Some people suggest that renewable sources of electricity will not be sufficient to meet our needs and that nuclear power should be “part of the energy mix”, despite its many headaches (see www.mng.org.uk/gh/no_nukes.htm). The reality is quite different: there are more than enough safe and clean sources of electricity to meet our needs and we can progressively phase out nuclear power.
The ‘TRANS-CSP’ report, commissioned by the German government, shows in great detail, country by country, how Europe (including the UK) can meet all its needs for electricity, make deep cuts in CO2 emissions from electricity generation, and phase out nuclear power at the same time.[1] There are now several other reports that describe similar scenarios[2] and there is an analysis and spreadsheet at www.mng.org.uk/gh/energy.htm.
Some of the safe, clean sources of electricity that we may use are outlined in the rest of this leaflet. With the right political impetus, they can be brought on stream quite soon.

Wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of energy worldwide. The British Wind Energy Association says that “Our offshore wind resource alone has been estimated as enough to power the UK three times over.” The European Supergrid would smooth out much of the variability of wind power.

Wave power. The Pelamis wave energy converter and other promising wave energy devices are already in commercial production. It is estimated that wave power could meet about 25% of UK demand.

Tidal lagoons generate electricity at predictable times as the tide rises and as it falls, and they can double as pumped storage devices, helping to match supply and demand. It is estimated that about 8% of UK electricity demands could be met from this source.

Photovoltaics. Photovoltaic ‘solar panels’ on roofs and walls could generate at least 20% of UK requirements. It has been estimated that as much as 70% of UK electricity demand could be met from this source.

Conservation of electricity. We are currently wasting large amounts of electricity. At least 2% of the UK’s current demands could be met by replacing ordinary light bulbs with energy-saving versions, another 2% by eliminating ‘stand-by’ on TVs and similar appliances, and an additional 6% by the use of more efficient motors in industry. Further large savings may be made by introducing more efficient lighting in the commercial sector and in city streets. At least 10% of UK electricity demand —equivalent to about 6 nuclear power stations—may be met by simple conservation measures.

Concentrating solar power plants use mirrors to concentrate sunlight to create heat which is used to raise steam to drive turbines and generators, just like a conventional power station. This works best in hot deserts but it is feasible and economic to transmit CSP electricity over very long distances using highly-efficient ‘HVDC’ transmission lines. The TRANS-CSP report estimates that CSP electricity could become one of the cheapest sources of electricity in Europe, including the cost of transmission. It has been calculated that an area of hot desert measuring about 110 km × 110 km could meet all of the EU’s electricity needs. See www.trec-uk.org.uk.

New clean sources of electricity have huge potential to create jobs and earnings in large new industries. Other options include combined heat and power, geothermal power from Iceland, carbon capture and storage (CCS), tidal currents, bio-mass and bio-fuels, and small-scale wind turbines. There is absolutely no need for nuclear power with all its many problems.

Notes

[1] Copies may be downloaded via links from www.trec-uk.org.uk/reports.htm

[2] A renewable electricity system for the UK: a response to the 2006 energy review, Dr Mark Barrett, Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London, April 2006; Decarbonising the UK: energy for a climate conscious future, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, October 2006; A bright future: Friends of the Earth’s electricity sector model for 2030, March 2006; Heat by George Monbiot, Penguin Books (Allen Lane), London, 2006, ISBN-13 978-0-713-99923-5; see also www.mng.org.uk/gh/scenarios.htm.