November 2021
The current recent hike in (utility) fuel prices will be a huge problem for a lot of low income families and probably a significant problem for most people. The price of Electricity has increased by up to 30% for some people. Some people currently on fixed tariffs will become aware of these increases in the coming months and for those on low incomes, this will be a huge problem.
Gas price increases for many have been astronomical and those on low incomes will not be able to absorb these costs, it will be a case of heat or eat! Our “Energy provider” wanted to increase the gas prices by 250% on a fixed tariff! Yes we swapped provider!
Currently, it seems that there are no “Fixed Tariffs” that are “affordable” and “No Contract Variable Tariffs” seem to be the best bet. You need to keep your eye on who is offering the best deals. It’s likely that April 2022 will see more price rises 🙁 It seems that “Energy Suppliers” (who don’t actually supply gas or electricity and who only facilitate the provision of utilities ) are a little shy about advertising the tariffs e.g. what they charge for Gas & Electric per KWh and the daily cost of standing charges.
With regards to Gas prices, it is likely going to be a continuing problem because basically we are running out of “natural gas”. We have raped the planet of its resources for many years and Oil will also become a problem in the foreseeable future because we are running out of that too. Generally speaking we are running out of all forms of “fossil fuels“. Coal, Gas and Oil were (apparently) formed some 300 / 400 millions years ago. Dinosaurs apparently first appeared about 230 Million years ago and were on the Earth for about 180 Million years until the (current) Ice Age killed them off! Fossil fuels (generally) appear to have been formed “a long time ago” and are considered to be “non renewable” so at some point we will deplete the resources. There are differences of “opinion” as to how long these resources will last but it would seem to be prudent to plan to use “renewable” energy. With regards to Oil, this might be a bigger problem. Oil (crude) is used to produce so many “products” that we don’t give much thought to but some of the products are Diesel, Petrol, Jet fuel, Heating oil, Waxes etc etc. When the oil runs out, we are in deep do do! We currently (in the UK) are experiencing price hikes on Diesel and Petrol and this is apparently due to the cost of crude oil, a dwindling resource.
With regard to resources “generally”. The stuff we mine e.g Tin, Lead, Copper, Iron ore, Slate etc are all resources that will eventually deplete and that includes precious metals and stones. So basically we have raped the planet of its resources and this is likely to be more of a problem than the Global Warming.
Some interesting reading can be found :-
When Fossil Fuels were formed isn’t really important, the main thing to bear in mind is that they are “non renewable” but the Earth is a big place and it is possible that there are “pockets” of fossil fuels that have not yet been discovered.
Our world population is increasing at a phenomenal rate. We started with 2 people (apparently) but now there are over 8 Billion humans that need “energy” of one sort or another. 8 BILLION people is off the scale and it is increasing on a daily basis! So our energy requirements and provisions need a good looking at. 8 Billion people need to be fed and kept warm or cool. 8 Billion people need to use “Energy” in one way or another!
Climate change and Global Warming are very real. The climate changes constantly and has done for over 2 BILLION years. The current Global Warming started about 1.2. Million years ago and this warming was apparently responsible for shaping our landscapes as the glaciers melted. We are still coming out of this Ice Age, that started some 65 / 66 Million years ago, and Global Warming will continue until we are no longer in an Ice Age.
The current Climate Change and Global Warming concerns (and protests) will pale to insignificance when people realise that “fossil fuels” and “ores” have been or soon will be depleted. Oiling the wheels of industry will be difficult !
With regards to our “Energy” needs. We need to be looking at “renewable” energy sources, these would include “Solar Panels”, “Wind Turbines”, “Wave power” and even “Bio Fuel” generators. All of which are / could be considered as “Green Energy“. Nuclear power is not considered to be “Green” but it offers many advantages, we just need to let our engineers and scientists make it safe and have no harm to the planet. One of the problems with nuclear power is that it relies on Uranium and this is mined so the Uranium deposits will eventually become depleted. In this case Uranium is akin to a fossil fuel.
Based on the current price rises, it would seem that our current “Green” energy is unable to provide low cost power, cost effectively. In our energy greedy and over populated world, we need “more power”. It would seem that Nuclear power is the way forward but Nuclear power relies on mined ore (Uranium) so it isn’t a renewable source.This means that when the Uranium deposits are depleted, we won’t be able to fuel our nuclear reactors. However, modern day reactors are able to use “nuclear waste” so this might give us more time to adopt renewable energy sources.
If we look at our “methods” of producing electricity, most of our “Power Stations” (inc Nuclear) “burn / use” fossil fuels to heat water until it becomes steam (an invisible gas). The steam is then used to power turbines which provide power to drive “generators”. The generators produce AC (Alternating Current) electricity for distribution via the National Grid.
The National Grid is a wonderful feat of engineering which allows electricity to be distributed all over the country. Natural Gas is also distributed in a similar fashion to the National Grid for Electricity and both Electric and Gas distribution is controlled by a handful of people.
Wind farms produce electricity by having a generator that is directly powered by the wind! They don’t boil water so in principle they should be a better option but it seems their efficiency is questionable by some.The “energy” created by Wind Farms is fed into the National Grid. Unfortunately a lot of “Wind Farms” don’t seem to do much and seem to be idle for much of the time. Maybe there is a good reason for this but I suspect it will involve profits. Apparently, Wind Turbines need a lot of wind to get them started but once started they can produce electricity. Maybe they need a bit of a redesign!
Solar panels (Photovoltaic) produce electricity by using the “light” from the Sun and again don’t boil water and they tend to be more suitable in countries that have plenty of sunlight, the UK is probably fine in the summer periods. Again these feed “energy” to the National Grid.
Solar panels are a lot better in recent years and if more homes had them installed and we installed them on roads etc we could maybe become Energy Independent. Even “double glazing units” can now provide electricity. .
Mobile homes / caravans that have solar panels installed allows them to be “Off Grid” for a few days. Unfortunately solar panels are at the mercy of weather conditions but having enough storage (batteries) can help reduce this issue. A good read about Solar panels, batteries and inverters can be found here this will take you to the “Which.co.uk” site.
A downside to Solar Panels is that they rely on Lithium, which is a “mined ore”. The main concern is that Solar Panels need to be used in conjunction with a “Storage facility” because when there isn’t enough light, they don’t produce electricity. The use of “storage” (Batteries) makes Solar panels a viable energy source but the production of batteries is seen by some as toxic to the environment!
Storage batteries rely on (mined) Lithium which is apparently not abundant. In most cases the mining of lithium is very costly and apparently doesn’t provide a “Green” solution to our energy needs. It does however provide vast profits for “the few”.
Wave Power has merit. It produces electricity directly and doesn’t involve boiling water. In principal, it is a continuous supply of “energy” that allows “green” electricity to be produced. The manufacture of the generators ultimately relies on mined ores to allow the “Wave energy” to produce electricity.
Water power. is a system that uses the flow of water in rivers to power “turbines” which ultimately power Generators. Again this doesn’t involve boiling water and is mainly a small scale type arrangement but it could be ramped up to have many more such arrangements (in rivers). Larger scale arrangements are called “Hydro Electric Power Stations” and these tend to work as part of a “Dam” system but not always.
Basically electricity provided by “Water power” has a lot of merit and ought to be made more use of.
So far, we have a few “methods” of producing electricity, some boil water and others produce electricity directly but all seem to have a situation where the planets resources are needed, e.g. mined ores.
so we just need to have a good think about our energy requirements and how we are going to continue to provide our energy needs without damaging the planet. We also need to be mindful that the use of electricity will never be completely “renewable” until we can find a renewable source of “conductors”. Copper (mined) and Aluminium (mined) are our main sources of “Electrical Conductors” so unless we can find “renewable” alternatives, the use of electricity will remain a drain on the planets resources. We may need to have a good look at Silicon as an alternative to copper and aluminium.
The Earth is basically a giant kebab, it rotates “in front” of a fantastic heat source (the Sun) so we should be able to harness this “free heat” to produce our energy needs, in the form of Electricity but we need to be able to do this without relying on mined ores and that will be a very big challenge.
We could make more use of “Geo thermal” energy (back to boiling water again) but if used by the masses, it could cause the Earth to cool; maybe!
Maybe one day the current “Green Energy” will become more efficient and cost effective and provide us with an adequate supply of low cost energy to make sure that “Energy providers / Suppliers” can’t hold us to ransom. Currently, the UK buys about 50% of its “energy” needs from abroad, this would indicate that our “solar farms” and “Wind farms” are not providing the amount of energy that we need. This appears to be due to “weather conditions”! It could also indicate that Energy “producers” are controlling the “National Grid” to protect their profits!
Hopefully, one day, we can all go “off Grid” and produce all the low cost domestic energy we need. Solar panels seem to be a good option for domestic properties and energy produced by human waste is looking like a good “additional option”. All humans (and animals) produce “waste” (poo) and it is now possible to utilise human / animal waste (Bio Fuel) to produce electricity see Bill Gates and bbc news for more details.
Energy (a utility) should go back to being a “Nationalised Entity”, it is a basic need and should not be a “profit centre for the few”. The “National Grid” should mainly be a “backup” to provide energy when solar power and other facilities are reduced due to weather and other conditions. This would mean we still need “Power Stations” to provide this shortfall and these “Power Stations” should make use of renewable energy sources.
Natural Gas is a dwindling commodity and needs to be replaced. Electricity from renewable sources would seem to be the natural successor. Solar panels and wind farms could help with the shortfall of energy requirements but Nuclear power would likely be a better option as it isn’t subject to weather conditions.
Nuclear power needs a major investment and currently it needs a lot of safety precautions. Solar, Wind and Wave power have little or no safety concerns but the cost effectiveness is questionable, rock hard place!
It would seem that the future is for each household to produce the energy requirements that it needs but this is probably not achievable. Modern homes are “Insulated to the hilt” and generally don’t have any need for additional heating, which allows them to squirt surplus energy up to the National Grid.
The use of Solar panels and / or wind power and / or Bio fuel is not yet fully utilised. A possible renewable Bio fuel is seaweed and this looks to be a bit of a good idea that needs more investment.
We need a few coats of thinking about and we need to look at the big picture. We need to observe the (current) “Global Warming” and accept that it started some 1.2 Million years ago well before humans were around and accept that human created “Atmospheric gases” are NOT the cause of “Global Warming” but may be contributing to it. Climate change is constant and has been for BILLIONS of years, human atmospheric pollution may have some small effect on the “climate” but other “cosmic” influences have a greater effect.
Maybe one day, we will find out what caused the start of the current Global warming, which started about 1.2 Million years ago. It would seem that we are still coming out of an “Ice age” but it isn’t clear when the “Ice Age” is considered to be no longer an ice age! The current ice age started some 65 / 66 Million years ago ( and apparently killed off the Dinosaurs). The (current) Global Warming started about 1.2 Million years ago and was apparently responsible for shaping our landscapes.
Global warming and our energy requirements are 2 different things and we shouldn’t confuse them.
Our “energy requirements” need to be looked at, we can no longer rely on “fossil fuels” to provide us with our “energy requirements”. We need to find ways of cost effectively producing our “energy needs” that don’t damage the planet and not have to rely on the few that profit from the production of “energy”!
The modern world is basically a world that uses Electricity. However, in the UK, (Natural) Gas is the main source of heating homes and this is something that we need to have a look at. With regards to the “Cost per useful therm” there wasn’t much difference between Gas and Electric so swapping a Gas boiler to an Electric boiler might have been cost effective. Modern “condensing” gas boilers are about 95% efficient but they still produce atmospheric pollution, to some degree. Electric boilers don’t appear to produce any atmospheric pollution but if the electricity is produced by a “Power Station”, we are just moving the source of pollution! The current hike in gas prices suggest swapping to Electric boilers would make a lot of sense but then we have this “heat pump” situation to throw into the ring. Reclaiming “heat” and using it to provide our energy needs is potentially a game changer.
It seems that modern (new) home builds are very much “super insulated” and don’t require much in the way of “heating”. If this is combined with solar panels and other energy providing methods, modern homes can actually produce “surplus” energy that can be fed in to the National Grid. So it would seem that improving the insulation of our homes is a key factor but retrofitting insulation is very much a costly exercise. Improving insulation needs to be cost effective and with older properties, improving insulation cost effectively is quite difficult. Is the answer to demolish older properties that cannot be suitably insulated ? Ultimately, if we had a decent “new home building” program, demolishing older homes that can not be “super insulated” could make sense.
Solar panel storage Batteries tend to lean towards using Lithium, which is considered to be a non hazardous waste but the mining of Lithium has many concerns about the environmental impact and like all mined ores it will become depleted.
Electric Vehicles are a bit of an enigma! They do indeed reduce the need to use Diesel and Petrol but they use “Storage Batteries” which rely on Lithium so is it a case of “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”! Does the mining of Lithium produce a lot less atmospheric pollution than Diesel or Petrol powered vehicles ?
We’re all doomed 🙂
We need to look at the “Big Picture” and rout out the “Profiteers” who are trying to profit from the Cyclic Global Warming, that is not caused by Human pollution. We need to find ways to provide the “energy” that we need that isn’t weather dependent and doesn’t involve raping the planet of its resources. Nuclear power reactors use Uranium and that is a “mined” resource, which will eventually deplete!
The only real contender that appears to be of merit is Hydro-Electric power. Solar panels are a possible contender, if we install enough of them but is subject to the mining problems of lithium. Wind farms are a blot on the landscape and don’t appear to provide a cost effective solution but could still be a contender.
Energy (electricity) can only be supplied to the masses via the “National Grid” so the few that control the “National Grid” also control the “source” of Electricity production and it seems that those who produce electricity via “Power Stations” are also in control of the “National Grid”.
If electricity was produced abundantly using solar panels, Wind and Wave Farms and this was fed into the “National Grid”, the profits of the “controllers” of the “National Grid” could be negatively affected. However, if the “controllers” of the “National Grid” also owned the “alternative” energy sources their profits wouldn’t be at risk!
In conclusion.
1. The current Global Warming started some 1.2 MILLION years ago and was NOT instigated by human produced atmospheric pollution. It’s unlikely that fannying about with “CO2” or even CH4 emissions will have any major effect on Global Warming because Global Warming and Global Cooling appear to be “Cyclic” and are the result of “cosmic” events, which humans have no control of.
We need to harness the heat from the Sun to produce Electricity and we need to do this without using any of the Earths natural resources, unless they are renewable!
2. We have raped the planet of its resources and we are unable to rectify this. Basically we have eaten the cake and now only have the crumbs to have a go at. We can’t “UN Mine” or indeed put the oil and gas back into the Earth. We can try to repair some of the damage and make sure we protect the bees and other pollinators. We could keep planting more trees because trees have a lot of benefits but we need to accept they only absorb CO2 in daylight and give off CO2 in darkness, pretty much like most “plants”.
3. For humans to continue to survive on this wonderful planet, we need to find ways to survive that don’t rape the planet of any more of its resources. We REALLY NEED to find out what caused the onset of Global Warming 1.2 Million years ago, we know it wasn’t human atmospheric pollution! We know that the current ice age (that we are still coming out of) started some 65 or 66 Million years ago and so far we only have theories as to what caused the onset of the ice age (which apparently killed off the Dinosaurs).
4. In the grand scheme of things, humans are parasites that exist on this wonderful planet and rape it of its resources.
5. In the grand scheme of things, humans are mere microbes but we are Engineers and Scientists and with this in mind we need to find ways to survive, that are not detrimental to the health of the planet. We don’t want to live on a poorly planet!
6. If humans are to survive and continue to live on this wonderful planet, we need to have a good think about how we can live in harmony with this lovely planet. We have already raped it of most of its resources and we can’t undo this so to survive in harmony with the planet, the only thing we can do is to stop raping it of its resources and find ways to provide what we need to survive in harmony. We can’t repair all of the damage we have done to the planet but we can use our skills and knowledge to use renewable energy which won’t harm the planet any further.
7. Finding alternatives to the stuff we mine will be a challenge. We already have “Synthetic oils” but finding (renewable) alternatives for such things as Tin, Copper, iron, Gold, Diamonds, Lithium etc will be our biggest challenge.
8. We need to protect the planet from any further harm from humans but this won’t stop the Global Warming and /or Global Cooling because this is beyond the control of humans.
9. The planet has endured several Ice Ages and Tropical periods for over 2 + Billion years and humans were not around.
10. The Earth was “formed” about 4 Billion years ago and the Sun was (apparently) “formed” about half a Billion years before. The Earth has (apparently) had an atmosphere for about 2.5 Billion years and the climate changes constantly. This planet we call Earth has survived for 4 BILLION years but it seems that humans have just about destroyed it in 200 years! That isn’t really true, yes we have raped it of its resources over 2 or 3 thousand years and created a lot of damage that we can’t repair but the Earth is in “flux”, the tectonic plates are in constant movement, Volcanoes are constantly spewing out “atmospheric pollution” and the active ones spew out lava, Earthquakes are normal activity and are part of “Earths Maintenance”.
11. To suggest that “human atmospheric pollution” is causing Global Warming is verging on stupidity or it’s a clever way for the parasites to make more profit, unfortunately both seem to apply.
12. The November 2021 COP 26 “conference” was a nothing but a joke. 400 private jets were used by the attendees, so much for “human atmospheric pollution”! It’s OK though, private jets don’t pollute the atmosphere and neither do the jets that “climate change protesters” use 🙂 All people are equal but some are more equal that others!
13. The current Energy and Fuel crisis is more to do with profits and those that profit are “the few”.
14. If “humanity” was a computer, the fix would be to “reboot” and do an off-line “Malware removal” (Greed, Corruption, Envy) . We could then share the wealth and more importantly share the world. We would all be equal, no one would be more equal than anyone else. Poverty and homelessness would not exist. Our energy needs would be mainly provided by “heat from the Sun” and would be sustainable. Our food would be “planet friendly” and sustainable. Humans would continue to survive without damaging the planet. If only!
Something to ponder!
The use of electricity needs “conductors” (cables etc) and these conductors are made from mined ores (mainly Copper), which will eventually deplete. How will we be able to use electricity when these resources have been depleted? Silicon (a semiconductor) might be a good contender.
What about the stuff we use that is powered by electricity (TVs, Radios, Phones, etc) what will we do when our mined resources and fossil fuels are depleted?
Having to go back to being “troglodytes” that don’t use electricity or electronic / electrical goods is probably my worst nightmare!
I’m sorry if I have just ruined your day but global warming and fuel price increases pale to insignificance when we look at the damage we have done and are still doing to the planet. We can adapt to global warming and rising sea levels but can we adapt to a world where we no longer have any resources to plunder!
It’s going to be a bumpy ride for our future generations, recycling will only delay Armageddon!
Maybe silicon and / or seaweed and / or vegetation (all sustainable / renewable) will be our salvation but that is a lot to hope for.
From a “food” point of view, If we have grass and vegetation to feed our animals we will have meat to eat. If we have vegetation and / or seaweed we will have food that will compliment our “meat” supplies. We might also need to eat more insects and sustainable creatures that live in water.
From an “Energy” point of view, things might be more difficult but “water” power, wind power and wave power may be the way forward.
From an “everyday” point of view, most of the products we use are derived from “mined ores” in some way or another. We need to find sustainable alternatives, ideally from things such as seaweed and vegetation. Bamboo products are a good example.
Our days of looking at electronic screens maybe be numbered. Our days of flipping a switch to make the light work maybe numbered. Our modern world is indeed “numbered” unless we can find ways to survive that don’t damage our planet. Humans NEED to find renewable / sustainable ways to allow us to survive on this wonderful planet. We NEED to stop being parasites and live in harmony with the planet, if we are to survive.
If you are concerned about our future generations and want to do everything possible to help ensure their survival, concentrate on the REAL problems of dwindling resources. The current Global Warming started about 1.2 Million years ago and that was well before humans existed or existed in any significant numbers. If humans were around 1.2 Million years ago, they would not have been creating enough atmospheric pollution to cause Global Warming on the scale that it happened so Global Warming was NOT the result of human created atmospheric pollution 1.2 Million years ago. It is possible that human atmospheric pollution today MAY BE contributing to the Global Warming but that is debatable. Global Warming and Global Cooling (Ice ages) are cyclic but this appears to be debatable. With regards to CO2 it is currently about 0.0407 % of the atmosphere and this is causing Global Warming, really !!! If the CO2 % is increasing, which gases are depleting? (you can’t have more than 100%).
The REAL problem today is the dwindling of resources. Oil reserves are very low, Natural Gas is even lower. Mined ores are also depleting very fast. If we want our future generations to survive, we need to find sustainable / renewable energy resources. We need to find sustainable ways to produce our everyday “requirements” and that includes clothing and “white goods” and all the other stuff we take for granted. We might need to have a look at our “Food Supplies” and make sure that our food is from sustainable sources.
We need to look at our modern world and find sustainable means to support our modern world that doesn’t damage the planet any further. Humans have created a lot of damage to the planet over the past 200 / 300 years or so and much of this cannot be repaired but the planet has survived for over 4 Billion years. The tectonic plates are in constant flux, Earthquakes and Volcanic eruptions are a natural feature of the planets maintenance and evolvement but the planet doesn’t exist for the benefit of humans. Humans are basically parasites that have adopted the planet and we don’t give anything back to the planet, we only take and rape it of its resources.
It is now the time to “pay the piper”! If we humans are to continue to survive on this wonderful planet, we need to get our act together. We need to accept that we humans are only “guests” of this wonderful planet and we need to stop damaging the planet.
We need to identify and remove the “profiteers” (parasites) or things won’t change for the better.
Hopefully we and our future generations will learn how to live in harmony with this awesome planet we call Earth and we will treat it with the respect it deserves. Hopefully we will find ways to survive that are sustainable and don’t cause any damage to the planet.
Here’s to the future, live long and prosper 🙂