One of the most efficient renewable energy sources is hydro-power, and it is good to see Scotland taking a lead in this area.

Britain has a major energy crisis looming and tough decisions are needed that balance cost and supply with environmental considerations.
According to BBC, the decisions we make now will impact on our children and our children’s children. We need a bold vision which delivers energy safely, cleanly and reinforces our global leadership and commitment to carbon neutral living.
In designing this future, the debate is focused on nuclear--should we have it, is it safe, and can we afford it?
The energy debate seems fixed on nuclear. But in many respects, this heated nuclear debate is missing one of the most important points--the future for energy is mixed.
It is not one source at the expense of another.
Each type of energy supply has a role to play, certainly for the foreseeable future.
And in the midst of the debate, energy conservation is often overlooked, in spite of the fact that conservation offers a very sustainable and practical method of energy management.
As such, any future long term energy strategy--and we really do need to focus on the long term--must increase energy efficiencies in homes, offices, the surrounding built environment and our transportation systems.
There is also considerable passion for renewable energy in spite of the fact that energy from wind, wave, tidal and solar is irregular and often unreliable.
Society wants energy on demand, yet a cruel irony, again often overlooked, is that energy cannot be stored.
One of the most efficient renewable energy sources is hydro-power, and it is good to see Scotland taking a lead in this area.
The energy supply crisis is compounded by the fact that a significant number of coal, gas and nuclear stations are or soon will be coming to the end of their lives.
This presents a great opportunity for a bold new long term vision.
A realistic strategy must deliver energy on time, on demand, with manageable risk, and close to where it is needed.
Carbon capture and storage remains an innovative dream with no full-scale complete prototype tested.
However, this should form part of our bold vision and global commitment.
There is considerable passion for renewable energy.
In addition, the massive reduction of energy losses through heat loss in our coal-fired power stations must be tapped through combined heat and power systems.
This is equally bold, but receives little interest due to the manner in which energy generation is priced.
And while gas will continue to be a major player for many years, it is being increasingly imported, creating risks to our security of supply.
Looking ahead, everyone is asking--can Scotland survive in a nuclear-free energy zone?
The politicians are saying “Yes“, but the reality is, nobody really knows whether nuclear will be part of the Scottish energy map in 2030.
The fact is, nuclear power plays a key role right now in Britain and many of the nuclear stations will continue to produce energy for the next decade at least.
The next generation of efficient nuclear units produce one tenth of the waste produced by the current plants.
In terms of efficiency, this next generation of nuclear plants could play a key role in tackling the energy supply problem.
From an engineering perspective, the solution is not one energy source rather than another.
It will be a balanced portfolio of energy strategies, new technologies, new energy sources, cleaner processes and definitely nuclear. If the energy supply and management problem was entrusted to engineers, Scotland would undoubtedly remain in the nuclea age.
Richard Coackley

The world’s largest consumer electronics tradeshow is going green, showcasing earth-friendly technology while offsetting its own carbon footprint at the massive Las Vegas event.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that officially began on Jan. 7 featured for the first time a “Sustainable TechZone“ dedicated to “pioneering technologies that benefit the environment and sustainability of the global economy.“
Innovations in the TechZone include voltaic solar-power generating backpacks and messenger bags made from recycled plastic soda bottles, AFP said.
Solar panels embedded in bags produce four watts of power in full sunlight, pumping enough electricity into lithium battery packs in an hour to power an iPod for three hours or 90 minutes of talk time on a typical mobile telephone.
Control4 and other firms specializing in automating homes display computerized systems that reduce the amount of energy wasted in cooling, heating or lighting residences or by televisions and other entertainment electronics.
“In short, they will address how the smart-home ecosystem is good for the world’s ecosystem,“ a CES organizer maintained.
“As an ecosystem for digital home automation continues to develop, these companies are making major contributions that empower homeowners to take control of their own household environmental footprint and manage it more effectively.“
US Environmental Protection Agency officials presided over a new CES “Sustainability 101“ seminar focused on greener product designs and energy efficiency.
“This session also highlights the work of companies successfully creating programs for consumers to donate or recycle technology products so hazardous materials do not end up in landfills,“ the CES said in a release.
To keep the environment in the minds of attendees, show workers are producing a “Greening CES“ television program and broadcasting it to their hotel rooms.
CES organizers vow to reduce and offset the carbon footprint made by the event, which features nearly 3,000 exhibitors and fills the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center.
The technology industry has “an opportunity to be a positive force for change and integral to environmental solutions that will ensure future generations inherit a healthy planet,“ said CES chief executive Gary Shapiro.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has arranged with Carbonfund.org to offset the estimated 20,000 tons of carbon attributable to CES.
Carbonfund will do so by investing in renewable energy, reforestation, and energy conservation programs, according to CEA.
Kiosks on the show floor lets attendees connect with Carbonfund to offset the greenhouse gases spewed by the jets that carried them to Las Vegas.
“Kudos to the International CES for taking positive steps to help the environment,“ said Carbonfund executive director Eric Carlson.
CES has gone so far as to work with vendors in Las Vegas to get them to use biodegradable food containers and utensils, donate surplus food to local charities, and use recycled paper and soy-based ink for literature.
At the request of CES, the Las Vegas Convention Center use non-hazardous cleaning solvents and recycle all spent light-bulbs, batteries and electronics from the event.
Cloaked in earth-friendly green, the annual show is a stage for electronics makers large and small from around the world to show off innovations from flat-screen televisions to in-car entertainment systems.
The array of industry heavyweights attending CES includes Intel, Sony, Samsung, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba, and Sanyo.

The most likely and abundant source of renewable electricity is wind, and wind is unpredictable.

There is a significant risk of power shortages from the New Zealand government’s aim for 90 percent renewable power and prices will rise, according to former Electricity Commission chairman Roy Hemmingway.
The government’s Energy Strategy, announced in December, will also impose a 10-year ban on building new fossil fuel power stations in an effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions.
Hemmingway left the job as Electricity Commission chairman at the end of 2006, at the end of an often turbulent three years. At that time, he openly criticized Energy Minister David Parker as an “interventionist“ who appeared to think he was nearly always right, Stuff.co.nz reported.
Now living in the United States again, Hemmingway told Business Day the original Energy Strategy drafted by government officials was “fairly well balanced“. But Hemmingway said he understood that the more “extreme reliance“ on renewable energy was substituted by Parker himself.
“More renewables are necessary if New Zealand is to meet climate change targets. However, in my opinion, the government’s policy puts so much emphasis on renewables to the exclusion of other generation sources that the power supply is at risk,“ Hemmingway said.
He warned against an over-reliance on wind power.
“The most likely and abundant source of renewable electricity is wind, and wind is unpredictable,“ Hemmingway said.
It was possible to predict the amount of wind energy available over the course of a whole year, but it was “very difficult“ to predict how much wind power might be possible at the exact time it was needed to meet demand, he said.
“Given that New Zealand has begun to experience issues around meeting peak demand, there is a very serious problem with relying on wind,“ he said.
There were not enough other forms of renewable power such as hydro and geothermal stations that would provide a more reliable power supply.
“Power prices will rise, simply because new sources of supply, of all kinds, are more expensive than the old sources,“ Hemmingway said.
Banning non-renewable power from coal or gas fired stations potentially meant generators would have to turn to more expensive sources driving up prices.
Hemmingway did not estimate the potential impact on prices from the policy. However, independent electricity consultant Bryan Leyland has recently estimated the price of power could rise 30 to 40 percent within a few years as a result.
Previous Electricity Commission figures suggest wind would cost 11 cents a unit, about twice the present cost of coal or gas. The Wind Energy Association says wind would cost between 7c and 10c a unit.
Bank economists have estimated government policies will see the price of petrol rise 4 percent and electricity rise 7 percent, at least, adding to the risks of inflation for the Reserve Bank.
New Zealand is already a world leader in renewable power, producing about two-thirds of its electricity mainly from hydro power, with smaller amounts of geothermal and wind power. Most Australian electricity, by comparison comes from coal-fired power stations.
About half of all New Zealand’s greenhouse gases are methane from farm animals.
New Zealand produces about 200g of CO2 for each kilowatt of power produced, about one-fifth of the average CO2 of Australian power. France, which relies heavily on nuclear power, is one of the few countries with lower CO2 emissions from power generation.
If more wind farms were built, they would have to be “where the wind blows“, and not necessarily near where people use most power, such as Auckland. That meant more transmission lines would be needed than for a power plant in Auckland.
Hemmingway pointed out it would be easier to build another gas-fired power station at Contact Energy’s Otahuhu plant in Auckland, which already has consents as an operating power station, than seek consents for new generation.
The power system would also need more back-up power stations to meet peak demand when the wind was not blowing, Hemmingway said.
State owned Genesis Energy was told by Parker in October not to proceed with any plans for thermal power generators.
However, a recent Court of Appeal judgment said the application for the proposed gas-fired Genesis station at Rodney, north of Auckland was still alive. Sources have indicated the station could yet be built to handle peaks in demand, rather than a base-load station operating almost full time. Genesis has said it was “still reviewing“ the Rodney plant, but if it went ahead it would meet the requirements of the government’s Energy Strategy.