Ways that big businesses are benefiting from renewable energy

Across the globe, fossil fuels have been the main source of energy for many years. People have long relied on the likes of natural gases, coal and oil, but the issue is that these types of fuel are non-renewable and are beginning to dwindle in supply. As if this isn’t a big enough problem, huge damage can be caused to the environment when fossil fuels are being retrieved.

The world’s population is beginning to take note of these issues though, with renewable energy sources like solar and wind power proving more popular with every passing year. As well as stabilising energy prices, the use of renewable energy is bringing down our emissions and seeing humans fight back against global warming. And it’s not just homeowners who are switching their energy sources, big businesses are too. Here, we take a look at some examples of how companies are changing their ways. You can use usave compare business energy tariffs for the best deals

How big businesses are making use of hydro power

As they currently use up to 3,100,000,000 kWh on an annual basis, Intel is certainly one of the leaders in the tech industry when it comes to them being a user of green energy. While they do use solar (including 18 on-site solar panels) and wind energy, they also utilise hydro energy in their bid to operate 100% on green energy.

A type of power that is fuelled by water, hydro energy is a clean source of energy that can be generated in no time at all. It’s a great back-up power in the event of electricity outages and disruptions. The flexible technology is constantly being improved and refined and a turbine’s efficiency is rarely below 80%, according to British Hydro. It offers a low lifetime cost and, at present, around a third of the UK’s renewable generation is provided by hydropower, playing a vital role in the stability of our electricity system.

How big businesses are making use of solar energy

Solar energy has been invested in by at least 10 major businesses across America already, including Amazon. Macy’s also installed almost 40 MW of solar capacity to take advantage of renewable energy and Google are developing solar panels. But, how can it be beneficial?

Approximately one per cent of the world’s electricity generation comes from solar energy at the moment though. However, this figure is expected to quickly rise. In businesses, retailers are currently leading the way with the adoption of solar. It is the most popular option for on-site energy generation and according to research by E.ON, six out of 10 self-generating businesses use solar.

One of the benefits of solar energy that is making it popular is that it doesn’t take up any additional space to generate the energy required. It can be a way to reduce your building’s electric bill and can be a huge money-save for big and small businesses alike. From a commercial point of view, it will also allow your company to earn the ‘Green’ label. This will bolster your company’s brand image in the eyes of onlookers, who will take note of your environmental awareness.

How big businesses are making use of wind farms

Wind turbines have been invested in by various companies too. Nissan’s factory in Sunderland uses 10 wind turbines to help produce enough power to build more than 31,000 vehicles, including the Nissan Qashqai. The efforts are in conjunction with the company’s efforts to work towards its goal of zero emissions and the 10 turbines currently contribute 6.6MW power.

As well as the 4.75MW of power generated from Nissan’s solar farm, renewable energy also contributes to seven per cent of the electricity requirements at the Sunderland plant. This represents enough energy to build 31,374 vehicles.

These examples showcase that the future is certainly bright when it comes to renewable energy, even if we still have quite a journey to go before we see every firm across the world being eco-friendly by ditching the use of fossil fuels for their energy needs. As more big-name companies get on board with the idea of renewable energy, we will see more benefits to using this source. The shift is under way in UK energy production and self-generation is going to play a bigger part in the near future as companies start to rejig the business models.