In previous Green Focus columns I have written about the opportunities for generating electricity using geothermal energy, derived from hot rocks at depth, and water power, derived from rivers and streams, writes Henry Haslam.
These operations could be small and medium sized, and they would be dispersed throughout the country.
This would have two advantages.
First, they would be closer to where the electricity is needed, reducing the need for costly and unsightly pylons from offshore wind farms and large nuclear power stations.
Second, smaller installations are less vulnerable to hostile attack.
Recent experience in Ukraine has shown that large, nuclear power stations are very much at risk.
Solar energy and wind turbines have the same advantages.
Objections to both of these rest on the loss of good agricultural land.
Wind farms, however, tend to be in upland areas, not on high-grade agricultural land.
As for solar panels, even on the largest estimates, they would occupy a very small proportion of our agricultural land; it may be said that it can be compared with the amount of land used for pony grazing.
It is also worth pointing out that land used for solar panels can also be used for keeping poultry or grazing sheep, so it is not taken out of food production.
It surprises me that I have never actually seen such use, but I have read about it.
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There is also scope for greater use of rooftops for solar panels.
It is hard to understand why there are so many roofs that have not been used.
Agricultural, industrial and residential buildings can all be used to harness solar energy to generate electricity for local use.
The same could be said for wind.
Conventional wind turbines, using large blades rotating on a horizontal axis, are conspicuous and are regarded by many as unsightly.
However, on rooftops, upland areas and coastal sites, where there is no need to build upwards to catch the wind, it is possible to use an array of vertical-axis turbines.
There are various models, including a simple, discrete and inconspicuous one that resembles a design by Erasmus Darwin (Charles’ grandfather) for Wedgwood Pottery: a tower, open on all sides to the wind, with sloping louvres that direct the wind upwards to drive vertical-axis wind-sails.
So, these are four sources of energy which we can use to generate electricity locally, to meet local requirements.
There is so much energy, from sun, wind, rivers and deep rocks, all going to waste.
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