BBC article, international table of clean energy investment

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17662973

I was quite surprised to see the UK coming in a number 7 in this table, or should it be 6th as most of the EU is lumped together, and when takes this a a per capita table well quick calculations put us second...behind well Italy...that did surprise me.

Then when I think of how poorly I believe the UK is in terms of what could be.. well Italy is really showing us up, as they have a similar size population...

The real surprise was how low China's was in real terms, having seen so much "news" on solar cities etc, and they are the leading manufacturer of PV panels by a long way.

Are we collectively doing enough fast enough...?

Tavascarow

Re: BBC article, international table of clean energy investm

Are we collectively doing enough fast enough...?

Nope.

dpack

tis a worry for the future as well as now

but the fossil fuel industry have the power

Marches

Well Italy has more sun and so people are more open to installing solar panels there whilst the US has an economy similar in size to the EU so it's bound to have spent more than us.

I think the domestic approach to renewable energy is not the answer for most people. Solar panels and the like can only generate a fraction of one's electricity needs so the solution must be at regional and national levels.
We need to the country to invest in renewables, not for individuals to be putting up solar panels here, there and everywhere.
Solar panels take a lot of energy, materials and rare earths to produce and probably pollute more than just getting electricity from the grid. Imagine if everybody had these, just making them and shipping them would pollute the earth greatly.

There is research into a type of nuclear reactor which doesn't run on nuclear fuels. This means that it is clean and isn't so dangerous (the only danger being if the plant explodes killing workers like any other power station). No nuclear waste, no leaks, no contamination - perfect. But it's only in proto-type stage, currently it is too expensive. Britain and America are currently co-operating on research and attempting to make it affordable for use to generate electricity on a large scale.

Just imagine if it is possible - cheap, abundant renewable electricity:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14842720

The only down side so far is the amount of electricity actually needed for the nuclear reaction in the first place, but just look at the returns!:

Quote:

For the instant during which NIF's laser is fired, it uses more power than the electricity consumption of the whole of America. But the returns are increasing.
In an experiment this week, a burst of power was released from the fusion reaction that was equivalent to the entire world's consumption.

	Downsizer Forum Index -> Energy Efficiency and Construction/Major Projects
Page 1 of 1

Advertising Auction Advertising Auction Banners Digital Point Advertising Banners