Let fossil fuel pay for us to reach Net Zero
THE Government insist that the British people will not accept
the additional cost burden required to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and achieve Net Zero. But why would households need to pay more when you consider that removing the tax breaks and subsidies provided to fossil fuel companies could fund much of the change we need?
The government could change the rules around planning applications for onshore wind turbines so they aren’t disadvantaged compared to any other infrastructure project. That would reduce electricity prices for households.
Now that clean energy dominates our electricity supply, it no longer makes sense to peg electricity wholesale prices to the price of gas.
A restructuring of the pricing algorithm would reduce our bills by reducing the price of electricity relative to gas. In turn, that would encourage greater adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles which would reduce emissions.
New houses could be built to be far more energy efficient and designed for a warming climate. Proper insulation, heat pumps and solar panels could be included with minimal impact on the purchase price and would give ongoing savings and comfort to the home owners. The government can choose to make this happen.
New estates could be built with ground-source district heating, which is even better value than individual heat pumps. Hot water in disused mine shafts could be used to deliver heat to homes and industry. This is already happening in Gateshead but could be exploited much more widely.
Surplus electricity that we get when the wind is blowing strongly need not be wasted, and could instead be used to make green hydrogen for fertilisers, currently made from natural gas.
There are so many options where reducing emissions and reducing costs go hand in hand. If the Government were capable of planning strategically and not in thrall to vested interests in the oil, gas and property sectors, we could all be saving money and reducing GHG emissions. CATRIONA LAWRIE