Good Energy
Encyclopedia
Good Energy is a renewable energy
company in the United Kingdom
. It supplies 100% renewable electricity to homes and businesses throughout the UK.
.
Good Energy has said its aim is to see the UK become 100% renewable by 2050 and it has developed a pathway of how this could be possible. It wants the UK to move away from reliance on fossil-fuelled power stations, to a network of small, independent generators supplying local customers.
Good Energy sources its electricity from more than 1,500 independent wind, hydro, wave, solar, and sustainable biomass generators across the country as well as investing in its own generation sources: since 2002 Good Energy has owned the Delabole wind farm
in North Cornwall, which was the first commercial wind farm in the UK. In December 2008 planning approval was granted to Good Energy in order to repower the wind farm. The development in being financed by an £11.8 million package including a £9.6 million loan from the Co-operative bank and £2.2 million equity from Good Energy Group PLC's own resources. In August 2010 the ten original turbines were decommissioned and in September the four new, more powerful turbines began to be planted which will more than double the wind farm's output. This means that Delabole will now supply around 20% of Good Energy's electricity.
In 2009 Good Energy began offering gas to its electricity customers. Revenues from sales of gas are used to fund Good Energy HotROCs, the first renewable heat incentive in the UK, which rewards people making renewable heat through solar thermal technology.
Since it began the Good Energy Group plc has grown to include: Good Energy Generation, Good Energy Gas and the online Good Energy Shop.
(but see criticism section below). A recent Guardian article echoed the NCC's belief that Good Energy's was the best green tariff and Good Energy has also been named Best Buy for green electricity by Ethical Consumer magazine.
Which? Magazine named Good Energy best utility company for customer service in April 2010.
Good Energy has won a series of awards including: the Sunday Times' best Green Company, the Sustainable Housing Awards' Sustainable Innovation award for its HotROCs scheme, the Micropower Award for Innovation, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Environment, the British Renewable Energy Company Award, the Observer Ethical Award for Best Online Retail Initiative and PLUS Markets CEO of the Year in 2010.
Good Energy commissioned Oxford University's Environmental Change Unit to review the green electricity market. Their report put a strong case for an accreditation scheme to advise customers.
Juliet Davenport, CEO and Founder of Good Energy, sat on the Renewables Advisory Board until it was abolished by the coalition government and, formerly, on the Board of RegenSW, the South West’s renewable energy agency. She still sits on Ofgem’s Environment and Advisory group and Ofgem’s Microgeneration Steering Group.
magazine denied that Good Energy invested in new renewable capacity. However, this is no longer true: Good Energy is currently in the process of replacing the turbines at its existing wind farm, at Delabole
with four Enercon E-70 turbines and also provides support and financial assistance to over 1500 independent generators in the UK.
Dale Vince
, chief executive of rival company Ecotricity
, has accused Good Energy of deliberately misleading customers over Renewables Obligation Certificates retirement and called on the NCC to amend or retract its report. However, Good Energy has rebutted this in an open letter.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
company in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It supplies 100% renewable electricity to homes and businesses throughout the UK.
History
Good Energy, based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, was set up in 1999 by CEO Juliet Davenport and is the only electricity supplier in Britain with 100% renewably-sourced electricity in its fuel mix. It currently supplies over 26,000 homes and businesses with electricity, and 3,000 with natural gasNatural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
.
Good Energy has said its aim is to see the UK become 100% renewable by 2050 and it has developed a pathway of how this could be possible. It wants the UK to move away from reliance on fossil-fuelled power stations, to a network of small, independent generators supplying local customers.
Good Energy sources its electricity from more than 1,500 independent wind, hydro, wave, solar, and sustainable biomass generators across the country as well as investing in its own generation sources: since 2002 Good Energy has owned the Delabole wind farm
Delabole wind farm
The Delabole wind farm is a wind farm located in Delabole, Cornwall, England. It was the first commercial wind farm constructed in the UK.The farm was first proposed in 1989, and was opened in 1991...
in North Cornwall, which was the first commercial wind farm in the UK. In December 2008 planning approval was granted to Good Energy in order to repower the wind farm. The development in being financed by an £11.8 million package including a £9.6 million loan from the Co-operative bank and £2.2 million equity from Good Energy Group PLC's own resources. In August 2010 the ten original turbines were decommissioned and in September the four new, more powerful turbines began to be planted which will more than double the wind farm's output. This means that Delabole will now supply around 20% of Good Energy's electricity.
In 2009 Good Energy began offering gas to its electricity customers. Revenues from sales of gas are used to fund Good Energy HotROCs, the first renewable heat incentive in the UK, which rewards people making renewable heat through solar thermal technology.
Since it began the Good Energy Group plc has grown to include: Good Energy Generation, Good Energy Gas and the online Good Energy Shop.
Praise and Awards
An independent review from the National Consumer Council (NCC) in 2006 stated: “For those consumers who want a green electricity supply, pure and simple, (Good Energy's) is probably the closest they will get to it.” The NCC also found that, of twelve green supply tariffs, Good Energy's is one of only two (the other is Scottish & Southern Energy's RSPB tariff) that are going farther than they are required to by law.(but see criticism section below). A recent Guardian article echoed the NCC's belief that Good Energy's was the best green tariff and Good Energy has also been named Best Buy for green electricity by Ethical Consumer magazine.
Which? Magazine named Good Energy best utility company for customer service in April 2010.
Good Energy has won a series of awards including: the Sunday Times' best Green Company, the Sustainable Housing Awards' Sustainable Innovation award for its HotROCs scheme, the Micropower Award for Innovation, the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Environment, the British Renewable Energy Company Award, the Observer Ethical Award for Best Online Retail Initiative and PLUS Markets CEO of the Year in 2010.
Lobbying activities
Good Energy campaigns for more renewable generation in the UK and is one of the original signatories to new Ofgem guidelines which aim to clear up confusion over 'green' energy tariffsGood Energy commissioned Oxford University's Environmental Change Unit to review the green electricity market. Their report put a strong case for an accreditation scheme to advise customers.
Juliet Davenport, CEO and Founder of Good Energy, sat on the Renewables Advisory Board until it was abolished by the coalition government and, formerly, on the Board of RegenSW, the South West’s renewable energy agency. She still sits on Ofgem’s Environment and Advisory group and Ofgem’s Microgeneration Steering Group.
Criticism
In 2005 an article by The EcologistThe Ecologist
The Ecologist is a British environmental publication founded in 1970 by Edward Goldsmith. It addresses a wide range of environmental subjects and promotes an ecological systems thinking approach through its news stories, investigations and opinion articles. The Ecologist encourages its readers to...
magazine denied that Good Energy invested in new renewable capacity. However, this is no longer true: Good Energy is currently in the process of replacing the turbines at its existing wind farm, at Delabole
Delabole
Delabole is a large village in north Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated approximately two miles west of Camelford.The village of Delabole came into existence in the 20th century; it is named after the Delabole Quarry. There were three hamlets: Pengelly, Medrose and Rockhead...
with four Enercon E-70 turbines and also provides support and financial assistance to over 1500 independent generators in the UK.
Dale Vince
Dale Vince
Dale Vince is a Vegan former New Age traveller and British industrialist who has become noteworthy as the outspoken owner of the Green electricity company Ecotricity.-Football:In 2010 he became a major shareholder of Forest Green Rovers F.C....
, chief executive of rival company Ecotricity
Ecotricity
Ecotricity is a green energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England specialising in selling and generating wind power. It is built on the principle of heavily reinvesting its profit in building more of its own windfarms.-History:...
, has accused Good Energy of deliberately misleading customers over Renewables Obligation Certificates retirement and called on the NCC to amend or retract its report. However, Good Energy has rebutted this in an open letter.
See also
- Green electricity in the United KingdomGreen electricity in the United KingdomThere are a number of suppliers offering 'green' electricity in the United Kingdom, either supplying electricity from existing environmentally friendly energy sources, promising to invest a proportion of profits into new renewable energy generating capacity, carrying out carbon offsetting, or some...
- Wind power in the United KingdomWind power in the United KingdomBy mid-2011, the installed capacity of wind power in the United Kingdom was over 5.7 gigawatts and the UK is ranked as the world’s eighth largest producer of wind power. Wind power is expected to continue growing in the UK for the foreseeable future, RenewableUK estimates that more than...
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Energy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use and conservation in the United KingdomEnergy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilogrammes of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total...