Memorandum submitted by Anthony Powell
1. I'm taking the energy industry as a whole,
because it all emits CO2 and CO2 is what
were trying to cut. My submission relates to the first part of
your question 2: What are the main investment options for electricity
generating capacity?
2. The cheapest option is to cut demand.
Substitute air travel for rail and coach; promote the UK for our
holidays. Cut car weights and the need for them. Reduce speed
limits, thereby also encouraging other transport modes. Introduce
Domestic Energy Quotas (like Domestic Tradable Quotas, but use
them when paying for any energy—fossil or renewable—and
any non-local travel). All new buildings should be low or zero
carbon. Bring Carbon Trading to all businesses. Encourage local
sustainability in order to reduce transport needs.
3. That should knock a serious hole in our
energy consumption. We might stand a chance of meeting the rest
from renewable sources.
4. Starting with information from the DTI
leaflet "UK Energy Flows 2001":
5. The Energy Review, under its Global Sustainability
scenario, assumed for 2050 an energy use of about 150 mtoe of
which 50 mtoe was renewables, the rest gas and oil. The above
table shows it can be done with less gas and oil—but either
needs the concerted effort of the whole Team UK. Domestic Energy
Quotas could get everyone on board.
6. After cutting needless activities and
employing energy efficiency, we should look at renewable energy.
Passive solar, heat pumps and wood-burning are perhaps the most
cost effective small-scale, especially when designed into buildings.
Other technologies are best left for larger schemes, not micro-generation:
probably locally owned rather than large-scale controversial.
Rooftop PV will be more economic if many rooftops feed into a
common grid access.
7. Next option is clean fossil fuel, and
last resort (as I fear the terrorist risk, and would hate to pass
on radioactive material onto future generations) nuclear.
21 September 2005
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