UK Faces Electricity Shortages Within 6 Years
David Mackay, the government’s new energy adviser warned today that the country could face electricity blackouts as soon as 2016 because green energy isn’t coming on line quick enough and at the same time nuclear and coal fired power stations are being decommissioned, reports BBC News Online.
Mr MacKay, speaking on Radio 4’s The Today programme, wouldn’t comment on the energy shortage in his role as energy adviser because he doesn’t take on the role until October 1st but he did comment on the findings of his book, Sustainable Energy – Without The Hot Air which examines current plans to keep up with electricity supplies while also cutting carbon emissions.
His book concludes that while government policy is going in the right direction the mathematics don’t add up because not enough generating capacity is being built.
Mr MacKay suggests that the market may solve the energy shortage by building more gas power stations which he suggests is not the way to go. He said we should be prepared for the industrialisation of the countryside (for example with more wind farms) to provide green energy and if that was unpopular then it would mean more nuclear power stations would have to be built.
Source and further details: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8249540.stm
The Today Programme – BBC Radio 4 – 11th Sept 2009