UK businesses face disruption due to energy supplies

If you’ve been following the recent news stories monitoring energy supply, you’ll have read about the bleak future faced by businesses and homes in Britain. The latest news stories report that energy shortages and soaring bills have already become a problem – even before winter has set in. There is one way to safeguard against energy shortages and that’s to turn to renewable energy. With solutions like solar PV and battery storage, your business needn’t worry.

Energy supply at an all time low

Our electricity supply capacity has fallen to its lowest in a decade. As a result, prices are set to rocket as National Grid is forced to turn to back-up generation. National Grid has already contracted 10 power stations to provide the back-up electricity they think they’ll need – however, these contracts don’t start until October.

The impact on our businesses

The energy shortages are of a particular concern to British businesses. As our businesses rely on a secure and stable supply of energy to keep operations running, a shortage will be potentially damaging. Things are so bleak that the UK Government is offering money to big companies to shutdown their companies for one or two days a week. Of course, this would help save some energy but may also come at a cost to businesses.

If the predictions for 2016 weren’t worrying enough, the assessment for Britain’s future is even more of a concern. By 2025, it’s been assessed that the UK will have a 40-55% energy supply gap. This number comes as a result of closures of coal and nuclear plants.

About the energy gap and impact on British businesses, Dr Jennifer Baxter, from The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, says:

“Currently there are insufficient incentives for companies to invest in any sort of electricity infrastructure or innovation and worryingly even the government’s own energy calculator does not allow for the scenarios that new energy policy points towards. Under current policy, it is almost impossible for UK electricity demand to be met by 2025.”

Renewable energy: A solution for British businesses

If you want to avoid energy price hikes, energy instability and disruption to your business, why not switch to solar? Solar PV promises energy independence and there are so many ways to pay. Furthermore, you can team your solar PV solution with battery storage for an even greater return on your investment.

To find out more about Solar PV for business, or any of our other renewable energy solutions like Infrared Heating, get in contact with the team today.

Don’t just take our word for it. Head over to our Case Studies page to read about the difference renewable energy is making in the real world. We’ve got real-life stories from clients in a wide range of industries – from farming to schools.

How have the recent government scares surrounding limited energy supplies affected your business? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @LowCarbonEnergyCo