Forum Topic

Energy

friendsoftheearth.ukHow can the UK secure affordable energy for everyone?

Rima Jones ● 1651d42 Comments

How lovely to hear from you!I'm afraid however annoying Insulate Britain are/were they were right and we need to continue to try to reduce the amount of energy we use by looking to see how we can improve the insulation and ventilation of our homes.I watched a recent architectural webinar and it was interesting how much this is being mentioned now in the presentations.

Philippa Bond ● 1651d

It's a combination of things.Use less energy.  A combination of better insulation, turning thermostats down to sensible levels, more efficient electrical goods, cut out unnecessary car journeys.Install a lot more solar and wind, which are the cheapest forms of electrical generation.  Build facilities to extract hydrogen from water as a way of storing the intermittent renewable energy.

Al Webber ● 1651d

Fraking. Let's GO....

Rob Reynolds ● 1651d

Fraking?

Rima Jones ● 1651d

We also have renewable energy  and compost from poo. Well on its way to being with us soon 👌 👍 👏

Rima Jones ● 1651d

Bristol used to run a poo bus.

Philippa Bond ● 1651d

Which? magazine has something in the new magazine on home insulation.

Philippa Bond ● 1651d

Considering the negligible carbon output GB emits compared to China, India, Russia and other great idustrial countries of the world, it would be futile and inviting an endless purgatory on ourselves to attempt carbon neutral net zero by the year 2050.We should go for reasonable energy deals with despot countries Iran and Saudi Arabia short term-as Boris is presently trying to do- and long term START FRACKING NOW.In Manchester and Yorkshire, counties sitting on trillions of shell gas waiting to be tapped. It's a no brainer.

Denis I. Fox ● 1651d

Sadly Rima poo energy is NOT on its way…..we have a pal who 8 years ago thought it was an opportunity so built a business converting waste product into energy it’s called anaerobic digestion but guess what we don’t produce enough cow poo, waste sandwiches etc to maintain the machines, they need feeding 24/7 , the cost of finding it, transporting it versus output = zero.  A massive dairy farm just about can feed the machine to cover their own energy cost.  The ROI doesn’t work. Great ideas but they will NOT provide the energy a single house requires let alone the whole country. Needless to say our pal got out……

Jayne Thorburn ● 1651d

Denis. Have you looked at what Friends of the Earth have to say?

Rima Jones ● 1651d

Frack our way forward absolute no brainer.

Mark Talbot ● 1651d

Interesting how southerners keep suggesting fracking in the north!  Aerial photos show heat loss from buildings.Windfall taxes could ease the problems.Which? discusses EPCs.Science changes.

Philippa Bond ● 1650d

Yes, It's like Fracking without the 'C'arbon

Rob Reynolds ● 1650d

In life generally, for every vote for something, there’s a vote against. For those of us without the knowledge it’s very frustrating.  I heard a discussion with someone who sounded very knowledgable about fracking. He said all those against it don’t understand it. He said he’d been in the business for 26 years and thinks it’s definitely the way to go. Immediately after people were disagreeing . It’s the same with pretty much everything. What’s the point of experts?

Maggie Dodge ● 1650d

Thank you Philippa.Fracking is a fossil fuel which we don’t need with climate change.It also causes tremors and earthquakes.

Rima Jones ● 1650d

That's why nothing gets done Maggie 😉

Janice Evans ● 1650d

Personally don't think there is enough clear information or you have to go online to find out and no clear answers to questions, more info on TV talking to real people who have made the changes and what's involved,Companies to contact, going rates.  Most people respond better to whatthey fully understand.

Janice Evans ● 1650d

Otherwise it will be fracking or whatever is required.

Janice Evans ● 1650d

It also causes energy security and certainly lower domestic prices for power. We should get on with building more nuclear power stations while we're at it too. But clearly they take a while to throw up.  Wind farms etc are great, but as we found out, if you have a low wind year (like last year) the knock on is a big hit to gas reserves etc.  Oh, and no one wants any of those near them either......

Rob Reynolds ● 1650d

See friendsoftheearth.uk

Rima Jones ● 1650d

Thousands of homes in south west London to be England’s first poo-powered district heating scheme by Thames Water.the guardian.com

Rima Jones ● 1650d

I think the real issue is short term need versus longer term solutions, we have to buy energy from somewhere we don’t produce enough ourselves via the various sources currently available, renewable is absolutely the way forward but it will take decades to provide the country with sufficient energy. I think we all recognise the need to protect the planet and find cleaner energy methods but in the short term there are not many options other than to buy it from other countries. We have to remember the UK sources approx 5% from Russia. It Europe buys something like 40% of their energy need from Russia so this is a real global issue.

Jayne Thorburn ● 1650d

Also see https://www.greeenpeace.org.uk

Rima Jones ● 1650d

Exactly why it is a good idea to reduce the amount of energy we are using.  There are still people who choose to walk around in shorts and flipflops in the middle of winter with homes like greenhouses.  Should they be paying more than someone who is  unable to move/move fast and can't afford the bill?BTW fuel isn't just heating.  If you stick to the speed limits instead of speeding you will also save money.

Philippa Bond ● 1650d

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/energy_saving_tips

Philippa Bond ● 1650d

Russia love our green hate of fracking for obvious reasons. If we fracked for 30 years you’ll get much closer to your beloved unrealistic net zero targets than if we don’t frack.

Mark Talbot ● 1650d

Philippa we live in a democracy your posts are ridiculous….you need to understand we don’t produce enough green energy to keep the lights on right now and it will takes decades until we do. In the UK awe do not dictate to others how they choose to live and long may that last! You don’t have to look too far afield to see how dictatorship works!

Jayne Thorburn ● 1650d

With a concerted effort we could sort our energy problems in a few years.Build a tidal scheme in the Severn estuary.Lots more micro-generation - especially in hydro-electric.  There are probably still thousands of mill streams in this country that were used for water wheels in the early days of the industrial revolution.  Thousands of small scale hydro on would make a difference even if they weren't big on an individual basis.Solar is already the cheapest form of electricity generation to build.  We just need proper grants/subsidies for large numbers of people to install it on their houses, and on the roofs of commercial buildings.Build facilities to store the intermittent renewables by extracting hydrogen from water and use that for transport.It would require government intervention and support instead of leaving it to "the market" but it would be possible to get there in a few years with the right attitude.

Al Webber ● 1650d

Jayne - there are lots of types of democracy.

Philippa Bond ● 1650d

why?
See https://www.ukoog.org.uk

Rob Reynolds ● 1650d

Well I wouldn’t want to live in your version of democracy  if a person wants to wear t-shirts in the winter they can and not be punished, that’s my democracy

Jayne Thorburn ● 1650d

Absolutely.  If you're rich enough to burn energy unnecessarily, without regard to the existential threat to life on earth, surely it is your god given, democratic right to do so.Darn the consequences.  "Democracy" has to mean the right of the sefish rather than the good of us all.

T P Howell ● 1650d

Well this wasn't that long ago:https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/uk-farmers-cow-dung-batteries-b1960730.html#comments-area

Philippa Bond ● 1650d

Get in your soap box, I know know or see anyone wearing a t shirt in winter but go to Newcastle and spot hundreds wearing next to nothing on a night out in the freezing cold don’t think you would consider them rich! The minority who are rich look after the majority

Jayne Thorburn ● 1650d

Oh dear. But then, nobody ever.said that doling it out (with some intensive patronising) and the ability to take it necessarily go hand in hand.Nobody was talking about Geordies on a night out. They are obviously more than capable of generating their own energy.The point in issue was whether turning the central heating down a couple of degrees (and if necessary putting on an extra layer) was a better solution to weaning ourself off Russian oil and gas than (say) fracking.You then made the ludicrous allegation that reducing energy consumption was somehow undemocratic. Nonsense. Just because there is no profit motive in consuming less does not make it undemocratic. If fact it is the obvious and sensible thing to do.  Turning down your heating by one degree can knock 3% off your energy bill. The saving is there for the taking (for many - not those who have already been forced to choose between heating or eating)

T P Howell ● 1650d

Jayne, really, What arrant nonsense. Who makes the minority rich?

Stewart Jones ● 1650d

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-based-solar-power-de-risking-the-pathway-to-net-zero

Philippa Bond ● 1649d

The minority who are rich FEED off the majority who do all the work

Vivienne Cox ● 1649d

7 breakthrough solar energy technologies will they work?greenpeace.org

Rima Jones ● 1648d

Nuclear Power.See what Greenpeace has to say about it.greenpeace.org.uk

Rima Jones ● 1648d

https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/over-third-british-households-miss-out-bill-savings-not-changing-home-energy-use/

Philippa Bond ● 1648d

This was sent to me and I thought interesting.

Philippa Bond ● 1648d