This will make you smile somewhat

From the ever informative Anorak site - a link to a cut down version of a TV advert for the USA's first offshore wind farm. Yep, though it may be difficult to believe, that does say first!!

And Senator Kennedy is trying to stop it - something about obscuring his view!

Worth the thirty seconds or so it takes to watch.

Old King Coal's comeback?

Is ol' Golden Brown's first major decision going to revive Old King Coal? A decision that could "lock Britain into the same centralised, inefficient power system that wastes two-thirds of the energy going into it as heat up the cooling towers." Not to mention a decision that would mean that the UK would entirely miss it's emission targets by a mile.

I somehow missed the original article in Sunday's Observer, but this from The Guardian CIF is a fascinating, albeit sobering, read. Should the UK break with tradition and radically transform energy production or should we re-awaken and revive Old King Coal?

"Gordon Brown has been handed a historic opportunity to break from Blair's confused and fragmented approach to energy generation. He could revolutionise our energy system by implementing renewables, energy efficiency and combined-heat-and-power (CHP) on an unprecedented scale."

So which way will he go? I hope it is not the case, but my guess is that short termism and what is perceived as the 'cheap' option will win the day yet again, almost certainly to the detriment of future generations.

If we start building new coal fired power stations, especially without utilising clean burn and carbon sequestration technologies, the UK will be taking an enormous retrograde step. Milliband would never have concurred with this - I'm beginning to wonder whether he was he moved (we all thought he was promoted but maybe it was just sideways?) to pave the way for an unpalatable decision?

I hope not. And as the first comment posted says - "fingers crossed"!

Addendum:

If Ol' Golden DOES opt for the radical approach and includes for a major expansion of renewables, I hope he's aware that some renewable technology is getting quite difficult to get hold of! According to this from The Guardian, there is now a worldwide shortage of wind turbines.

Doing the rounds.

Up on the roof...Cameron's wind turbine arrives

I do wonder what the enviROI - the return on investment to the planet in terms of carbon saved, and the bit that really matters to those serious about making our kids' futures better - was of designing, making, delivering and erecting this edifice?

Is it possible that it actually has been worse (I only ask... I don't know. But if the lifespan is in excess of the payback period, what then)?

If so, then it truly is a fitting testimony to the fact that we live in an era of spin over substance.