Thursday, April 16, 2009

Electric Cars? Electric Dreams!

Why do government pronouncements keep bringing the phrase "Away with the fairies" to mind? So the future is the electric car. Where are we supposed to get the electricity from? We have no surplus electricity; we have ageing power stations with replacements at least a decade away and a national grid close to capacity. We generate our electricity from imported coal (dirty), imported gas (expensive since the pound fell) and nuclear (overdue for replacement). Renewables provide 5% at best and will take time and money to increase their unpredictable and intermittent output.

The UK is on the brink of an energy crisis and the answer is not Noddy cars but urgent and comprehensive energy conservation.

Insulate, insulate, insulate, and dare to ask the question, "Is your journey really necessary?"