In order to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 the UK needs to drastically change how we generate our energy. But what are the facts? And what’s only myth?

1. ENERGY MYTHS..... BUSTED
“Nuclear energy is dangerous!”
› Nuclear energy is one of the world’s safest ways of generating
electricity – the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and
Development lists nuclear as THE safest method
› The chance of there being an accident in the UK like there was in
Chernobyl is astronomically small
› Work placed fatalities are extremely low, lower than any other
method of generating electricity
“More nuclear power stations
means too much radiation”
› Nuclear waste is stored very safely – the management of waste is
considered at every stage of planning a power station
› Humans are exposed to radiation every day, just not from
nuclear power stations: Brazil nuts, your daily cup of coffee, and a
breakfast banana
› The nuclear waste from UK’s nuclear power stations has a volume of
just 0.84 litres per person per year – think of that as a bottle of wine
per person per year
“Renewable energy is cheapest”
› The cost of renewable energy is going down year on year, and they are
now a competitive cost at the point of generation
› But as you increase the number of renewables on the grid, the cost of
modifying the system and covering periods of low renewable outcome
increases and the end cost to the consumer become much higher
“Carbon Capture and Storage will make
Net Zero possible”
› The CCC scenario for the UK envisions CCS capacity of 4 times the
current global total
› THE UK doesn’t currently have any large scale CCS system
› 40% of the UK industry will be reliant on CCS – we need to capture all
the carbon from our planes, buildings, cars, and energy infrastructure
www.atkinsglobal.com/EngineeringNetZero
“Nuclear energy is too expensive”
› When people think nuclear is expensive they are comparing the cost of
generation with other sources, but a consumer doesn’t just pay this,
they pay for the entire system, including the ability to manage power
fluctuations and the need to store energy
› Nuclear energy is the only one generated with the cost of
decommissioning and waste management built into the cost
› Having firm nuclear in the system brings down the overall cost, by
replacing the need for expensive storage or standby power
› The more we replicate construction methods in nuclear builds, the
more we will lower the cost
“We can get all our energy from renewables”
› Renewables such as solar and wind are important elements of the
energy mix, but they are intermittent sources – it is not always sunny
or windy!
› Without firm, consistent power sources we could see mass blackouts
› To meet Net Zero target in offshore wind, we need over 6000 new
wind turbines.
› We can’t just rely on any one energy source but need a balance
“We can use batteries to store enough energy”
› You’d need the equivalent of 130,000 fully charged Nissan Leaf car
batteries to power the city of Bristol for 24 hours
› The world’s largest battery can power 30,000 homes for only 1 hour
› There is no current battery technology ready that would run a city,
town or even village for a day
“Hydrogen is a carbon-free source of energy”
› Hydrogen isn’t an energy source – it’s an energy carrier
› It is a gas, hard to store and move because it’s very small, too small to
move through most existing natural gas pipes without it leaking out
› Hydrogen must be separated from either water or methane – doing
which needs lots of energy and when separating from methane
produces lots of CO2
“We already have a plan for how the UK reaches
Net Zero by 2050”
› The CCC’s report set out a scenario that showed it’s theoretically
possible to reach Net Zero by 2050, but they are also clear this is
not a plan
› We are not currently on course to reach Net Zero by 2050 and
the gap between this aspiration and our achievement towards it
is widening
› Only 1 out of 25 suggested policies by the CCC have been delivered
in a year
YEAR
2050
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