One wonders if Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has actually studied Britain’s Primary Energy mix? Some of our hydrocarbons use can be substituted by renewables. Power generation where wind/solar can replace gas. Personal transport where the car park can switch from petrol/diesel to battery power. But elsewhere it’s either not economic or impossible.
Many energy uses are oil or gas specific – that is in the short to medium term there is no renewables alternative. The list is quite long:
▪️Air travel – aircraft can only fly with engines powered by oil fuel
▪️Marine – container ships (crucial) run only on fuel oil
▪️Space heating. The switch from gas-fired boilers to alternatives is a very long term project
▪️Commercial Road Transport is likely to be predominantly diesel powered for the foreseeable future
▪️Cars and motor cycles. The switch to battery power is also a very long term project
▪️Diesel trains cannot economically be replaced by electric in most cases. The cost of electrification of the lines is often prohibitive
There are other examples. We will need oil and gas for the foreseeable future. It makes sense for security and balance of payments reasons to use indigenous sources and explore for more.
Paddy’s Blogs in a crazy world 