Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:solar panels | |
Posted by: | Sam Hearn Cllr | |
Date/Time: | 15/11/12 12:28:00 |
I remember seeing somewhere a calculation that if 4 million 'standard' houses installed photovoltaic cells this would remove the need for one 'standard' gas fired power station. Hardly a game changing strategy and with minimal likely impact on climate change. Even if all human activity were to cease today or we were all to revert to being hunter/gatherers (a bizarre thought in Chswick) it would take 60 years for global climate change to "stablise" i.e. revert to trend. It is of course important to remember in this context that taking the longer view planet earth is actually experiencing a relatively benign 10,000 year inter-glacial period. A better use of scarce resources would surely be to try and mitigate the effects of climate change and climate volatity. Frankly only the most optimistic still believes that climate change can be quickly reversed or even averted. You only get happy endings in Hollywood movies starring Tom Hanks. Mitigating the impact will mean insuring that farmers,hospitals, the very young, the very old and the vulnerable are protected from very hot dry summers and very cold winters. It means ensuring that water supplies for big cities are sustainable and that investment in flood defences are adequate. At an individual household level three things remain essential - insulation, insulation and more insulation. Oh and it would help if we all stopped flushing our toilets with water that is filtered and pure enough to drink and bath in. Photovoltaic cells fine - but they are not going to save the planet anytime soon. |