Petrol from fresh air

[joinerjohn]

I totally agree, that future energy need will be met via nuclear means. This government needs to start a program of nuclear power station building now. Not tomorrow or next week, but now.

 

[JBR]

All this procrastinating about where to get our energy from! Mark my words, like it or not the future is nuclear.

Now let's get on with it. Build more nuclear power stations before it's too late.

Got to agree with you. I dont like the thought of it but our options are fading fast and nuclear is the way froward

Nuclear power doesn't frighten me. It's a lot safer than many people think - when properly controlled.

We all know about Chernobyl, but that disaster happened because of a sub-standard Russian system.

 

[joinerjohn]

We all know about Chernobyl, but that disaster happened because of a sub-standard Russian system.

More recently in people's minds are the events at Fukushima. Most of them don't realise that , here in the UK we don't have earthquakes that register 9.5 on the Richter scale, or suffer from tsunami's that would destroy Skegness .

 

[calorific]

Nor is the UK reknowned for tsunami

 

[big-all]

why are we so inefficient
we have power stations that will always be on line with cooling towers the waste heat should be provided to the local community at say 10% reduction with a gteed temperature or 50% off with a 90 % gteed heat so if they go off line the local area need to use electric heaters

 

[calorific]

why are we so inefficient

Because we were the inventor and centre of the industrial revolution and as such we think we're so superior to everyone else and don't need to make any concessions to the reality of the situation

It's the misplaced ego that is the problem, since it stifles resolve and imagination.

 

[ellal]

How about we all reduce our wasteful energy consumption...

Just a thought...

 

[ladylola]

How about we all reduce our wasteful energy consumption...

Just a thought...

and it's a thought that is blindingly obvious .
Nuclear isn't the answer on its own nor are renewables without a reduction in consumption.
Where were all the nuclear power stations 50 years ago and how many are there now and has it solved the energy crisis? We need to try and rid ourselves of this addiction to electricity. The only real answer is for the future to be just a bit darker, cooler and slower.

 

[ImayKnow]

I think as individuals, we do our best to conserve energy, otherwise we know we will be wasting our own money.

 

[r.bartlett]

I think as individuals, we do our best to conserve energy, otherwise we know we will be wasting our own money.

The reality is the complete opposite. People only 'save' when 'not saving' hurts.

 

[r.bartlett]

Where they are getting it wrong is 20 years ago there should enforced government assisted insulation upgrades to all homes below a certain energy rating to bring them within acceptable limits. No opt out allowed. All UK homes must comply irrespective of size or age.

Those who refuse will have their homes reassessed and their rates will go

Just what would people who live in Grade 2 or even 1 listed buildings have done? Just pay out higher council tax? Higher rates?
You could never have a situation where people can't opt out of insulating their house... What about those who live in Victorian and Georgian terraced houses , with solid walls (no cavity for starters?) ?? Do you force them to reduce the size of their rooms by 200mm by adding insulation to their external walls?
If so, where does it end? Let the government ride roughshod over everyone? Let them direct every waking moment of our hours/days/lives??

There are more than one way to skin a cat. Special case homes require special case solutions. However that leaves 99% of homes which can be substantially improved. Massive power savings.
Drive through any city at night and empty office blocks have lights on all over the building. Fine them till they 'do' something about it...

Systematic enforced energy reduction is what the world needs.It's not green tree hugging wish list it's plain simple fact. The last 100 years has seen a wanton destruction of natural resources which we need to address.

Turning off the power won't work.
The only solution is to do the same with less.. load shedding and remote monitoring energy management is the way forward for example the national grid has already got a system in place whereby it can turn off/on air conditioning equipment in some large buildings according to how the national grid is generating power and has made huge CO2 savings to them without any detriment to the owner.

The future is of our making every generation up to an including this one is responsible for our present situation and the evidence shows we are not up to the task. Unless the government takes that responsibility away nothing will change until something drastic happens...

 

[ImayKnow]

I think as individuals, we do our best to conserve energy, otherwise we know we will be wasting our own money.

The reality is the complete opposite. People only 'save' when 'not saving' hurts.

I think we are both saying the same thing.

 

[ellal]

You've got to have a laugh at all the politicians over the years though...

There they were telling us that by putting up the price of petrol it would make us use less and be good for the enviroment...

Apparently we have done a bit of that, and consumption has dropped 10%...

But that means tax revenue is now down...oops!

Now Camoron is saying we should get lower energy bills because the penny has finally dropped that you can't get blood from a stone...

 

[enyam]

Now Cameron is saying we should get lower energy bills because the penny has finally dropped that you can't get blood from a stone...

That's just it,there is no policy,make it up as they go along.

 

[Space cat]

bet the idea is suddenly found not to work,i:e has been bought up by the oil industry and then locked away.

As long as there's still an oil-burning power station on the grid, the oil companies will be laughing.

Here's what I think might just happen. It extends the feed-in tariff idea to petrol:

1) The electricity generated from renewable sources to make the hydrogen will be grossly overvalued by the government in order to meet some green target. For the sake of argument, let's say they overvalue it by a factor of four. What is the feed-in tariff these days?

2) Somebody will work out how much oil it would have taken to generate four times as much electricity as was actually used to make the hydrogen. At a rough guess, it'll be enough to make ten times as much petrol as you can possibly get from the hydrogen. (Forget the CO2, it's irrelevant.)

3) The government will buy the 'green' petrol at ten times the normal price, paid for out of our taxes.

4) They'll put up the tax on petrol to cover their losses.