Interesting news article on the Beeb website today – apparently the UK is now able to produce over 2GW of electricity from wind power – only one of eight countries in the world to be able to do so.

This is of course good news and a small, but significant milestone in the move away from our over-dependence on oil/fossil fuels. What I would like to see however is a similar level of investment by the energy companies in the development of other “green” energy technology.

I’m specifically thinking of both solar and wave power. Wind turbines provide a reasonable return on investment and can be erected fairly quickly, allowing both energy companies and the government to show that they are moving towards their targets in good time. But if history has any lesson to teach about energy generation and usage, it’s that it is never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket.

Over the last year I have been pleased to see the energy debate start to move out of “behind closed doors”-style meetings between politicians, scientists, vested interest groups and lobbyists and into the public domain.

But at the same time, the lobbyists have been busy and we are getting a lot of what I call “magic-wand” or “one-stop shop!” solutions; “Build More Nuclear Power Stations”, says one. “Wind power is the answer”, says another. Various other ideas are advocated by various other lobbyists – you get the idea…

The truth is that the solution will require a number of energy-generating technologies – all working together in a way which meets our energy needs and minimises our environmental impact.

And of course part of the solution needs to come from us. We need to be more conscious of the energy we use and where we can avoid waste and make savings. As consumers we also need to start demanding more energy-efficient appliances, along with better heating and lighting technology – and in order to encourage companies to do the necessary R & D, we have to be prepared to pay for it.

There are some interesting new ideas already emerging – take a look at Bioplex for instance; this little British company based in Stockbridge has developed a portable aerobic digester which can compost a mix of municipal waste and produce useful compost. During the process, methane is extracted from the compost and used to power the composter itself – and a small generator run off the compostor during the process can provide a small amount of electricty. It is hopes that the process can be further refined to the point that it becomes entirely carbon-neutral.

Britain has a long history of engineering and technological innovation, especially from little companies full of bright young men and women, tinkering away in small offices, barns or garages.
And I reckon it wont be long before we start seeing new ideas from the little guys and girls as well as the big companies and government.

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