Marek Kubik

Ok, last post  in this series.

We’ve now covered the problems with carrying on as we are in terms of generating electricity (basically, we can’t!), and have tackled two of the three technologies that can help us deal with this challenge.  Finally, a little bit wiser hopefully, we are on to the technologies I originally wanted to discuss… renewables.

There are a huge number of renewable technologies, including:

·         Onshore wind

·         Offshore wind

·         Biomass

·         Tidal

·         Solar PV

·         Solar CSP

·         Wave

·         Hydro

In the UK we are blessed with one of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in Europe, all forms of renewable energy that can be developed and exploited to our benefit.  Renewable energy is a broad field, and not one technology, but an umbrella term for many different technologies with different respective advantages and characteristics.

Their common benefits are that they utilize naturally replenishing resources, rather than finite fossil fuels, or finite nuclear fuels.  Their fuels, the wind, the waves, the tides, are all free.  They are zero carbon, and provide a huge potential opportunity for manufacturing, innovation and growth.  Anything else about them has to be said individually, as they have different characteristics that offer different drawbacks and benefits.  To avoid cramming this all into one post, I will have to tackle these individually at one point or another in the future.  For now, suffice to say these can work in a very complimentary way, and many technological developments can help some of their potential drawbacks.

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