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CRETNEY BACKS RENEWABLE ENERGY PLANS
DAVID Cretney, Minister for the Department of Trade and Industry, has said wind farms and tidal projects offer 'the best potential' as a renewable energy source for the Island.
Speaking at last week's Energy Efficiency exhibition at the Villa Marina, Mr Cretney said this was the most appropriate way forward to provide renewable energy on 'a reliable, cost-effective basis'.
His conclusions were drawn from a report commissioned by the DTI and carried out by Aquaterra. He said that 'concerns regarding the appearance of such schemes and their impact on the environment would require careful consideration'.
He added that another factor to consider would be the significant environmental improvements that the current natural gas power station offered, especially as it was in the early years of its 20-year life.
Mr Cretney said the three-day exhibition would 'serve as a catalyst for public debate regarding energy' and added that there was a wide range of energy efficiency measures that both businesses and households could employ.
The first day of the exhibition also included a presentation from Dr Colin Campbell entitled 'Peak Oil: A Turning Point for Europe'.
Dr Campbell joined the oil industry in 1958 after taking a D.Phil in geology at Oxford University. His career started as a field geologist in Borneo before he moved into regional evaluation and management, ending as an executive vice-president in Norway.
Speaking as a director of ASPO (Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas) he discussed how the world could prepare for the 'second half of the age of oil' which would be marked by the decline of oil, followed by gas and all that depend upon these energy sources.
He said that not many people recognised there was an 'oil age' and that the first half was all about growth while the second half was about decline. 'This transition to decline would be the turning point for mankind'. He said this period would be a 'time of great tension'.
Dr Campbell stated there were two camps of thought on the way forward — carry on till it runs out or return to a more 'simple, sustainable way of life'.
He said oil was not about to run out. However, as many as 50 countries were already producing much less than they had in the past.
By way of an analogy he compared the consumption of oil to drinking a pint of Murphy's stout. 'In the 1900s the glass was quite full but by 2000 we're just about halfway through ... the quicker we drink it the sooner it's gone.'
He said finding oil was not difficult ... but companies increasingly faced limits imposed by nature, adding that there was a great 'polarity in oil' — an 'all or nothing' situation. He said oil was very different from other minerals and 'denied economic principles'. He also added that the discovery of it was not technologically driven and mentioned the irony was the better the technology the faster the depletion.
He said the North Sea's reserves were now 'declining fast to eventual exhaustion'.
Dr Campbell concluded that the world faced a 'very volatile period in the near future which might find oil prices collapsing again'. He said the decline rate was only 2 or 3 per cent a year but this would continue until 'a new perception of this subject takes over'.
He talked about the possibility of rationing energy — and of its becoming a kind of currency and added that 'we need to live differently so we don't use so much — and cut the waste of energy'.
He added that the renewable energies — tide, wave and thermal — were the way forward but wasn't convinced about the nuclear option, which had a low net energy yield and emotional connotations.
Dr Campbell said that if countries restricted their import of oil, world prices would fall and this would have a positive effect for consumers.
He predicted that 'a new regionalism' would be the result of this depletion of oil with local economies being more viable than outdated nations.
He concluded: 'The IoM structure as an independent country is an ideal place to lead in this area. It has a local situation and could set an example of how to manage energy efficiently and intelligently.'
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Weather for Isle of Man
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 7 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
