Blog7 - 5 Advantages of Rural Electrification and How the UK’s Wind Farms are Helping

Rural electrification has many advantages. Those of us who live in urban areas use electricity everyday and in almost everything we do. Now, people are trying to make this possible for others living in rural and remote areas like Africa and the outskirts of large cities. Electrification means to bring them electricity. We take electricity and its advantages for granted, but for the people in rural areas, it would be a blessing.

The United Kingdom is making very good use of wind energy in the pursuit of their very big energy goalsand also to help with rural electrification. The UK is a very good location for generating wind energy and is the best location in Europe for this purpose. Since 2008, the UK has consistently increased their wind energy capacity and generation.

Rural electrification has these advantages:

1. It will reduce isolation

People in rural areas are often cut off from the rest of the world because they don’t have telephones or cell phones or any other type of communication devices. Electrification will make it possible to give them telecoms and connect them with larger cities. This is very beneficial and will help in case of an emergency or if they need assistance of some sort.

2. It will improve health care and quality of life

Electricity will make it possible to run a hospital that can care for the sick. Healthcare without electricity is a difficult thing. They will be able to have monitors and other important medical equipment to better take care of the health of their people. Better health means a better quality of life.

3. It will help farmers be more productive

Rural farms work with very little and will greatly benefit from electricity. Electricity will make it possible to run their farms better. They will be able to use timers, improve irrigation, and just generally improve their farming activities.

4. It will improve safety in the community

Not all rural areas are equally isolated or off the grid. However, rural electrification will make any area safer through outside lighting, safety signs, alarm systems, and even traffic lights. Electricity is what makes many of our homes and offices safe and it can do the same for people in rural areas.

5. It will give them light

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Far off areas get very dark and this does not allow for many activities. Electricity will bring light to these areas which mean that they will be able to study at night, work longer hours, carry water home without fear of tripping, cook dinner in light, etc. Most of the people use candles or kerosene lamps which hold a great fire hazard. Many people have died in fires caused by candles and lamps. Not only will rural electrification bring them light, it will also reduce the fire risk and make their homes safer.

Rural areas can be very isolated and the communities there have very different lifestyles than those of us living in urban areas where electricity is a given. Some people don’t believe that this process is good for these communities, but these advantages clearly show that electrification will benefit them and improve their quality of life.

RMEDTECH would like to share a few other interesting facts about the wind energy situation in the UK.

  1. Onshore wind power is a cheap energy source. When compared to other energy sources in the UK, onshore wind power is the best and cheapest option for the population to make use of.
  2. They already generate more wind power than fossil fuel power. In 2016, the UK had successfully generated more power through wind sources than they did with coal. This is a very impressive goal to reach.
  3. The UK is 6th in the world. Currently, the UK is 6th in the world when it comes to wind power. China is first and the USA is second. It is in 3rd position in Europe.
  4. The UK has a large number of turbines on their farms. By the end of August 2017, the UK sported a total of 7 837 wind turbines. These turbines are the onshore and offshore farms combined. The onshore capacity is almost double that of the offshore capacity which may be why onshore wind power is the cheapest energy option.
  5. British electricity suppliers must sell renewable source energy. It is required by law that electricity suppliers sell a certain amount of renewable energy. If they don’t comply, they get fined and have to pay a penalty.
  6. Wind power is the largest renewable source in the UK. This is probably clear by now, but the largest source of renewable electricity in the UK is wind power. Biomass and wind energy are the two top sources of renewable energy and the UK are making good use of these resources.
  7. The UK has the largest offshore wind farm. Part of its impressive number of wind turbines is located on the offshore wind farm. The UK passed Denmark in this race and now has the title for the largest farm. The farm is located near the Kent Coast and is called the London Array.
  8. Scotland is the preferred spot for onshore farms. Scotland offers many unpopulated and windy hills and this has become a popular place to start wind farms. The hills of the countryside with the windy conditions are ideal for setting up wind turbines.
  9. The UK residents support wind power. Surveys were done to measure how many people would support the different types of renewable energy. Wind power was way ahead of most alternative sources and wave energy was a short second. Nuclear, oil, and coal energy were unpopular options.

The UK is definitely making a difference when it comes to using renewable energy sources. Wind power has many advantages and despite the initial costs and the fact that residents may need to pay a little more for electricity now to save a lot later, wind power is a plausible and successful option.