Study shows renewable energy can fuel the UK and create thousands of jobs

The first full economic valuation of the UK’s renewable energy sector has suggested that renewable energy could power the UK and create thousands of jobs.

The report even suggests that by 2050 the UK could be exporting electricity.

The study was carried out by the Offshore Valuation Group, and it says that even were the offshore renewable industry to work at just a third of its potential capacity, it could still see some 145,000 jobs created.

It also said that Britain could create enough clean electricity from renewable sources to meet current UK demand 6 times over. The potential export value of this excess energy is huge, and will only continue to rise in future.

Tidal energy is a somewhat new and untested field, with the first prototype tidal generators being manufactured and tested at the moment. Two of these are being tested in Scotland, where the European Marine Energy Centre is located amongst most of the UK’s best tidal sites.

Last month the Pelamis P2 wave generator was unveiled, and this month the Oyster 2 wave energy converter has been launched.

Subscribe to our RSS Feed to keep up to date with UK Renewable Energy.