Over the past few days there seem to have been a succession of stories in the press on energy matters, along with a stern letter about windfarms in the Leader. I'd be interested in people's views on the different options, but how about these few comments to kick off debate.
To begin with I really think doing nothing is not an option. The threat of climate change is huge, and we really need to address how we generate our eneregy. [We also need to reduce significantly the amount of energy we use, but that's a whole other debate]. So what are the options facing us at the moment.
The UK government seem to believe that we cannot address the our energy needs without a new generation of nuclear power plants. I'm far from convinced by this argument - the decommissioning costs are huge, and nuclear's contribution to tackling climate change is still a matter of debate.
Both the Welsh Government and London Government have yet to reach a firm conclusion on a massive Severn Barrage from Cardiff to Weston. While I think there's a huge opportunity to tap the tidal potential of the Severn, there are other alternatives to a large scale (almost certainly environmentally destructive) barrage. One which certainly deserves further consideration is tidal lagoons, and I'm also interested in the option of a smaller barrage east of Cardiff on the Severn (as highlighted in the Lib Dem report on the issue today).
So, harnessing the power of the Severn is certainly part of the answer in my view, along with significantly reduced energy usage. But there remains the very thorny issue of wind farms. I'm clear in my mind that the large scale farms imposed without community support are entirely wrong. But on the other hand, I do think there's a place for off shore wind and smaller community schemes where the community has a direct stake in the generation of electricity.
What do readers think?
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