Energy in the United Kingdom

Energy use in the United Kingdom stood at 37.83 MWh (3,252 kilogrammes of oil equivalent) per capita in 2010 compared to a world average of 21.54 MWh (1,852 kilogrammes of oil equivalent). In 2012, total electricity consumed was 317.5 TWh (27.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent). Demand for electricity in 2012 was 35.8GW on average, and 57.490GW at its peak.Successive UK governments have outlined numerous commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. One such announcement was the Low Carbon Transition Plan launched by the Brown ministry in July 2009, which aimed to generate 30% electricity from renewable sources, and 40% from low carbon content fuels by 2020. Notably, the UK is one of the best sites in Europe for wind energy, and wind power production is its fastest growing supply, in 2014 it generated 9.3% of the UK's total electricity.Government commitments to reduce emissions are occurring against a backdrop of economic crisis across Europe. During the European financial crisis, Europe’s consumption of electricity shrank by 5%, with primary production also facing a noticeable decline. Britain's trade deficit was reduced by 8% due to substantial cuts in energy imports. Between 2007 and 2012, the UK's peak electrical demand has fallen from 61.5 GW to 57.5 GWUK government energy policy aims to play a key role in limiting greenhouse gas emissions, whilst meeting energy demand. Shifting availabilities of resources and development of technologies also change the country's energy mix through changes in costs. In 2010, the United Kingdom was ranked 9th in the World on the Environmental Performance Index, which measures how well a country carries through environmental policy.