RENEWABLE ENERGY
Posted: Tuesday, 15 June 2004 |
Comments
Unfortunately whatever the UK does in terms of switching over to renewable energy is going to make cirtually no measurable difference to the state of the world and environment so long as the major polluters such as the USA continue to deny and ignore the problem. Even if we were to all switch over to solar power tomorrow and slash our electricity consumption to a tenth of what it is today, so long as they continue to spew pollutents into the atmosphere the future is unavoidable.
Roll-on the "Day After Tomorrow"...
Cheers
Gary
Gary Sutherland from Tobermory
Isn't this a terribly pessimistic view Gary? Surely we have to pave the way and lobby the Amnericans too? The stakes are too high for nihilism.
Mike from Glasgow
Gary is correct but it’s also fair to say that we will never change in the UK for exactly the same reasons as the USA will never change – money/greed. Unfortunately, the unfolding of events is complex and deserves far more space than a blog reply.
So a few hints:-
Dr. Evil, aka Mrs. Thatcher, made it legal to burn a primary fuel (Natural Gas) to make a secondary fuel, electricity. This was completely outrageous since the conversion wastes some 50% (rough guess) of the gas’s potential energy. If burned directly at home or in industry then 100% of the gas’s energy is usefully used. That is why there was an act of Parliament prior to her coming to power forbidding this criminal, wasteful, mis-use of a valuable and ultimately limited natural resource. It was, at the time, called the ‘Dash for Gas’ and was the beginning of our long-term downfall.
Next, Dr. Evil privatised the electricity supply industry and the UK no longer had an energy policy. The old requirement for diversity, reliability and ‘what-about-the-future’ of supply had gone and MONEY ruled. Money, greed, fat-cats, shares, middle-class voters becoming share-holders for the first time etc……
And so on……. And what we have today is electricity at 7.04 pence per unit. I remember it being around 9p decades ago. Today it is TOO CHEAP and the cost of ‘too cheap’ is pollution.
Technology is available to remove CO2 and SO2 from fossil power stations. BUT that would cost money and cost the share holders – oh my God, that would never do.
So what about conservation. Nah that’ll never happen. Every gadget in every home is all energy consuming; Lit motorways connecting most major English cities, agued on a case of life-saving because of the need for speed; Our need to wear designer tea shirts, mid winter in every room of every building (what’s wrong with thermal underwear?); Centrally heated gardens ? yes, they’re called patio heaters; and so on…… collectively we are all completely mad !
So, what about the future? Fission is out of the question in my (biased) opinion. I was a reactor physicist for 20 odd years (yawn) and although I believe the programme of British gas cooled reactors to be technically safe, I do NOT believe it to be ethical, to leave horrendously dangerous waste from future generations to manage. It is also argued that the total amount of energy that will be required to safely manage that waste will exceed the overall power ever produced by all of our nuclear power stations!
This argument is an old one and was answered, pre Dr. Evil, by reassurance that there was sufficient research into fusion power (a completely different process without waste issues) and fusion will eventually work and save us in the long term.
Yet, there is, today, no long-term thought let alone fusion research (well only minimal), – again, that might affect ones share returns….
Windmills, bobbing ducks etc….. stand back far enough and they’re irrelevant, exactly as Gary said. However, and in addition, the sad reality is that until ALL countries STOP ALL CO2 and SO2 emissions the end is nigh, sometime.
But attitudes WILL change once a big global event occurs, such as the golf stream turning itself off….. or come the revolution.
tony from Uig
17/6/04
Gary,
How true what you say is! Its a hard lesson to learn!But maybe one day the penny will drop.As we know,the USA is not any more invincable than any other world power.When pollution starts affecting the green and pleasant land,people will start to protest,
Island Wanderer.
Gary Sutherland from tobermory
Wind power is not the sustainable answer. We really need to put more effort in to promoting energy efficiency. But given a privatised electricty industry its not exactly in their intrest to encourage consummers to use less. We all, as individuals need to take responsibility for the energy we use, and cut back on consumption, rather than rely on an intermitent supply of power from windmills.
Alasdair Macleod from Lochgilphead
21/06/04.
When it comes to comments I just don't know what I'm doing. Do they ever reach the right source? However,I hope you get this Gary!
Thanks for commenting on my blog regarding renewable energy.
Money and greed are evident right-enough,but when is it not.
Margaret Thatcher, gone long ago, and probably gas burning for electric power.New ideas required and implemented:wind, wave and solar;all will be developed.
Fisson or necular power is not acceptable. Remember what happened to Russians,for a start.We have no right to jeporadise future generations with necular poisons.
Rather have the highland glens populated with a million wind farms, and replace the displaced human populations of the 19th century, with something new and worth while.
Yes, in Britain we are attempting to clear the atmosphere; should the rest of the world not follow suit or die.Instead let us all have loads of renewable power,
Island wandrer.
Gary Sutherland from Tobermory
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