Wind turbines producing energy at the Centre for Alternative Technology
Renewable energy
Latest news Severn Barrage - a potential concrete dinosaur! Environmental groups are shocked
at rumours that First Minister Rhodri Morgan is to announce that the Assembly Government is to recommend to the UK Government’s Energy Review to build the Severn Barrage.The unexpected announcement
by the First Minister was made at the Welsh Local Government Association conference on Friday (8 April 2006) during which he described the Severn Barrage as “our equivalent to the Three Gorges Dam”
in China, which has been described as an environmental and social disaster, set to make an estimated 1.2 million people homeless and the ‘Baiji’, a unique species of white dolphin extinct.
Wind
The British Wind Energy Association believes wind could provide up to 20% of all Britain's energy needs within 10 years. Strengthening the national grid to do this might cost £100m. The main obstacle
to wind energy at the moment is getting planning permission for the sites.
Solar
£1bn investment in photo-voltaic (PV) electricity could provide 1,000MW of electricity for the same price as nuclear today within 10 years. Combined heat and power (CHP)
This is an energy-efficient technology which converts mainly gas directly into electricity and heat to power groups of buildings. Its share could be 30% of all electricity generation if the
government invested £1bn spread over 10 years.
Wave power
The industry estimates it could produce about 750MW of power for a £500m investment over 10 years. They say that there is more recoverable
wave energy than all the electricity demand in the UK. Fuel cells This runs on hydrogen and produces almost no pollutants. A £500m investment would almost certainly produce a workable technology.
Photos Lyndsey Maiden