Ecotricity reveals eight per cent rise in green energy
Elaine Brass
6th October 2009
Ecotricity, the independent UK renewable electricity company, has announced an eight per cent rise in the amount of green energy in its fuel mix.
According to its annual Fuel Mix Disclosure (FMD) figures for April 08 to March 09, Ecotricity has increased the total amount of green energy in its fuel mix to 46 per cent. The national average for 2008/09 is just 5.9 per cent.
Ecotricity claims the increase is 20 times that of the big six energy companies supplying the UK and 10 times the national average.
Since 2005, all electricity suppliers have been required to publish information on the mix of fuels used to generate the electricity they supply and the environmental impact of its generation in the The Electricity (Fuel Mix Disclosure) Regulations. All electricity suppliers are required by this legislation to increase their source of green energy by one per cent annually.
Ecotricity claims the latest figures show that on average the big six companies have increased their fuel mix by just 0.4 per cent – 0.6 per cent below their statutory requirement.
“Our model is about turning brown electricity into green," said Ecotricity founder Dale Vince. "For the last five years for every pound our customers have spent with us on their energy bills, we have spent another pound building new green energy sources. This is why our percentage of green electricity is 10 times the national average and our rate of new build is 20 times greater.”
Ecotricity is calling for a fundamental change in how electricity is produced to avoid an 'energy crunch’ and wants to see other energy companies investing in the UK’s long-term energy security by building sufficient renewable energy infrastructure, rather than focusing on shareholder results.
“What many customers don’t understand is that by simply paying for a 100 per cent green energy tariff they are not reducing CO2 emissions or combating climate change – they are buying from a limited, existing renewable energy supply," said Vince. "The only kind of green energy that reduces CO2 is the new kind – which is why we focus our efforts so completely on the building of more wind turbines.”
In the last five years, Ecotricity figures show an average spend of over £450 per year per customer on new green energy, while Scottish Power – at number two on the leader board – has spent just £27.65.