Sustainability Jargon Buster | So Energy

As technology and innovation take much-needed leaps and bounds in tackling the climate crisis, it can be hard to keep up with the different terms, initialisms and acronyms being used.

Here’s our list of some of the most commonly misunderstood terms when it comes to sustainability and renewable energy, and why they matter.

Net zero

Most of us have probably heard the term net zero, but what does it actually mean? The dictionary definition of net zero is “a target of completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity.”

In other words, this means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases produced with the amount removed from the atmosphere.

There are two ways of achieving this: the first - and the primary focus - is by lowering the emissions we are sending into the atmosphere in the first place, for example through the transition to renewable energy. The second is by removing emissions from the atmosphere for example through carbon capture (more on that shortly!)

CCS

CCS stands for carbon capture and storage.

There are three steps to the CCS process: firstly the capturing of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes such as steel and cement production. The CO2 is then compressed and transported via pipelines, road transport or ships and, lastly, stored by being injected deep underground into rock formations.

There are about 20 CCS projects operating commercially currently, although the International Energy Agency (IEA) says there must be many more to keep carbon emissions from heating the world to more than 1.5C above pre-industrialised levels.

EV

EV is the acronym for Electric Vehicle: a vehicle that is either partially or fully powered by electricity.

Now, if we want to get a bit more specific we can introduce a couple more acronyms: BEV and PHEV. A BEV is a Battery Electric Vehicle which is 100% electric and powered only by a battery. A PHEV, meanwhile, is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, which has a combination of an electric battery and a petrol or diesel engine. A PHEV will typically be able to drive about 30 miles on battery only, and then the petrol or diesel engine will take over.

To learn more about the world of EVs, read our interview with Poppy Welch, Head of Go Ultra Low, here.

Solar PV

Solar PV stands for solar photovoltaics - also known as solar panels.

In a nutshell, solar PVs capture the sun’s energy and convert it into electricity that you can use in your home.

To get into a bit more detail, solar PVs are made from layers of what’s known as semi-conducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the material, electrons are knocked loose, creating a flow of electricity. Although the panels aren’t completely dependent on sunlight to work (they can still produce energy on a cloudy day), the stronger the sunshine the more electricity is generated.

If you’re a So Energy customer, you can now generate and store your own rooftop renewable electricity, as we recently became the first supplier to roll-out a full-service solar and storage solution. Find out more here.

REGO

REGO stands for Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin. A bit of a mouthful, yes, but the REGO scheme is a very important one in the sustainability space because it provides transparency to customers about the proportion of electricity that comes from a renewable source.

Overseen in the UK by Ofgem, energy suppliers use REGOs to show customers the renewable content of electricity they've supplied each year.

For So Energy customers, we guarantee that for every unit of electricity that you use, we will buy the same energy from a renewable source - and we do this by using REGOs. For example, if you use 3,000kWh of electricity in a year, we will make sure we have 3,000kWh worth of certificates from renewable sources.

You can find out more about our 100% renewable energy guarantee here, and Ofgem also has an information page about the REGO scheme here.