Carbon Footprint, Energy, News, Sustainability

Carbon Footprint of UK Electricity – Year on Year Change

Posted on by Circular Ecology
26
Sep

Each year the UK government releases their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions factors for company reporting. Within the carbon footprinting sector they are often know as Defra’s GHG emissions factors, despite now being produced by the Government department, BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy). They are an invaluable resource for carbon footprint professionals.
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In August the latest factors where released. Each year it is interesting to see how the UK has progressed towards decarbonising the national electricity grid. Are the ambitious carbon reductions of UK electricity on track? Or is it yet more disappointment. The latest factors reveal the status quo.

UK’s Carbon Footprint of Electricity

​The UK’s GHG emissions factors for company reporting 2017, show that the UK is undergoing a rapid decarbonisation of electricity. The GHG emissions factors for electricity in 2016 showed that the carbon footprint of 1 kWh of electricity was 0.52 kg CO2e. The factor for 2017 is down to 0.45 kg CO2e per kWh. These are the all scope factors, for those familiar with the World Resources Institute GHG Protocol it is the sum of all 3 scopes.

Breakdown of UK’s Carbon Footprint of Electricity

​The emissions factor is broken down as carbon emissions from:
  • Electricity generation: These are the emissions directly at the power stations, e.g. from burning natural gas, coal, and other fossil fuels.
  • Transmission and distribution (T&D): The losses in the transmission and distribution network.
  • Well to tank (WTT) of generation: This is the fuel extraction, processing and transport emissions of the fuel consumed at power stations.
  • Well to tank of transmission and distribution: This accounts for the fuel extraction, processing and transport emissions of the energy lost through the distribution network.

In the period of 1 year, the UK’s carbon footprint of a unit of electricity reduced by almost 14%, an impressive year on year reduction (2016 to 2017).

Likewise, the reduction from 2015 to 2016 was a 10% reduction in the carbon footprint of a unit of electricity. These are impressive reductions but ones that will be severely needed for the UK to meet their legally binding GHG emissions reduction target.

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Key Reference:
The UK’s GHG emission factors for company reporting 2017 can be downloaded at the Government’s website, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greenhouse-gas-reporting-conversion-factors-2017

Circular Ecology

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