HARRY VASSALLO outlines the basic issues that lie at the heart of the global and local alternative energy debate
Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) are not infinite resources. They will eventually run out. On the other hand nuclear energy which is also based on finite mineral resources (uranium) generates radioactive waste either from spent fuel or contaminated reactor linings.
In the case of fossil fuels, humanity is consuming a precious resource at a phenomenal rate, denying future generations the opportunity to exploit them for far more useful and less damaging purposes than fuel.
In the case of nuclear waste, the contrary is the case and a lethal legacy of radioactive waste is left for future generations to guard fearfully for thousands of years.
As if this was not enough to make us see reason, the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, principally CO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels, is causing a rise in global temperature which threatens to unhinge the established weather and climate patterns to an extent which would make it very difficult for humans and many species existing today to adapt and survive.
Closing the loop or limiting our rate of consumption of energy resources to a level at which they can be renewed is the challenge we all face. For the last two hundred years or so we have behaved like spendthrifts with an overdraft facility out of control. Energy from renewable resources offers the possibility of staying within our economic and ecological budgets but looking at the present global energy total contribution from renewables and the little time we have left to mend our ways, the challenge seems awesome.
Specifics For those of us not greatly moved by the fates of civilization, of future generations or of their own offspring, it may be best to write of matters with immediate financial effects. The 2008 spike in oil and energy prices has set us all thinking on ways not to be caught with our pants down once prices rise again. Only the current global economic downturn keeps prices low. Oil will come back to bite us again before too long. As the world climbs out of economic recession and demand picks up, prices can be expected to rise even as total global oil production begins its terminal decline.
The first cost-free exercise we could undertake is to find out what energy consumption we can avoid. Do we leave lights on when we could do without them? How many appliances do we leave on standby when they could be turned off? When buying a new appliance do we seek out the most energy efficient or the one that just looks good? When heating or cooling the house do we insulate efficiently or ventilate extravagantly? Do we have any leaky taps in the house? Are we obsessed with washing the car every few hours? Do we let the taps run while we brush our teeth or right through our shower?
Before we spend any money on energy saving devices, taking a good look around us to eliminate waste and bad habits is the best thing we could do. We can let all this become a litany of sacrifices and an austerity regime or we can look at it as a way of making money tax free with almost nil effort.
Next on our list we find a variety of one off possible expense options we can decide on. Painting the roof white costs only a few euro, shading it further just a few euro more and both worth every cent. The temperature difference in a room under a black sheet of waterproofing bitumen and the same room with the roof whitened is clearly noticeable. Combined with intelligent ventilation it could eliminate the need for further artificial cooling. If we still insist on air conditioned cooling, the saving will still be significant.
Large south-facing windows may provide us with grand views but could cost us heavily in extra heat we must dispose of. Shading them need not mean shutting them up: awnings, blinds or even a strategically planted tree can prevent direct sunlight from entering the house while we continue to enjoy the view.
Re-use Reusing grey water from showers and washing machines to flush toilets may be possible in most homes using only gravity and a little ingenuity. The investment in piping, holding tanks and filters is minimal. Saving your bathwater for washing the car may be an easy option for some people: a matter of diverting the drain from the bath to a holding tank.
If we are prepared to spend some money our options increase. The first step has to be solar water heating which eliminates 20% of the electricity consumption in the average home. Proper insulation to get the most out of our space heating and cooling comes next, then energy generation through photovoltaic panels or a wind turbine. Increasing the volume of our water cisterns may be a worthwhile investment especially if we also invest in equipment to recycle grey water. A larger volume of water storage may also allow us to utilise the water cistern for temperature control in the home through an energy saving heatpump system rather than air conditioning.
Not all the possible options may be available to everybody. Living in an apartment block imposes severe limitations: no private roof space for generating electricity, no well for water storage, reuse or temperature control, no garden for shading trees. If you are thinking of moving house, an own-roof property may be your best long term investment.
Car costs Our worst investment is our second largest: the car. Costing a very significant portion of the average family’s available capital it also binds us to significant running costs quite apart from the fact that it pollutes the air we breathe along with close on another 300,000 licensed motor vehicles. Discounting our contribution to climate change through our car, we still run the risk of being lumped with an unusable ton of metal when oil prices spike dramatically once more. We would seem to have an urgent and direct interest in the establishment of an effective public transport system in real time.
In the case of industrial or commercial properties the situation is much the same as the domestic with the possible saving significantly greater. This makes it profitable to invest in expert advice for the running of an energy audit of the production line and office regime. As with the domestic situation, the various options have to be explored and the solutions tailored to one’s requirements.
In both cases the cost-efficiency of the various options is affected by public policy: subsidies on solar water heaters may make them a possibility for people who felt they could not afford them before. The price at which Enemalta buys privately generated surplus energy makes all the difference to investments on energy generators whether wind, solar or otherwise. For generations now Government policy has been to make things as unrewarding as possible but things are changing there too. We all have to keep an eye on developments and demand a better deal for enterprise and private citizens.
Keeping up-to-date on developments that effect us directly may also allow us to form an opinion on initiatives on a larger scale than we can be involved in except as consumers. Is a cable to Sicily linking us to the European grid a good idea? Where do we stand on the idea of setting up largescale windfarms? Onshore? Offshore? How much energy has been recovered from the gasification plant in Marsascala? How has that reduced our own electricity bills?
Has there been any exploration of the potential of wave energy in the sea around us? How about sea current turbines? When will the cost of Malta’s carbon footprint be factored into our electricity bills? Will there be a commensurate advantage to private renewable energy generators from carbon reduction? How about the impact of pollution from fossil fuels? It is definitely a health and life quality cost to the country. When will it be quantified and non-polluters financially rewarded? It is our business: it uses our tax money and directly affects our electricity bills.
For very many years we have had Ministers of almost every political faith shooting down renewable energy as though they had a personal interest in fossil fuel generation. It suits us all to challenge such statements and to demand quantification and up-to-date transparency. The last 24 months of confusion on the cost of energy should have taught us not to take anything as gospel truth until we get the facts and the figures to hand. None of this is a vast political issue far above our heads but a matter which concerns us directly and which will affect us for a very long time to come.
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