SSE are one of the biggest energy companies in the UK with over 8.5 million people taking gas and electricity from the company every day. Formed from the merger of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and the Southern Electric Board in 1998, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) quickly began expanding operations with a number of acquisitions. In 2010, it formally changed its name to SSE, at a time when it had a reach well beyond Scotland.
If you’re considering signing up for SSE though, you’re going to want to know their eco credentials. Join us as we share them below.
SSE Fuel Mix
SSE utilise a broad range of fuels in order to generate their power, however, they do display an overreliance on finite resources like coal and natural gas. Here’s there 2015-2016 fuel mix:
- Coal – 25%
- Gas – 35%
- Nuclear – 7%
- Renewable – 29%
- Other – 4%
Though SSE’s coal use is lower than some of the other members of the Big Six energy providers, like ScottishPower, it remains much too high for the company to be considered a green energy choice. Indeed, though burning natural gas releases half as much CO2 as coal, SSE’s usage of these resources is bad news for the environment.
However, SSE do generate 29% of their energy from renewable sources, like solar, wind and hydroelectric. That’s 5% above the national average for energy companies.
SSE Renewable Sources
SSE had 3,326MW of renewable energy capacity by the end of March 2014, including its share in joint ventures. Their portfolio consists of: 1,150MW conventional hydro, 940MW onshore wind (GB), 544MW onshore wind (Ire), 355MW offshore wind, 300MW pumped storage at Loch Mhòr and of 38MW dedicated biomass.
Their commitment to building renewable sources rather than simply buying renewable energy from the grid shows a dedication to renewable energy generation.
SSE Green Energy Tariffs
At present, the only 100% renewable energy you can buy from SSE is for business customers, allowing businesses to report zero emissions for their purchased electricity. We reached out to SSE to ask if they had any plans to provide home customers with 100% renewable options, but they declined to respond.
