Fairtrade renewable energy: shedding light on clean energy’s dirty secrets

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The world is coming together on renewable energy. Trust in technology such as solar and wind power generation is increasingly reflected in the investment it receives from governments around the globe. In the UK, fairness to the consumer and affordability are at centre stage as the country look to eradicate fuel poverty on the road to a zero-carbon future.

The Scottish government is considering a not-for-profit energy utility to compensate the consumer by reducing the amount of energy trading in the private sector. Elsewhere, an analysis of the value of smart meters – the household devices which track energy usage and charge consumers accordingly – returned an unsatisfactory verdict. The saving for the UK consumer was found to be only £11 per year – disappointing in light of the £11bn investment for the switchover to smart meters.