about 0.34% (or 0.3%, if rounded to one decimal place) of total UK land to match the power used by homes in a single year.
If these panels were spread out across the UK, with a particular focus on placing them in sunnier parts of the country in the south and south west, that figure could be even lower too.
Obviously this is very approximate calculation. We focused on south-facing rooftops to make the calculation easier, but in reality solar panels are often installed on southwest, southeast, west and east facing rooftops too.
And in reality, creating a UK power system that runs primarily on renewables wouldn't just focus on one energy source. Keeping the lights on using clean, sustainable power should involve a big scale up of offshore wind and investment in marine energy as well. A smart, flexible system would include storage, more inter-connectors (that allow power to be transferred throughout Europe) and a mass investment in efficiency. This would not only allow us to integrate variable renewables easily and cheaply, but would - according to research from the National Infrastructure Commission - save consumers billions too.
But the point of the video is this - the potential for solar power is staggering. Even here in our cloudy UK.
Source - Richard Casson, Greenpeace
The planet has had many different cycles of heat and cold and it is still here.
These patterns of warming and cooling cycles are not what is worrying in itself. Earth is strong and capable of regenerating itself. What is worrying and why we should do something fast is the speed at which the warming of the planet is happening right now and the fact that this acceleration has been linked to man made emission of green house gases.
If we stopped emitting so much green house gases, planet Earth will be able to look after itself.
According to scientists the world is 1 degree celsuis warmer now than it was pre-industrialisation. They have recommended a 2 degree target limit now to avoid further catastrophe. If we work hard and together, we can stay below 2 degrees and protect ourselves agains sea level rise, costal flooding, and prevent heatwaves.
This Ben and Jerry's video is fantastic.
There are ways to reduce emissions
Energy efficiency, we need to improve our use of energy to heat and light our homes, making appliances less energy greedy and using sustainable energy such as solar or wind, makes energy cheaper, which means more affordable energy all around as well as reduction of green house gases emissions.
We need to take actions to bring down green house gases emission, clean transportation, clean cooking stoves in developing countries can put a stop to
air pollution and save millions of lives mainly in poorer countries but also in the UK, Europe and the US.
Pope Francis will this week call for changes in lifestyles and energy consumption to avert the “unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem” before the end of this century, according to a leaked draft of a papal encyclical. In a document released by an Italian magazine on Monday, the pontiff will warn that failure to act would have “grave consequences for all of us”.
Pope Francis blasts climate change deniers in the draft. Photograph: Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Francis also called for a new global political authority tasked with “tackling … the reduction of pollution and the development of poor countries and regions”. His appeal echoed that of his predecessor, pope Benedict XVI, who in a 2009 encyclical proposed a kind of super-UN to deal with the world’s economic problems and injustices.
According to the lengthy draft, which was obtained and published by L’Espresso magazine, the Argentinean pope will align himself with the environmental movement and its objectives. While accepting that there may be some natural causes of global warming, the pope will also state that climate change is mostly a man-made problem.
“Humanity is called to take note of the need for changes in lifestyle and changes in methods of production and consumption to combat this warming, or at least the human causes that produce and accentuate it,” he wrote in the draft. “Numerous scientific studies indicate that the greater part of the global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of greenhouse gases … given off above all because of human activity.”
The pope will also single out those obstructing solutions. In an apparent reference to climate-change deniers, the draft states: “The attitudes that stand in the way of a solution, even among believers, range from negation of the problem, to indifference, to convenient resignation or blind faith in technical solutions.”
The leak has frustrated the Vatican’s elaborate rollout of the encyclical – a papal letter to bishops – on Thursday. Its release had been planned to come before the pope’s trip to the US, where he is due to address the United Nations as well as a joint meeting of Congress.
US climate change deniers lambast the Pope over his environment encyclical – video
Journalists were told they would be given an early copy on Thursday morning and that it would be released publicly at noon following a press conference. Cardinal Peter Turkson, who wrote an early draft of the encyclical, and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, a noted climate scientist in Germany, were expected to attend the press conference. On Monday evening, the Vatican asked journalists not to publish details of the draft, emphasising that it was not the final text. A Vatican official said he believed the leak was an act of “sabotage against the pope”.
The draft is not a detailed scientific analysis of the global warming crisis. Instead, it is the pope’s reflection of humanity’s God-given responsibility as custodians of the Earth.
At the start of the draft essay, the pope wrote, the Earth “is protesting for the wrong that we are doing to her, because of the irresponsible use and abuse of the goods that God has placed on her. We have grown up thinking that we were her owners and dominators, authorised to loot her. The violence that exists in the human heart, wounded by sin, is also manifest in the symptoms of illness that we see in the Earth, the water, the air and in living things.”
He immediately makes clear, moreover, that unlike previous encyclicals, this one is directed
to everyone, regardless of religion. “Faced with the global deterioration of the environment, I want to address every person who inhabits this planet,” the pope wrote. “In this encyclical, I especially propose to enter into discussion with everyone regarding our common home.”
According to the leaked document, the pope will praise the global ecological movement, which has “already travelled a long, rich road and has given rise to numerous groups of ordinary people that have inspired reflection”.
In a surprisingly specific and unambiguous passage, the draft rejects outright “carbon credits” as a solution to the problem. It says they “could give rise to a new form of speculation and would not help to reduce the overall emission of polluting gases”. On the contrary, the pope wrote, it could help “support the super-consumption of certain countries and sectors”.
The document is not Francis’s first foray into the climate debate. The pontiff, who was elected in 2013, has previously noted his disappointment with the failure to reach a global accord on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, chiding climate negotiators for having a “lack of courage” during the last major talks held in Lima, Peru.
Francis is likely to want to influence Republicans in Washington with his remarks. Most Republicans on Capitol Hill deny climate change is a man-made phenomenon and have staunchly opposed regulatory efforts by the Obama administration.
The encyclical will make for awkward reading among some Catholic Republicans, including John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House. While many Republicans have praised the pope, it will not be unprecedented for them to make a public break with the pontiff on the issue of global warming.
We love this video, great explanation. The way he divides the possible futures of humanity makes a lot of sense. Skip to 1:28 for the whiteboard magic a watch.
Thousands join mass climate change lobby outside UK parliament
Emma Howard
Beekeepers,
surfers, nuns and children were among thousands of people who lined up
outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday to speak to their MP about
climate change.
Some had woken up in the early hours to travel
from as far as Polzeath in Cornwall and Aberdeen to take part in what
organisers believe is the UK’s biggest ever lobby on climate change.
Around 9,000 constituents took part in person, lobbying around 250 MPs according to the Climate Coalition,
the group of charities, unions and faith groups that organised the
event. London mayoral hopeful and Conservative MP, Zac Goldsmith,
Caroline Lucas of the Green party and Labour leadership contender Jeremy
Corbyn were among the MPs meeting with constituents.
The event
came the day before Pope Francis is due to deliver a historic encyclical
on climate change. Organisers said they hope it will build public
pressure and political momentum in the final months before a landmark Paris conference on climate change in December.
Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, said that the lobby sent out
a strong message to parliament. “A lot of people have said how
disappointed they were that climate change didn’t feature more highly in
the election campaign. This shows how much people care about the
issue.”
Groups formed in the sunshine along the river stretching from the House of Commons down to Lambeth Palace.
Liz Crew woke up at 2am to travel to Westminster from the Somerset Levels where her farm was flooded last year.
“I
was very badly affected by the flooding in 2014 with lots of our
village being completely inundated with water – up to 7ft in places.
Life is still not back to normal. We really don’t want to go through it
again. It’s important that someone speaks out on climate change.
“In
my part of Somerset we have been very remiss at dealing with this for
various reasons – cutbacks and local authorities turning a blind eye. It
really does seem to be impacting on the amount of water there is around
us.”
Called Speak Up for the Love Of,
the mass lobby encouraged participants to share something that they
love that will be threatened by climate change. MPs were transported to
their constituents on bicycle taxis and grilled on a variety of climate
issues from food security to conservation to sport.
Schoolchildren
also took part: Ava and Ruby, both aged eight, from London, met their
MP, Labour’s Vicky Foxcroft, of Lewisham Deptford.
Ava said:
“I’d miss chocolate – if climate change occurs it will be too hot for
cocoa beans to grow. Ruby would miss London because if it gets too hot
the polar ice caps will melt and London will be submerged beneath the
waves. We think Vicky Foxcroft should tell people to stop drilling for
oil and make sure they have 100% clean air and energy.” Ava also said
she wanted to become an MP.
Vicky Foxcroft MP meeting Ruby and Ava (eight) from Lewisham, London. Photograph: John Phillips/Getty Images
Jeremy Corbyn,
MP for Islington North, who turned up to meet constituents by the river
on his bicycle, took questions about bees, global inequality and
biodiversity. Corbyn said that if elected Labour leader he would push
the sustainability agenda. “We’ve made a lot of progress on
environmental policy in the Labour party. I now want us to look at the
whole question of sustainability and to set that into a policy change.”
The
mass lobby was followed by a rally outside parliament with comedians
Arthur Smith Olympic rower Andy Hodge and the indie band Stornoway. A
reception with Amber Rudd, secretary of state for energy and climate
change, was later hosted at Marks & Spencer headquarters, where
supporters were shown a video message from Mary Robinson, the UN’s
special envoy for climate change.
But it was longstanding
environmental campaigner Asad Rehman of the Climate Coalition who gave
the most impassioned speech: “We are in a time of crisis,” he said. “All
around the world we can see the reality of climate change: the
droughts, the floods and the famines. We see it in the dead bodies in
the Mediterranean and in the typhoons. We know the names of the
companies responsible for their deaths.
“All around the world we
are seeing an unprecedented movement of people in its breadth and
diversity: it spans the communities in the Amazon fighting to stop
deforestation and Bangladeshi fisher folk protecting their mangroves. It
includes men, women and children in Nigeria protesting against Shell
and the oil spills.”
The mass lobby comes as the pope prepares to deliver a historic encyclical
on Thursday about the “grave consequences” of climate change in absence
of a radical global change in lifestyles and energy production and
consumption. In a draft of the document leaked to L’Espresso magazine,
the pope calls for a new global authority to tackle “the reduction of
pollution and the development of poor countries and regions”. Hugo Tagholm, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, arrived at Westminster complete with wetsuit and surf board.
“We
represent the interests of surfers and other sports enthusiasts who
love our coastline and particularly love our surfing habitats. They are
at the forefront of the impacts of climate change – whether that’s sea
level rises, ocean acidification or increased rainfalls.”
A
“bunting petition” stretched along the River Thames, on which lobbyists
had written what they love that will be affected by climate change. “For
the love of bikes”, read one. “For the love of our home”, read another.
Chris
Bain, director of the Catholic development charity Cafod, said: “I
think [the pope] feels that given 2015 is such a critical year for
development, poverty and climate change, he wants to signal that this is
a moral issue of our time and he wants politicians all over the world
to take it seriously.
He estimated that more than 800
Catholics from parishes around the country and from dozens of schools
had made the journey to Westminster.
At a service in
Westminster ahead of Wednesday’s lobbying event, the Bishop of
Salisbury, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, said: “This is not just our
individual concern. It is our Christian concern together as the church.
It is the concern of people of all faiths. It is our human concern in
solidarity with all people. The world is our home.”
In December,
negotiators representing more than 190 countries will meet in Paris for a
conference designed to create a new global climate change deal largely
focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Any deal would
come into force in 2020, when current commitments are due to expire.
The Guardian has launched a campaign, Keep it in the Ground,
to shine a light on the impacts of climate change and the barriers to
action. As part of this, it is asking the world’s largest charitable
foundations – the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation – to divest from
fossil fuel companies.
General. Until petroleum-based aviation fuel is replaced, you should avoid flying when possible, fly less frequently, fly shorter distances, and fly economy class.
Leisure Air Travel. Take fewer and longer vacations that are far away, and more frequent and driveable “staycations” closer to home.
Work Air Travel. Increase your use of video-conferencing tools like Skype and Facetime.
What class? Economy class is best, for the same reasons as carpooling and public transportation. Each flyer’s share of a flight’s carbon emissions is relatively less because it’s spread out over more people
That’s Economy class. When Prince William flies economy class, he’s leading by example.
Don’t fly on private jets. Fly first or business class if you must, because at least those seats always fill up anyway, and avoid private jets.
Don’t buy a Honda.HondaJet, that is. Their cars are fine, though.
Don’t be a space tourist. Watch NOVĪ on PBS instead. Richard Branson’s “spaceline” Virgin Galactic seeks to right the injustice that “most of our planet’s seven billion people have had no opportunity to experience space” and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin promises “life-changing views” of what’s left of our planet.
A great infographic about #socialmedia platform #Vine and short form video. #video #videomarketing. via http://ift.tt/1E8iFx7
