analysis
This month Energy watchdog chief, Alistair Buchanan did a brilliant job at highlighting the current government energy strategy; 'we are going to lean heavily on gas’ and gas prices will unavoidably go up.
Imagine a wind turbine so big that it would take Usain Bolt 19.32 seconds to run across the 200m diameter of its blades (before plunging tragically into the sea). This is what wind manufacturer Dong says will help bring the cost of offshore wind down to below that of new gas-fired power stations (the size of the blades, not Bolt’s premature demise).
Maximum liability is £140m in the UK, but Fukushima clean-up and compensation costs are running to tens of billions – and the state is footing the bill
The long term sustainability of our energy infrastructure depends on intelligent and forward looking innovation.. The current scheme, however, goes against one of the golden rules of sustainability, reduce, reuse, recycle.
As UK coal use increases significantly and the chair of the government’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC), Conservative peer Lord Debden (aka John Gummer) calls for more investment into shale gas, is fracking in the UK part of the answer to tackling climate change?
In May 2012, Greenpeace published Out in the Cold which analysed in depth the financial risks faced by Shell - and therefore by their investors - in attempting to drill in the Arctic. These risks are practically legion – but can be summarised:
Professor Catherine Mitchell reviews Professor Dieter Helm's new book - The Carbon Crunch.
Coal occupies little space in the UK’s energy debate yet at the beginning of 2012 there were still 19 power stations (28.6GW installed capacity) burning coal in the UK.
The government is arguing against a moratorium in the Arctic, on the grounds we need the oil even if we are set on avoiding catastrophic climate change. Is this true?
Billions in taxpayer cash could be funnelled to the French state nuclear company EDF via a backroom negotiation that a key panel of MPs yesterday voted to keep secret from the public.
