Global Warming & Energy Generation

This week, some serious decisions have been taken up by the leaders of the European Union in respect of limiting the emission of carbon dioxide and the pollution of the atmosphere to ease or slow the earth warning. This to me is a good sign and good news and yet there is still so much to be done.

During this summit of the Top leaders of the EU, an agreement has been reached. The Nordic countries; i.e. Denmark, Finland who were for the limiting the generation of power by nuclear plant and its exclusion from the renewable & ecological energy debate have now accepted to comprise albeit with some limitations.

Why? There could well be the self interest of each country, which is pushing the technologies where they are well ahead. We can understand the financial gains that could be reaped for the investment made in the different technologies made. France, well advanced in nuclear generation pushed and argued that the nuclear generation had to be included because of the technological break through of today such as:

Thorium generators,

Reduction of radio active waste to a very low controllable quantity

And the risk of accidents as we had in the past at Chernobyl almost reduced to nil if properly controlled.

Conservation and gained in efficiency has been the route favored by the Nordic countries. They have developed an array of technologies to make better use of the energy produced. Other countries like Germany have focus on the development of technologies based on photo voltaic cells. The sun is blessing us with more than enough energy which we need; we have only up to now fail to tap as much as we suffice.

You will recall that I had a meeting with my brother who was involved in the Canadian nuclear power plant industry, and who is much better informed than me. He is confident that with the progress that will be made, Mauritius could be powered with a nuclear plant for the generation of electricity.

For us in Mauritius:

1. What are we doing to gain more from the energy we are now producing? Where are our conservation and efficiency gained programs? In Switzerland for example, they have introduced a tax on Incandescent lamps which is used to subsidize more efficient and more expensive lamps for lighting. Old technology lamps sells cheaper than new technology lamps because of economy of scale production and the fiscal depreciation applied. Thus the state has to initiate ways to reverse the trend for the sake of energy conservation.

2. What are we doing to tap and use the free energy provided to us by our blessed Sun? Just like it is often compulsory by law the include parking area in new high rise buildings some states in the US, specially the “Sun belt” states, it is now compulsory to build in solar and geothermal generators in the building.

3. Are we looking towards new sources or new technologies at a lower cost to satisfy our hungry industrial and domestic needs?