Post-Carbon Living - Sustainable Electricity


		Inspiration for all

Chris Goodall "How to Live a Low-Carbon Life"

Richard Heinberg "The Party's Over"

George Monbiot "Heat"

The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil - DVD

The End of Suburbia - Oil Depletion & the Collapse of the American Dream - DVD

From the Library Shelf:

Proud Co-Founders of Transition Town High Wycombe

Change Your Electricity Supplier for Good

When we started 'Post-Carbon Living' we started with the simple objective of just getting 99% of the population change their Electricity Supply to a 'Renewables' tariff. This was on the basis that it is incredibly easy to do. Of course not everyone can do this in every country. However, if you are a resident of the UK then it is your right. The Market is deregulated and such options is one of the few benefits hence we should seize the opportunity.

Our vision is simple. If everybody stops using electricity from Fossil Fuels then we shut down the Power Stations. Likewise, if you grow your own food then we can shut the supermarkets. Heat your home and hot water with renewables and shut down the Fossil Fuel trade for good. This is not a reaction. Not a committee. It is a revolution.

Electricity Futures

Electricity Generation is responsible for a third of all CO2 emissions in the UK. If you do one thing today - change your Electricity Supplier. If you also use Gas then you can also get vaguely "green"-tinged Gas supplies. However, Gas is not renewable - being a Fossil Fuel. Hence this is doubtful. Normally they will donate some money to charity for you or something. Just be aware. 'Green' is better than nothing though!

Contrary to popular belief a green tariff is not necessarily going to be more expensive than your 'normal' tariff. If anything you could even save money. Despite the fuss and nonsense made about 'rocketing' energy prices our home energy supplies remain extremely inexpensive for most people. It hardly seems worth arguing about something that costs £400 GBP per year when your monthly Mortgage cost is that or more! It is only those in Energy Poverty already, who will be hit the worst by rising energy prices. In which case the tariff is irrelevant. Their biggest problem is in the quality of poor housing.... But that is another topic.

The definition of what is a 'green' tariff is also debatable. We should only consider truly renewable energy sources and this will be mostly source from Wind Farms. However this can also include:

Solar Power
Hydro Power
Wave/Tidal Power
Geothermal
Biomass
Landfill Gas
Waste Incineration

(Waste Incineration is controversial. It isn't completely renewable and we should recycle more.) Most of the list above is practically irrelevant to the UK with the exception of Hydropower (currently contributing 1% of the total). But the UK and northern Europe does have a lot of Wind and this will remain the dominant non-Carbon energy resource.

Currently the UK 'conventional' Electricity supplies are made up of two-thirds Fossil Fuel Powered with the rest being made up by Nuclear Power. Nuclear is, in some ways, far cleaner than Fossil Fuels and it is a relatively "easy" and proven way of generating vast amounts of power. Of course it is controversial and that debate could continue forever. However, the clincher (that almost nobody ever discusses) is that it is not renewable. Uranium is finite and will run out. If we switched all our Power Generation over to Nuclear over night it would only last about 14 years! So it COULD be used as a transition technology to a low carbon and fossil free future. But it will not be the end-game. Nuclear Fusion is unlikely to appear anytime soon and could remain science fiction for another 100 years.

How Do I Change for Good?

We list a set of resources on this page that can give you advice and the opportunity to sign-up for a renewables tariff online. All you need is the internet... And since you are reading this let us assume that is not a problem!

As a starting point try www.greenelectricity.org if you are in the UK or Google it for similar web sites for your own country (if your Electricity industry is deregulated in this way). For an overview of Green Tariffs in the UK you can download a report from www.ethiscore.org.

Microgeneration

Those of you considering your own microgeneration systems may find your choice of renewable tariffs restricted. This is because you will want to have a Microgeneration Tariff that pays you for the power that you pump back into the grid. There are not many choices out there.

Of course, it makes no sense to use microgeneration and then NOT use a renewables Tariff! It might lead some to say 'what is the point of microgeneration when I can just switch tariff'? Good question. The answers are:

Generation close to usage reduces losses over long distance power lines
Many early adopters are hobbyists interested in concepts of independence and going 'off-grid' (eventually)
You get paid for microgeneration!
You are expanding the base supply of energy into the grid hence enhancing energy security
You are sending a clear message to your Government and Community

Likewise some may argue that small scale generation is inefficient. You don't get the economies of scale that you do in one big wind-farm. However this ignores the security and transmission loss issues. Remember that centralised power-supply systems are sized to maximise return on investment NOT generative capacity. hence small community wind-turbines are better than really big ones per area of land usage. Unless you put Solar Cells on your roof no one else will. It is capacity that would never get used. Our aim should be to decentralise and relocalise in order to, literally, re-empower our communities. It is a matter of security and, ultimately, democracy. It is your power in your hands and no one can take it away....

Post-Carbon Girl

Resource

We changed energy suppliers many times over the years my Dad tells me. We used to make that decision on price and shop around for the cheapest. Then, when we had the Photovoltaic solar panels fitted, we settled on a 'Solar Tariff' from one supplier and a 'green' Gas Supplier. Now when other suppliers phone up we ask them for their Solar Tariff. Some are embarrassed....

Conclusion

Low Carbon Man

Does it really make any difference? Surely it is more expensive?

Stop throwing good money after bad. Invest in the future of energy with renewable alternatives.

References:	References