That is the view of the head of our gas network, as he is quoted in the article linked below in today's Daily Telegraph (paywalled)
"In 2022, the wind didn’t blow enough or at all for 262 days. And in those 262 days, we would have had rolling blackouts, or a full blackout across the UK if it wasn’t for gas.”
There are a number of interesting charts in the article which show the size of the shift the government are hoping to make. Currently 86% of our homes have gas central heating. That is 25 million gas boilers. The big question that no politician will answer is "who is going to pay" - when the public find out it is them, I suspect they may be a bit cross!
Europe is going in the direction of the Inflation Reduction act. As we invest in more RE and more energy storage, natural gas will be needed less and less. The intentional over production of RE allows us to put our energy into sustainable fuels. I'm guessing hydrogen will be one of the winners of sustainable storage of energy. Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to start helping to reduce dependence on a carbon based fuel out of the ground.
ReplyDeleteAdding co2 to the atmosphere by billions of tons per year is going to make our futures more painful to live in. Going to clean energy and storage improves health, reduces health costs, increases energy security by not relying on unstable countries, reduces energy costs.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/oct/22/as-a-global-energy-crisis-returns-the-uk-push-for-a-green-economy-makes-even-more-sense
Another disruption is the function of the labour market. Repatriation of workers during the pandemic, and tighter post-Brexit controls on migration in the UK, alongside an ageing population, have cut the supply of workers available to businesses.
However, the energy crisis also presents a serious economic opportunity – from the jobs, growth and future energy security that building a low-carbon economy could bring.
In the US, Joe Biden is aiming to capture this opportunity with the vast Inflation Reduction Act, ploughing billions of dollars into helping the US meet its climate goals, while creating jobs and ultimately bringing down bills for households and businesses.
It’s a plan that EU nations are responding to, and one now forming the cornerstone of Labour’s economic agenda. As free marketeers, the Conservatives are naturally sceptical, yet there is a recognition in the mainstream of economics that state activism and taxpayer funding are vital components in this transition.
“This is a case where governments need to be involved in partnership with the private sector,” says El-Erian. “These are generation-defining transitions the private sector can’t handle on its own.”
Britain has a serious opportunity to revive growth and restore economic security. Given the clear risks in the world economy, there isn’t a moment to lose.
The state sector does not have a great track record when it comes to efficiency and keeping costs down. My forecast is that we are all heading for a very costly future unless someone comes up with a new way of producing energy, of which there is no sign at the moment. China and India will be the winners as they are intent on keeping on using fossil fuels.
ReplyDeleteI read every day on renewable energy and global warming. China and India are both involved in installing RE in their home countries. With China leading the world in the most installations.
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