Good Energy 100% Renewable Electricity
We supply 100% renewable electricity sourced from the natural energy of wind, sun or running water. This means that for every unit of electricity used by a Good Energy customer we promise to buy an equivalent unit of electricity from a renewable source and supply this to the grid. By switching to Good Energy 100% renewable electricity you really can make a difference to the future of our planet.
An average Good Energy customer saves two tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions a year; the equivalent amount of emissions produced on a 5,000-mile journey in a petrol-fuelled car. It means that you can reduce your household’s CO2 emissions by up to one third.
The added benefit of Good Energy 100% renewable electricity
Good Energy submits Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) to Ofgem to meet the obligation required by the government. The Renewable Obligation provides an additional financial benefit to renewables in the UK, dependent on the overall use of renewable electricity.
To ensure that our customers are contributing more than prescribed by the government, we ‘retire’ some of these certificates from the market, thus increasing their value. An increase in renewable generation means a better rate of return on renewable investment and the greater likelihood of growth in the renewable market.
Fuel Mix Disclosure
Fuel mix disclosure has been set up by Ofgem and the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). It requires all electricity suppliers to publish information on the mix of fuels used to generate the electricity they supply and the environmental impact of its generation.
This gives consumers the information they need to choose an electricity supply that will help to minimise their environmental impact.
Since 1st October 2005 suppliers have been required to show this information on bills and promotional materials. The information below provides the latest figures for the national fuel mix and Good Energy’s fuel mix.
Fuel Mix For April 2006 to March 2007
Sources of our renewable power
Good Energy sources renewable power from wind farms, small hydro power stations and solar photovoltaic installations across the UK. At the moment this includes generators in Cornwall, Devon, Cumbria, the Midlands, North Wales and Scotland. The current mix is approximately 92% wind power, 7% small hydro and 1% solar. We also own our own wind farm at Delabole in Cornwall
How we promote the renewables market
Good Energy owns a wind farm at Delabole in Cornwall and actively purchases from small-scale generators thereby encouraging and growing the renewable generation market. Good Energy is owned by an independent PLC, Good Energy Group PLC, who specialise in renewable energy and over 1,500 Good Energy customers are shareholders.
Good Energy is the only UK supplier to supply only 100% renewable electricity and is recommended by the Good Shopping Guide.
How we’ll ensure we always have enough renewable electricity
Good Energy supports new renewable generators entering the market. We are constantly monitoring our renewable generation supply and demand and believe that if there was a significant increase in demand we would be able to source sufficient renewable electricity from our knowledge of the market. However, if this were not possible, we would tell potential customers we could not supply and explain the situation, offering to supply them when we had secured sufficient renewable electricity. All existing customers would continue to be supplied with 100% renewable electricity.
What happens if the wind stops blowing
Good Energy customers will always get a supply of electricity even if the wind stops blowing. We promise to buy the same amount of renewable electricity over 12 months as our customers need, so at some points during that 12 month period Good Energy will be purchasing too much renewable electricity, and at some points it will not have sufficient renewable electricity. However, over the 12 months the supply and demand of renewable electricity will match.
Why we don’t supply nuclear electricity
Nuclear fission produces negligible carbon dioxide. The reason why we have chosen not to supply nuclear power is because of its numerous adverse effects. Mining and purifying Uranium generally produces a large amount of pollution and waste. The used fuel also remains toxic for several hundred centuries and as yet there is no safe, long term way to store it. Globally there are more than a million cubic metres of high level waste or spent nuclear fuels. In the UK there is around 2500 cubic metres of high level waste and more than two million cubic metres of lower level waste.
Transporting nuclear fuel to and from plants poses a safety risk. There is the potential for accidental damage. Both the vehicles and power stations are susceptible to terrorist attack, which in the current climate is becoming increasingly likely.
When a nuclear plant does not function properly there can be huge problems such as at Chernobyl. Fortunately, such problems are rare and in the case of Chernobyl it was due to the plant being poorly designed and improperly operated. However many nuclear plants are reaching the end of their safe working life and there is no guarantee that a similar disaster will not occur again.
The Renewables Obligation
The Renewables Obligation (RO) came into force in April 2002. It requires suppliers to source from renewables a specified proportion of the electricity they supply their customers. The amount is set to increase annually until 2020.
It works on the basis of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) being issued to renewable generators based on the amount they output. Suppliers are allowed to comply with RO in one of two ways; either submit ROCs or pay a buyout fee to OFGEM. The funds raised by suppliers paying the buyout fee is then paid back to the suppliers that complied with the obligation using certificates. This mechanism provides an incentive for suppliers to purchase ROCs.
In a recent review of the RO the Minister for Energy summarised the performance of the obligation to date, “The Renewables Obligation was introduced just over a year ago, and is already proving a success in encouraging the growth of renewables in Britain” . This mechanism is recognised as a key market mechanism for implementing new renewable generation in the UK.
The difference between ROCs and LECs
As well as buying the renewable electricity for our customers, we also purchase certificates that prove each unit has been produced without emitting carbon dioxide. The cost of these certificates provides additional income to renewable generators, which encourages investment in renewables.
Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) are purchased with the electricity to ensure that green electricity is not counted twice. Good Energy uses them to prove that the electricity we supply is 100% renewable. All suppliers have to publish their fuel mix, using REGOs, to show where their electricity comes from. Good Energy is the ONLY supplier showing 100% renewable electricity. To see our fuel mix stamp and compare it with other suppliers, please go to www.electricityinfo.org
Good Energy acquires Levy Exemption Certificates (LECs) with every unit of electricity that we buy. LECs prove how the electricity was generated and who generated it – it ensures that the power comes from a renewable source. These certificates are also used to exempt our business customers from paying the Climate Change Levy. Good Energy holds onto 100% of its LECs to ensure that the renewable benefits of the electricity supplied are not double counted.
As part of the Government’s target to have 15% of the UK’s electricity generated from renewable sources by 2015, all electricity providers are required to submit a growing percentage of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) which they can buy from renewable generators. They can also choose to pay a buyout. Good Energy goes above and beyond the percentage required by the government (5.5% in 2005/2006), by retiring an extra 5% ROCs (i.e. 10.5% in 2005/6). This reduces the number of ROCs available and helps raise the market price for renewable generators and attract further investment into the renewables market.
