Car giant Nissan has unveiled its all-electric Juke and is planning to launch it in the UK in the Spring of 2027.

The Juke electric vehicle (EV) will be built at Nissan’s Sunderland Plant, with the first trial phases starting in the coming weeks. 

It will join the Micra, Leaf, Ariya crossover, Townstart LCV, as well as a new A-segment EV, as part of Nissan’s new EV lineup on sale in the UK and Europe. 

The Juke will support vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, allowing drivers to feed energy back into the National Grid from their car’s battery, which Nissan plans to roll out across multiple models. 

Clíodhna Lyons, region vice president, product, brand & marketing strategy, Nissan AMIEO, said the EV will help the company “reach new customers”, hopefully stepping up the move to eco-friendly driving. 

Full specs, range and pricing are yet to be confirmed. 

The Juke hybrid range

For those that can’t wait for the all-electric Juke range, consider the range’s hybrid option. There are four models to choose from, including Acenta Premium, N-Connecta, Tekna and the Tekna+, with prices starting from £24,265. 

Some of the Juke’s automatic hybrid models use Nissan’s Pro Pilot Assist, which offers advanced driver assistance and motorway driving assistance, so you can feel confident driving on – sometimes scary – roads. 

Elsewhere, if you struggle to parallel park, you won’t need to worry with the Juke, as it has a virtual 360 degree bird’s-eye view. This system also gives you a heads up when it detects moving objects near the car.

Other elements include high beam assist, traffic sign recognition, intelligent forward collision warning, a blind spot intervention and rear cross traffic alert. There’s also the stolen vehicle tracking on models produced after February 2024, giving you added peace of mind with your Juke. 

What else has hit the UK market in 2026?

It seems we’ve had a huge amount of EVs, both fully-electric and hybrids, hit the UK market or at least announced for release in 2026 or 2027. 

We suggest grabbing a pen and paper or opening a spreadsheet, and make note of your monthly outgoings. This will give you an idea of what’s coming in versus what’s going out. Remember to be realistic about your fuel usage if you don’t already drive an EV. You can then use this to calculate your savings. 

Once you’ve done that, you can start researching your cars to get an idea of what’s important to you and what’s not. We’ve compiled a full list of what’s launched and what’s to come:

• Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid – Prices start from £43,845, and available in three models: Icon, Design and Excel. It’s hitting the UK market this summer, and you can read more about it here.
•  Volvo EX60 – Prices start at £56,360 and has a WLTP-certified range of up to 503 miles on a single charge. Find out more.
• Skoda Epiq EV – The Epiq 55 has 211 horsepower and 267 miles of range. It can also charge from 10% to 80% in just 23 minutes. Read more about its features.  
• Geely EM-i – This plug-in hybrid starts at £29,990 and has three trim levels: Pro, Max and Ultra. Uncovers more features here.
• Alpine A390 – This car is the first Alpine with more than 400 horsepower under the bonnet, with prices starting from £61,390. Read more now. 
• Mercedes-Benz CLA – Two models are available, the CLA 250+ Shooting Brake with EQ Technology and the CLA 350 4MATIC Shooting Brake with EQ Technology. Both feature a lithium-ion battery with a usable energy capacity of 85 kilowatt hours, and more. 

The post Nissan to launch all-electric Juke in the UK in 2027 appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Drilling in the North Sea for oil, and even taking every last drop of it out, will not make bills cheaper, despite what Reform UK and clean energy sceptics would like us all to believe. 

There is no doubt that the UK relies too much on importing energy and while drilling for oil 12 miles off the coast of Scotland might sound like an easy answer, it is the wrong answer. Why? Because it would do nothing to stop bills jumping with every major foreign policy crisis. That is why the government has rightly banned new North Sea oil licenses because only renewables can make the UK energy independent in the long run.

Despite the benefits of clean energy over fossil fuels, Richard Tice from Reform UK says his party would ‘extract every drop’ of North Sea oil. It’s at best simplistic, at worst, a cynical effort to score points off a government that has been caught off guard by huge spikes in the price of energy. 

Quite simply, the North Sea is not the answer to any of our energy problems because:

• There isn’t enough oil left there to make much of a difference fuel costs
• Relying on North Sea oil would do nothing to stop household energy bills ballooning as we’d still be at the mercy of global markets
• The UK’s oil refineries simply aren’t up to task, as they’re too old and not suited to processing the type of oil in the North Sea
• About 80% of North Sea oil gets sold abroad, meaning UK households don’t see any of it

Let’s go into some of these in more detail.

The North Sea is a mature basin

Most of the North Sea oil and gas is gone. In fact, between 90-94% of the North Sea’s total oil reserves have already been extracted. That’s not Greenpeace talking, that’s from the UK government and North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA).

The NSTA says there are about 2.9 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) left in the North Sea. What does this mean for homeowners? Not much, because it while it would create 2,500 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy, and while that might sound like a lot (one TWh = one million megawatt-hours and one billion kilowatt-hours), it wouldn’t all go to heating homes and would also be used for transportation and industry. 

In 2023, the UK used about 1,506 of TWh in total, meaning that 2,500 TWh would provide enough energy for about 18 months, and that’s being optimistic. There is energy to be had, and it could possibly be a very short-term fix, but what happens when the oil and gas runs out?

The North Sea doesn’t produce oil and gas enough to bring bills down

The UK accounts for just 0.11% of the world’s global gas reserves and 0.08% of the world’s oil reserves, with the North Sea accounting for most of these tiny proportions. Even if the UK were to extract all of its oil and gas from the North Sea and elsewhere (there is gas in the UK Continental Shelf of the Irish Sea), we’d still lean heavily on imported liquified natural gas (LNG).

The near empty reserves of the North Sea mean the UK is what is called a ‘price taker’ rather than a ‘price maker’ because its reserves aren’t big enough to change the international market value. In effect, the UK has no market power despite the North Sea and this will never change. 

If the government were to extract all of its gas and oil from the North Sea, two things would happen: firstly, when it runs out of oil and gas, it will have to import yet more of it, and secondly, the fuel it gets would barely make a dent in energy bills. 

It’s estimated that in that scenario (where the North Sea is emptied of its oil and gas), household energy bills would fall from about £16-£82 a year. By contrast, they would fall by £105-£441 with renewable energy and electrification. 

It’s too expensive and the UK doesn’t have the right infrastructure

Believe it or not, the UK sells about 80% of the oil it takes out of the North Sea because the industry is completely privatised and we don’t have the right refineries. All of the oil and gas taken from the North Sea is owned by private companies who then sell to the highest bidder on the open market. Unlike in other countries, where there would be a national oil or gas company to supply homes, the goods get sold by Shell, BP, or someone else.

Another reason is that all four of the refineries in the UK were built before North Sea oil was discovered. North Sea oil is very high in sulphur, which our refineries can’t deal with. That means the oil that most of the North Sea oil that does get used has to be sold to another refinery abroad, usually in the Netherlands, and then bought back. This makes North Sea oil an expensive option that is destined to run out very quickly.

According to analysis from the Cleantech for UK, it could take 20 years to improve the UK’s infrastructure to extract all of the remaining oil and gas from the North Sea. If remember what we said earlier, there would be only just under two years of electricity. Two decades of work for less than roughly 18 months of energy. How much would it cut energy imports by? According to Cleantech for UK, a mere 2%. Simply put, the North Sea is bad for British billpayers.

Why renewable energy is best

Renewable energy is cheaper and is the only way to make the UK energy independent. As the US-Iran war, and the chaos in the Strait of Hormuz, has shown us, the UK remains horrifically vulnerable to international markets. 

“True energy security today means reducing exposure to volatile global fossil fuel markets, not deepening it,” says Laura Anderson, senior associate at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

“The price shocks of recent years have shown how reliant the UK is on international gas markets, leaving households and businesses vulnerable to geopolitical events and decisions taken by actors like Putin and Trump,” she continues. 

“Expanding domestic renewables, by contrast, offers a way to generate stable, homegrown energy that isn’t subject to those same external pressures.”

The UK is already producing more renewable energy, and throughout the US-Iran war this saved billpayers about £7m a day, with wind and solar providing 40% of the country’s electricity demand as generation increased by 52% on the last crisis in 2021. 

The North Sea looks like a straightforward option, but it would not be the right one. Only renewables can protect billpayers and households. 

The post Why North Sea oil and gas would not bring down our energy bills appeared first on The Eco Experts.

The amount of renewable energy the UK uses is rising, but how much does it use?

According to UK government statistics, renewable energy supplied a record 52.5% of the electricity generated in the UK in 2025. This is the second year in a row that renewables have supplied over half of the country’s power.

Driven by high wind and solar output, the UK generated a record 152.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of renewable energy in 2025, marking a 5.7% jump on 2024.  

According to RenewableUK’s CEO, Tara Singh, renewables are now the “backbone of Britain’s power system” and have supplied “most of our electricity for the second year running, with wind doing the heavy lifting.” 

Wind power reached a record share of 30%, increasing 4% to deliver 87.1 TWh of generation. Solar generation also saw a significant increase, surging 37% to 20 TWh, accounting for a 6.9% share.

In the fourth quarter, renewables accounted for 54.5% of total generation. While this represents an increase compared to the same quarter in 2024, it was slightly less than the share recorded during the second and third quarters of 2025.

Singh said the next round auction of renewable projects later in the year will be a great opportunity to “lock in cheaper, more secure power.” 

According to energy trends in March 2026, 28.8 TWh of wind generation in the fourth quarter of 2025 drove a substantial increase in renewable generation. With the UK already experiencing record breaking wind power generation this year, it’s no surprise that wind power is set to continue that trend. 

Why is the UK producing more renewable energy? 

The answer is simple: better weather, more storage capacity, government support, and the need to be energy independent. 

• Our storage capacity grew by 3.8 gigawatts (GW) to a total of 65.1 GW in 2025. Most of this came from The majority of the new capacity came from solar PV (2.8 GW) and offshore wind.
• 2025 was the sunniest year on record, having 1,622 hours of sunshine, beating the record set in 2003. 
• The government has pushed through reforms to the National Grid to make renewable projects online quicker.  

Will the UK produce more renewable energy in the future?

Yes, it is highly likely that the UK will produce more renewable energy in the future than it is now.  The sunshine record is very likely to be broken as the UK has got sunnier since the 1980s, and the Met Office thinks it will keep doing so. 

As recently as 8 April, ground and roof-mounted solar panels generated a record breaking 14,414 megawatts (MW), according to the National Energy System Operator (NESO), enough to boil 4.8 million kettles at the same time. It’s the earliest annual peak we’ve seen. 

As well as that, the government is committed to renewable energy and will continue to support wind and solar projects, as well as upgrading the National Grid. It will also continue to help households install solar panels through the Warm Homes Plan. The government also has a legal commitment to bring carbon emissions down to net zero by 2050.

Another very important reason why it is very likely that the UK will generate more renewable energy is the need to cut our dependence on gas. The US-Iran war caused an enormous increase in gas prices, a market the UK is extremely vulnerable to.  The ongoing energy crisis will accelerate the pace of growth, in addition to rising demand for rooftop and plug-in solar systems.

Which types of renewable energy does the UK use?

Wind is the biggest source of renewable energy in the UK, but there is still a way to go to make the UK run totally on clean energy.

The Eco Experts says: 

The UK is definitely generating a lot more clean energy than it used to, and in the future it is likely to make a lot more. But despite using clean power for more than half of its energy last year, there is a lot of room for improvement.  

Will 2026 be another record year for the renewables industry? We won’t know for another 12 months or so, but if things continue as they are, it’s very likely that the 52.5% number will increase.

Iceland, for example, gets 85–87% of its primary energy supply from domestic renewable sources. In our opinion, if the government achieves its goal of installing 600,000 heat pumps annually by 2028, as well as building upon the UK’s offshore wind potential and making the most of solar panels on new builds, we’ll be well on our way to ending reliance on fossil fuels for good. 

The post How much renewable energy does the UK use? appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Everyone’s arguing about the North Sea oil and gas and whether the UK should restart drilling to get energy bills down. Our view is very simple: NO. Unreservedly no. Why? Because even if we were to take all the oil and gas out of the North Sea, it would only give us enough electricity for a couple of years…and that’s being optimistic. 

Obviously we’re in the middle of an energy crisis (actually, it can probably be better described as an energy bill crisis if you believe the next price cap predictions), but more oil and gas is not the answer. 

Only renewables and improving the National Grid can keep our bills down and stop this from ever being hit so hard again. Don’t just take our word for it: the IMF has said the UK is set to be hit harder than any other major world economy by the US-Iran war due – unsurprisingly – to an over-reliance on imported fossil fuels. 

Thankfully, we seem to be heading in the right direction when it comes to freeing our bills from fossil fuels. The UK has generated so much renewable energy that we may well all get free electricity this summer. The predictable sceptics are trying to spin this as a negative, but the sensible among us are looking to cheap energy this year and for many more to come. All we can hope is that the government improves the National Grid enough to make it work. 

Why drilling in the North Sea would not bring down our energy bills

It feels like ever since the US and Iran started fighting at the end of February the anti-clean energy has been campaigning hard to restart drilling in the North Sea, as if it would make us energy independent. Aside from the fact that there’s barely any left, we give our take on why this is a terrible idea.

We’re going to get paid to use electricity

No, it’s not a marketing promotion for the World Cup, it’s because we’ve generated so much renewable energy. In short, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) will offer British households and businesses payments to use electricity at certain times of day to help the National Grid cope with the huge amounts of solar and wind energy we’ve generated.

Britain to be hit harder than any other country by the US-Iran war

It’s a good thing we have so much clean energy to fall back on because we’re being hit harder than any other major economy by the ongoing chaos in the Strait of Hormuz and the White House. That’s not us talking, that’s the IMF. The Resolution Foundation has gone as far to predict that the average household in this country will be £480 worse off because of the war. 

Potential Reform supporters back clean energy

Even those considering voting for the biggest clean energy sceptics of all can see the benefit in wind and solar. That’s if we believe the data coming out of Scotland, which says that 3-out-of-5 voters who are considering backing Reform UK support action on climate change. This is even more interesting when you remember the power of the North Sea drilling lobby north of the border. Will it tempt Nigel Farage into a policy change? Unlikely, but we can hope. 

Average price of clean technology

• Solar PV system: £7,581.02

• Solar storage battery: £9,370.52

• Air source heat pump: £13,669.45

• Ground source heat pump: £24,691.87

Number of the week

£480

That’s how much the Resolution Foundation thinks the average household is set to lose thanks to the US-Iran war and our dependence on fossil fuels.

Sources:

• https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/news/north-sea-drilling-energy-bills
• https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/poll-majority-of-scots-considering-voting-reform-back-climate-action
• https://www.ft.com/content/5121b052-3f17-48f6-830f-8e570de28ed0?syn-25a6b1a6=1
• https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/press-releases/higher-energy-prices-could-leave-typical-british-households-480-worse-off-this-year/
• https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/uk-to-be-hit-hardest-from-iran-war-says-imf-comment

6th April – 12th April 2026

Everyone’s worrying about their energy bills, and it’s easy to see why. Thanks to Donald Trump’s war with Iran (now stopped with an uneasy conditional ceasefire) and the fact that the price of gas is ludicrously high compared to February, household bills will definitely go up when the next energy price cap comes into effect on 1 July 2026.

The question is: by how much? While we can’t say for certain, it will likely be by at least 10-20%, which would mean billpayers will be shelling out hundreds of pounds for energy. We can only be grateful that it’s spring and not winter. 

It’s not all bad news though. Renewables are coming to the rescue, in particular solar panels… at least that’s the hope. Last week we wrote about plug-in solar panels that can live on your balcony, creating cheap and clean energy. Experts think the households could save UK billpayers £1,100 in 15 years by using plug-in solar panels. This is an amazing opportunity for people to really cut down on their energy bills. 

But are plug-in solar panels the long-term answer to ballooning energy bills? We’ll have to wait and see. What we do know is that demand for solar panels more generally is booming, with one company reporting its orders doubling in March and some households having to join waiting lists for installation. 

Clean energy as a whole is also seeing massive growth, with renewables accounting for more than half of all the electricity the UK generated in 2025, before the war started. Will this continue? We can only hope so as the power of renewables to create cheap energy is clearer than ever before. Industry experts Ember have gone as far to say that the UK has saved about £7m a day due to higher gas prices. 

The demand for solar panels and clean energy is there. The government just needs to make sure it’s met. 

Clean energy saves UK £7m a day

The US-Iran war has meant a massive increase in the price of gas, but the UK’s growing fleet of solar and wind farms has saved £7m every day since the war has started. According to Ember, the cost of gas-fired power generation has increased 42%, reaching £110.42/megawatt per hour (MWh) – up from £77.75/MWh the week before the war began. 

In that time, wind and solar supplied 40% of the UK’s electricity demand, while gas accounted for only 23%.

Energy analyst Josie Murdoch says this shows the potential for wind and solar to cut the country’s dependence on gas. 

US-Iran conditional ceasefire: will our energy bills go up or down?

The war, for the next two weeks, has come to a conditional ceasefire, and the Strait of Hormuz is open again, but what will this mean for our energy bills? Most still predict a huge increase in July, but will it be as bad as we first thought? We won’t know until the 27 May when the next energy price cap gets announced. 

Plug-in solar panels can save households £1,100

Last week we told you about plug-in solar panels and that if you have a balcony you can simply plug it into your wall and get cheap and clean energy. This week we can tell you that they can save £1,100 over the course of their lifetime, according to analysis from Carbon Brief.

Researchers in Japan boast about ‘130%’ solar cell efficiency

This is potentially great news for billpayers. Right now, the average solar panel is about 24% efficient. That means only 24% of the sunlight that hits the panel is converted into energy. An efficiency of 130% means your panel will be generating more power for your home, meaning you can get your bills down to £0 much faster. The real question is if and when households will be able to install solar panels that are 130% efficient? We explain more about solar panel efficiency here.

Renewable energy costs

• Solar PV system: £7,524.67

• Solar storage battery: £9,311.11

• Air source heat pump: £13,676.96

• Ground source heat pump: £28,923.18

Number of the week

£1,100

That’s how much some believe plug-in solar panels can save over their lifetime. 

Sources:

• https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/uk-natural-gas
• www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-plug-in-solar-can-save-uk-homes-1100-on-energy-bills/
• https://inews.co.uk/news/solar-panel-waiting-lists-homeowners-demand-soars-4328197?srsltid=AfmBOoqgddU28OrZJgxLftTa1DVFeZWo09E2iD5XfTbKKbb2ezSf-t-h
• https://www.sciencealert.com/new-breakthrough-in-solar-cell-efficiency-hits-130-quantum-yield

The post Everything you need to know about clean energy this week appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Scientists in Japan have found a way that could help solar panels bring energy bills down to £0 by increasing their efficiency to 130%, and raised the possibility of improving the aver 22%.

The researchers from Kyushu University in Japan and Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz in Germany did this by using a process called ‘singlet fission’ and a  new metal complex known as a ‘spin-flip’ emitter.

How have they made solar panel material with 130% efficiency?

In a normal solar panel, one electron is made every time it is hit by one particle of light (also called a photon). This creates one unit of electricity. 

The scientists used a material called tetracene to do something called ‘singlet fission’, which splits the photon into two lower-energy particles (which are called ‘excitables’).

In simple terms, this means for one photon/particle of light, a solar panel can now generate two electrons rather than one, and that means it creates two units of electricity when otherwise it would only create one. 

That’s where the ‘spin-flip’ comes in because it traps the extra particles created by the solar panels, meaning a solar cell can actually generate more units of electricity than the number of photons that’s absorbing.  

This could potentially have huge benefits for household energy bills because most solar panels only generate units of electricity from one-third of the photons they absorb.

The researchers said the next steps are to convert the liquid solution used here into a solid form that can be fitted to a solar panel, reliably and effectively and take the super-efficient solar panel to market.

The Eco Experts says:

We think that solar panels are incredibly important when it comes to supplying clean, home-grown electricity to the UK. Not only does it reduce our fossil fuel dependence at a time like this where fuel is becoming increasingly expensive, but it can also help reduce our energy bills.

Solar panels are also an important part of addressing climate change and the government’s goals of net zero emissions by 2050. But despite their importance, current solar cells capture only a fraction of the sun’s immense energy.

Breakthroughs such as the spin-flip are incredibly important for the future of solar energy, as the more efficient panels become, the more we can look forward to a cleaner future. 

In our opinion, this is a really exciting time for homeowners as the opportunity to lower energy bills continues. The next challenge is to make sure that solar panels are as efficient as possible to reduce energy bills to practically nothing. 

The post Solar efficiency breakthrough could get your bills down to £0 appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Toyota has unveiled its latest plug-in hybrid SUV range, RAV4, which will be available to buy in the UK this summer. 

With prices starting from £43,845, drivers will be able to choose from three models: Icon, Design and Excel. 

The Icon model starts from £43,845 and features 18” alloy wheels, 12.3” multimedia screen, a power backdoor and a blind spot monitor, while the Design model (prices start from £45,745) has bi-tone paint, a wireless charger, a heated steering wheel and front seats, as well as a PBD + Kick sensor, which is enhanced with front cross traffic alerts. 

The Excel model (prices start from £50,045) has 20” black machined-face alloy wheels, leather seats, a JBL premium sound system, a standard 11kW AC charger and a 50kW DC fast charger. It also has a Head Up Display, a wireless mobile phone charger and heated and ventilated front seats.  

Each model, according to the manufacturer, is built for everyday commutes to long drives, and can be charged with Toyota’s HomeCharge charging point, which works with the MyToyota app. The range can also be charged using EV public chargers, and the nearest one can be found using the car’s multimedia system.  

The MyToyota app enables users to check the car’s state of charge, driving range and charging status anywhere. 

Each new Toyota also comes with a three-year manufacturer’s warranty and after expiry, Toyota’s Service Activated Warranty offers new cover every time you complete a qualifying service at an approved dealer, right up to when your vehicle is 10-years old or reaches 100,000 miles. 

Should you invest in an EV or plug-in hybrid?

As the cost of living continues to increase, it’s no wonder that households are making the switch to electric vehicles (EV) or plug-in hybrid models. In fact, the number of EV registrations hit 86,120 in March, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). 

This figure is up from 69,313 for the same month last year, making the 2026 total the highest-ever monthly figure. Backing up this data is that more drivers have been searching online for additional information around EVs, with Google searches up by 17.5pc between February and March, New Automotive reported. 

Commenting on the SMMT announcement, Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said that while it’s hard to predict how the rising fuel prices will translate into new car sales, the data indicates that more people are looking to protect themselves. 

“EVs offer the UK a way to enhance its energy security by reducing its dependence on oil imported from abroad,” he said. 

However, while we believe that a plug-in hybrid can be a strong move towards reducing your overall carbon footprint, Walker warns that investing in a full EV can offer higher savings long-term, and plug-in hybrids can consume up to 490% more fuel than their manufacturers claim. 

“Costing hundreds of pounds a year more to run than a full electric vehicle, plug-in hybrids are becoming even more expensive to fuel as the price of petrol and diesel rises,” he said. 

“They simply do not offer the same savings as an EV to families looking to protect themselves from shocks in global energy markets, and will undermine efforts by the UK to reduce its dependence on foreign oil.” 

The post Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid to arrive summer 2026 appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Renewable energy is cheaper and cleaner than fossil fuels, and it protects you when there’s a big spike in the price of gas and oil, which is why so many people, governments, and businesses are choosing it.

This global demand has led to huge leaps in technology, with solar panels and heat pumps becoming more efficient every year.

However, there is still a lot to learn about renewable energy, which is why we’ve created this guide to cover everything you need to know. To take a more in depth look at the pros and cons of renewable energy, check out this guide.

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy comes from natural sources that are replenished as fast they’re consumed. In other words, it’s made and before it’s used up, it’s made again, so that you never run out. The most well known sources of renewable energy are:

• Solar: Capturing sunlight and converting it into electricity or heat
• Wind: Harnessing kinetic energy from the air using turbines
• Hydroelectric: Generating electricity from the flow of water, typically via dams or river systems
• Geothermal: Utilizing heat stored deep within the Earth
• Biomass: Converting organic material such as grass  into heat or electricity

The challenges of renewable energy

While the benefits are clear, the expansion of renewables requires solutions to specific challenges:

Intermittency: Solar panels and wind power are variable—they only produce power when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. This is the primary hurdle for a fully renewable grid. 

Storage Solutions: To overcome periods when energy can’t be generated, efficient and cost-effective storage is crucial. This includes large-scale battery systems, and potentially green hydrogen.

National grid modernisation: Existing electrical grids were designed for centralized fossil fuel plants. Integrating renewable energy sources requires massive investment in smart grid technologies and new infrastructure to move power from sunny or windy regions to urban areas.

Is renewable energy cheaper than fossil fuel?

Yes, renewable energy is undoubtedly cheaper than fossil fuels because it’s an independent source of power that doesn’t jump in price every time there is a geopolitical crisis.

For example, solar panels alone can cut energy bills by as much as 70% in the short term and help you make money in the long run through:

• the 10-year payback period, which means you have 15 years of free electricity as solar panels last for 25 years
• the Smart Export Guarantee, which lets you sell surplus energy back to the grid

On top of that renewable electricity tariffs are no longer dramatically more expensive than standard ones. Since the energy crisis and price cap changes, many green tariffs now sit within a similar price range to more traditional deals. Tariffs often depend more on market prices than the energy source itself.

Your bill will depend on location, usage, smart tariff participation, and a fixed vs variable tariff. Whether fixed vs variable tariffs are cheaper depends on energy market conditions; fixed tariffs can offer price stability and protection against rising costs, while variable tariffs can be cheaper if wholesale prices fall.

There can be exit fees for switching if you are on a fixed-term contract, but in most cases, switching to a renewable supplier, especially from a variable tariff, does not cost any exit fees. 

You can switch energy suppliers as often as you like, provided you are not restricted by a fixed-term contract.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero suggests that solar output cost now averages £41 per megawatt hour (MWh) from new projects. For new gas power stations, the equivalent lifetime cost will be closer to £114 per MWh.

Is renewable energy really 100% green?

Yes, the generation of renewable energy is 100% green, but there is a carbon footprint in the building and transportation of the technology, such as solar panels and heat pumps.

For example:

• Solar panels and wind turbines require raw materials such as silicone, lithium, cobalt, rare earth metals, steel, and concrete.
• Mining and processing takes up a lot of land and water.
• Manufacturing the equipment also consumes energy, which may come from fossil fuels depending on the region.
• Similarly, large hydroelectric dams can disrupt ecosystems, alter river flows, and affect wildlife populations and local communities.
• Biomass energy, while renewable, can produce air pollution and may contribute to deforestation if not managed sustainably.

However, the important thing to remember is that whatever the amount of carbon emissions renewable energy produces, they’re still cleaner than fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels emit 37 billion tonnes of carbon every year. By contrast, the extraction of minerals for renewable energy technology emits just 1.5 billion tonnes a year.

On top of that, over their lifetime, solar panels and wind turbines typically offset the emissions produced during their manufacture within a few years of operation. After that, they generate electricity with minimal ongoing emissions. Compared to the continuous extraction, combustion, and pollution associated with fossil fuels, renewables dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and climate change impacts.

Renewable energy is not 100% green when considering its entire life cycle, but it is far cleaner and more sustainable than conventional energy sources. The key difference lies in scale and duration of impact. Renewable technologies have upfront environmental costs, while fossil fuels create ongoing, cumulative harm. As technology improves, the environmental footprint of renewable energy continues to decrease.

Renewable energy vs low-carbon technology

The exact amount of CO₂ you can save by switching depends on your current energy source and usage, but switching energy suppliers can reduce your carbon footprint almost immediately.

Installing low-carbon technology such as solar panels can reduce energy bills in the long term, while providing energy independence from volatile fuel markets, and also offering potential export payments through the Smart Export Guarantee. 

The most ideal solution would be to do both.

Is renewable energy reliable?

Yes, renewable energy is reliable in the UK because it comes from lots of different sources, including wind, solar, and nuclear. The tariffs change how your supplier sources energy, not how it reaches your home. That means regardless of where your energy is sourced from, it will still give you everything you need.

The UK grid balances supply using these sources, including solar panels, hydro electric power, wind farms, solar storage, and conventional power stations. It’s not less stable for consumers, as the National Grid continuously balances supply and demand to ensure a consistent and stable electricity supply.

Green suppliers are regulated by British energy regulator Ofgem, as all others are, meaning they must follow the same rules on pricing, transparency, and consumer protection. The Energy Price Cap is a limit set by Ofgem on the maximum unit rate and standing charge suppliers can charge on standard variable tariffs, and it does apply to green tariffs if they are structured as standard variable tariffs.

Suppliers are also supported by the UK government indirectly through renewable energy policies, incentives, and market mechanisms designed to encourage clean energy generation.

There are grants for switching to renewable energy in some cases, particularly for home improvements like heat pumps or solar panels, though grants typically support installations rather than switching electricity suppliers. 

It’s a common misconception that clean energy generation stops on overcast days or when there isn’t much  wind. On days when we don’t have wind power, high-voltage undersea cables connect neighbouring country electricity systems to share surplus power. Also it is often windiest during the winter, so wind turbines are producing more power when we’re using the most electricity.

How does renewable energy work with the National Grid?

Renewable electricity works in the UK grid by feeding renewable power into the same national grid as all other electricity, with suppliers matching customer usage to renewable generation through accounting systems and certificates.

Renewable energy does not mean your home is powered directly by wind or solar, because all electricity comes through the national grid, but your supplier ensures the equivalent amount of renewable power is generated on your behalf.

The post Everything you need to know about renewable energy appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Planning permission is no longer required for small wind turbines  in the UK as the government looks for ways to cut energy bills.  

Commercial properties including businesses, schools, and farms could install a turbine up to 30 metres tall, which is about the same size of a mature oak tree, without needing to get permission.  the need for a planning application. 

Right now onshore wind developments, which includes domestic turbines, fall under something called ‘limited permitted development rights’, which has strict height and size limits.

The changes have come because the government needs to bring down energy bills, particularly since the beginning of the US-Iran war, which has made costs balloon.  

Michael Shanks, energy minister, said it would help businesses, schools, and farmers the tools to “lower their bills and make the best use of their land.” 

UK smashes wind record

The ripping up of planning permission has come after the UK set a new wind energy record. According to the National Energy System Operator (NESO), the UK’s wind farms generated 23,880 megawatts (MW), smashing the previous record of 23,825 MW, set on 5th December 2025.

Tara Singh, Chief Executive at RenewableUK, said “global instability” shows how important it is to  “build out an ambitious pipeline of new clean energy projects now and in the years ahead.” 

“Wind provided more than half of Britain’s electricity during this record period,” Singh said, claiming that wind and solar “squeezed expensive gas off our energy system,” with gas falling to its lowest level of generation for nearly two years, providing just 2.3% of our electricity. 

Onshore wind is recognized as one of the fastest and most economical energy sources to deploy. However, existing planning regulations and the associated high costs have often prevented otherwise acceptable small wind turbine projects from going ahead, even when they are financially viable, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The department is now set to expand permitted development rights for onshore wind to include non-domestic locations.The proposed measure would offer protection against volatile fossil fuel markets, which drive up energy costs.

At the same time, strong safeguards for both landscapes and communities would be maintained. Turbines won’t be allowed to be built in areas such as conservation zones, national parks, sensitive habitats, heritage sites, and land associated with listed buildings. 

Additionally, measures to protect neighboring properties, such as establishing a buffer zone between any installed turbine and the property edge, may be included.

Shanks continued: “By allowing farmers, schools and businesses to build a single small onshore wind turbine – no larger than an oak tree – without planning permission, we are giving them the tools to lower their bills and make the best use of their land.

“In the midst of uncertain global markets, the only way for households and businesses to have certainty is to invest in clean homegrown power such as onshore wind, one of the cheapest and quickest forms of energy to build.”

The Eco Experts’ view: are wind turbines the answer to high energy bills?

Wind is a free, infinite source, protecting consumers from fossil fuel price volatility, which makes wind turbines vital for long-term energy cost reduction. We think that wind turbines are the answer to high energy bills, but not alone.

In order to lower energy bills for your home or commercial property as much as possible, we would suggest coupling a wind turbine with a solar panel system to keep generating electricity for you when there’s less wind, and a storage battery to store surplus energy for later. 

Currently, grid limitations are a major hurdle to using wind energy. If wind turbines aren’t local to your property, current infrastructure will struggle to move power. While wind generation costs are falling, transmission and reliable 24/7 backup expenses prevent consumer prices from dropping faster.

Wind energy offers a shift away from global fuel markets, creating a more stable, domestic energy supply less vulnerable to international conflicts or shortages. Our opinion of wind turbines is that they build a future with more affordable, predictable, and sustainable energy. Combined with other clean technology, such as solar panels and heat pumps, they are a great way to bring down bills. 

The post Businesses no longer need planning permission to get wind turbines appeared first on The Eco Experts.

UK households with solar panels or batteries could soon be cutting their bills by as much as £100 a month after energy giant E.ON Next said it’s planning to  roll out a new smart energy service.  

The service, called Next Optimise, was built using technology trialed in 80,000 Australian homes and works by connecting to wholesale prices and uses smart automation to charge batteries when prices are low, as well as use or export stored energy when prices rise. 

The product marks a UK first, according to Chris Norbury, chief executive, E.ON UK, as it combines half-hourly electricity prices with automated battery control and fully integrated system management. 

The system, Norbury said, will allow homes to get more value from their solar and battery systems in a way that’s simple, automatic and requires no effort from the customer, or any understanding of the wholesale market. This will mean lower bills and less reliance on the grid, he said. 

The service was piloted under the name Next Solar Max, and early findings showed a boost to the savings made by households with similar solar and battery setups on a standard variable tariff and part of the Smart Export Guarantee scheme. 

Norbury said that every household in the trial saw its bills fall, with customers saving around £18 a month, with others achieving savings close to £100, and one home reporting a saving of £27 in one week during a period of wholesale price swings. Modelling also indicated that households could save close to £300 per year. 

“It’s more important than ever that we help people take control of their energy use and lower their bills,” Norbury said. 

“Consumers are showing strong interest in solar and battery as a solution, and this product adds to the savings that can be achieved by generating and storing energy at home,” he said. 

E.ON Next has also waived any monthly subscription free on the first version of Next Optimise for 12 months, and the system will be delivered in partnership with Amber Electric.

The post Solar households could slash bills by up to £100 a month with E.ON Next appeared first on The Eco Experts.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said any energy support for households won’t come until the Autumn as the government searches for ways to bring bills down in the midst of ballooning costs caused by the US-Iran war. 

Speaking to the BBC, Reeves also said when support is made available, it will likely only be for “those who need it most”, hinting that it will be based on household income. 

She said she was keen to do things differently to the previous government, which in 2022 offered all households a £400 discount in bills regardless of income, as well as introducing the Energy Price Guarantee, which meant bills could go no higher than £2,500. 

According to Reeves, this ended up with the most affluent third of households getting “more than a third of the support”, something which “makes no sense at all.” 

Bills are set to increase massively in July when the next energy price cap comes in. Nobody knows exactly how much it will go up by, but the latest prediction from Cornwall Insight is that it will increase by 18% to £1,929. 

The current Energy Price Cap, which will run from 1 April until 31 June, is £1,641 a year, meaning no energy provider can charge more than that. Since the US-Iran war began at the end of February, gas prices have increased by more than 40% and the government has been scrambling to find a way to make sure household bills don’t become unaffordable. 

One way forward is to make UK energy bills less dependent on the wholesale price of gas, which it currently is because we import 60% of the energy we use and because electricity is still generated by gas-powered stations. 

Energy secretary Ed Miliband earlier this week is reported to have told Labour MPs that he will cut the link between gas and electricity prices. This would massively cut the price of electricity for households. 

To do this he would need to change the UK’s ‘marginal pricing’ model, which at the moment sets the price of electricity to the cost of the most expensive unit of energy used to generate it, which is almost always gas. 

According to Sky News, Miliband is looking at other bidding systems that should make electricity cheaper, such as zonal pricing, which divides the market into geographical zones where the price is set based on local supply and demand. 

Another idea from clean energy tycoon and owner of Ecotricity Dale Vince is a ‘pay-as-bid’ system which would “pay generators what they actually ask for”. This could be done without overhauling the market, according to a report from Ecotricity last year. That report also said that the link between gas and electricity bills could save the UK £87bn by 2030 and would let renewables compete more fairly. 

Eco Experts analysis: What can the government really do to bring down bills?

In the long term, breaking the link between gas and electricity prices is the only way to protect bills from energy crises, such as the one we’re going through now. 

If it were that easy, surely the government would just do it? The fact the government hasn’t done it shows just how difficult it is because there is no alternative which doesn’t risk raising costs. Dale Vince’s suggestion sounds simple enough – pay generators what they want and move on. 

The problem is that a pay-as-you-bid system can be very efficient because generators still have to guess the marginal price. This makes prices volatile and can put off potential investors. 

Zonal pricing, on the other hand, has its own set of problems. It makes renewable energy much cheaper in places where there is lots of it – Scotland, for example, because there will be a lot of wind power – but a lot more expensive in areas where there is high demand for energy, such as the south of England. 

The problem with every type of pricing system is that the UK doesn’t have the storage capacity to make the most of its renewable energy potential. A pay-as-you bid system might make bills cheaper in the short term, but it would likely make things more expensive in the years to come. The only way to bring bills down long term is to improve the National Grid, otherwise the government will be stuck in its current cycle of giving financial support every time there is an energy crisis. 

A National Grid which has high-voltage transmission lines to carry renewable energy from source to all areas of the country and that gets renewable projects online quicker will be the thing that makes bills come down for good, regardless of government help or what pricing system is used.

The post Energy bill help still months away as govt aims to cut link with gas appeared first on The Eco Experts.