THE PROBLEM
THE WAR BEING FOUGHT OVER SUPPLIES OF ENERGY, IN ALL IT'S FORMS, IS A WORLD WAR AND WILL ONLY GET WORSE, MUCH WORSE, BEFORE IT FINALLY MOVES INTO THE NEW AGE OF LARGE SCALE HYDROGEN PRODUCTION AND THE WORLD LEADERS WHO HAVE ACCESS TO THE WORLD'S OCEANS AGREE TO ALLOW AND AID THE 44 COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD WITHOUT THAT CLEAR ACCESS A WAY TO HAVE UNRESTRICTED CONNECTION PROTECTED BY UN CHARTER.
THE REASON FOR THE PROBLEM
VERY FEW GOVERNMENTS FULLY UNDERSTAND THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF USABLE ENERGY, HOW IT IS PRODUCED AND STORED, EVEN IN THE HIGH CONSUMPTION FOSSIL FUEL YEARS SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION WHEN COAL THEN OIL AND FINALLY GAS BECAME THE POWERING ENERGY FORCES OF THE WORLD.
NOW, AS THESE FOSSIL FUELS ARE STARTING TO BOTH REDUCE IN AMOUNTS SUCH AS GAS AND OIL AND ALSO THE GLOBAL EFFECTS OF CARBON EMISSIONS HARM THE VERY STRUCTURE AND CLIMATE OF THE PLANET, THE SLOW SEARCH FOR RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IS ONLY NOW TAKING PLACE.
THE DANGERS OF PRESENT GOVERNMENT POLICY
THE PRESENT GOVERNMENT POLICY HAS BEEN TO ALLOW MARKET FORCES TO CONTROL ENERGY SUPPLY.
THIS LEAD TO THE FIRST MAJOR FUEL CRISIS IN THE 1970's WHEN THE OIL SUPPLIES FROM THE ARAB NATIONS WAS GREATLY REDUCED FOR POLITICAL REASONS CAUSING GREAT UPHEAVAL IN THE WESTERN NATIONS.
AGAIN, NOW , IN THE PRESENT DAY, AFTER THE SCARE OF NUCLEAR FALLOUT IN JAPAN DUE TO THE TIDAL WAVE, MANY COUNTRIES RAPIDLY PHASED OUT THEIR OWN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND MADE THEMSELVES HOSTAGE TO FOREIGN POWERS, SUCH AS THE CASE OF GERMANY TO RUSSIA GAS SUPPLIES.
THE FUTURE PROBLEMS LOOKS EVEN WORSE
AS RUSSIA FLEXES IT'S MUSCLES WITH TREATS TO REDUCE GAS SUPPLIES TO EUROPE AND MANY GOVERNMENTS HAVE ALLOWED ENERGY STORAGE TO BE GREATLY REDUCED, SUCH AS THE UK, AGAIN BECAUSE OF MARKET COSTINGS RATHER THAN STRATEGIC NEEDS, THE ENERGY WARS WILL ONLY GROW WORSE.
WHY THE UK GOVERNMENT ENERGY POLICY IS WRONG
THE UK GOVERNMENT HAS NAILED IT'S COLORS TO THE MAST WITH OFF SHORE WIND AS ITS MAIN STAY, TO BE SUPPORTED BY YET TO BE DESIGNED SMALL SCALE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS SPREAD AROUND THE COUNTRY.
OFF-SHORE WIND IS GOOD, IT WORKS, ITS UNDERSTOOD BY THE PUBLIC AND THE UK HAS ENOUGH TERRITORIAL WATERS TO SUPPORT LARGE DEPLOYMENTS. HOWEVER, HAS BEEN SHOWN TIME AND TIME AGAIN, OFTEN VERY LARGE HIGH PRESSURE WEATHER SYSTEMS CAN AND DO LAY OVER THE WHOLE OF THE UK, REDUCING THE OUTPUT OF WIND FARMS, BOTH OFF SHORE AND LAND BASED TO LESS THAT 5% OF POSSIBLE RATED CAPACITY.
NUCLEAR POWER, BOTH LARGE SCALE OR THE PROPOSED SMALL SCALE LOCAL UNITS ARE BOTH A PRESENT DAY RISK FROM OPERATIONAL FAILURES SUCH AS THREE MILE ISLAND, CHENOBAL AND FUKASHIMA , ALSO FROM THE THREAT OF MAJOR TERROR ATTACKS FROM FANATICAL GROUPS TO THESE VULNERABLE SITES THAT HAVE TO BE SITED CLOSE TO LARGE WATER SOURCES FOR COOLING, THEREFORE EASY ACCESS..
COUPLED TO THIS IS ALSO THE LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS THAT WILL HAVE TO DE-COMMISSION THESE POWER PLANTS AND STORE THE RADIO-ACTIVE PARTS FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS SOMEWHERE, WE ALREADY HAVE 20 NUCLEAR SUBMARINE SITTING IN UK HARBORS WAITING TO BE DE-COMMISSIONED WHICH WILL TAKE 20 - 30 YEARS PLUS.
THE UK ENERGY SOLUTION
OFF SHORE WIND FARMS ARE GOOD, SOLAR PANEL FARMS ARE GOOD (PROVIDE THE SOLAR SITES USE THE GROUND SPACE FOR SECONDARY USE SUCH AS ANIMAL GRAZING ETC). BIO FUELS, HTA SYSTEMS FOR HEAT PUMPS ETC ARE GOOD, HYDRO AND SEVERAL OF THE OTHER RENEWABLE RESOURCES ARE ALL GOOD AND ARE PART OF THE ENERGY MIX NEEDED.
WHAT THE UK GOVERNMENT IS MISSING
THE THREE MAIN RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE, THAT THE UK HAS IN ABUNDANCE ARE WAVE, TIDAL AND GEOTHERMAL.
WHILE EVEN A YOUNG SCHOOL BOY OR GIRL CAN TAKE A NEW IDEA FOR A WIND TURBINE TO THE TOP OF A HILL ON A WIND DAY AND PROVE THE CONCEPT, HOWEVER TO TEST, PROVE OR EVEN UNDERSTAND THE BASIC CONCEPT OF A TIDAL OR WAVE DEVICE IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE IN ITSELF. APART FROM THE PHYSICAL CHALLENGES OF FINDING ACCESS TO WAVES TO WATER FLOWS IN A SAFE MANNER, THE MANY LEGAL AND REGULATORY RULES AND CONTROLLING AGENCIES PREVENT SIMPLE DIP AND TRY METHODS, THEREFORE CREATING LONG DELAYS, OFTEN LARGE SUMS OF MONIES FOR PERMISSION AND INSPECTIONS, PREVENTING SO MUCH DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT NEED TO DO
INSTEAD OF UK GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS SITTING WAITING FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO RAISE THE FUNDING TO EVEN PRESENT A POSSIBLE RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVICE OR PROCESS AS WELL AS DEAL WITH GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OR PROTOCOLS OF THE PROPOSED DEVICE.
THE UK GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE PRO-ACTIVE AND ACTIVELY SEEK NEW AND POSSIBLE ENERGY SYSTEMS AND DEVICES THROUGH SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY COMPETITIONS, SET UP SIMPLE SHORT TERM TEST SITES FOR EACH ENERGY SOURCE SO STUDENTS/COMPANIES CAN BRING ALONG PROTOTYPES FOR DISPLAY AND TESTING, IN THE HOPE TO ATTRACT ASSISTANCE AND FUNDING, SIMILAR TO THE BELGIUM GOVERNMENT DID DURING THE EU PRO-TIDE PROGRAM SEVERAL YEARS AGO, INSTEAD OF SITTING BACK AND WAITING FOR INDUSTRY TO DO THIS WORK,
I MYSELF HAVE STOOD FACE TO FACE AND CHALLENGED THE PRESENT MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENERGY, KWASI KWARTENG MP , TO PUT HIS CHAMPIONS AGAINST MY CHAMPIONS TO PROVE HE WAS WRONG ON TIDAL STREAM TURBINES. GIVE HIM HIS DUE, HE ALLOWED OUR COMPANY TO MEET HIM AND HIS PEOPLE IN LONDON AND WAS VERY POSITIVE ON THE POTENTIAL OF TIDAL STREAM ENERGY PROVIDE BY REACTION TYPE TURBINES SUCH AS THE HALES TIDAL TURBINE.
HE DIRECTED HIS DEPARTMENT TO MAKE CONTACT. SADLY THEN THE PRESENT DAY GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ARE NOT SET UP TO UNDERSTAND NEW OR GROUND BREAKING DESIGNS AND HAVE NO SCOPE TO EVEN EVALUATE SIMPLY ANY IDEA THAT WILL BENEFIT THE UK, SO NO FURTHER WAY FORWARD HAS BEEN MADE.
A PRIVATE STATEMENT BY
PAUL HALES
DIRECTOR
HALES WATER TURBINES LTD
