Climate Change Dilemmas

There are always two sides to each argument, and two groups of highly motivated individuals with directly opposing agendas to every debate.

No other issue in the current debate on Environmental matters than climate change are proving to be so controversial.

The dilemma posed by the need to reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide , proven green house effect producing by product created during energy conversion processes, is that infrastructure needed to produce viable sustaining heat and power, has to be constructed somewhere.

None so as a local issue currently under the microscope, the proposed Coedbach Biomass Heat and Power plant to be sited on the brown field site of the former coal washing plant in Kidwelly.

The issue under scrutiny by the Planning Inspectorate, will be debated and considered in November.

The site is designated for industrial development by Carmarthenshire County Council and the proposed Combined Heat and Power Station fully complies with this stated aim.

The power station meets all of the Environmental Issues which accompanies any development of this type of Industrial development in line with all UK and European directives , namely visual impact, pollution, emissions control and sound pollution.

From the planning application on-line in Carmarthenshire County Council’s web site contains site plans to show how visual impact will be restricted, by building behind an embankment, and screening by planting of mature evergreen trees. This screening and bund containment will limit noise emissions as well as reducing visual impact lowering the visibility of the unit. The building design is such that the appearance of the unit is similar to any industrial unit aesthetically visual and gives no appearance of containing a heat and power plant. Essentially the majority of the unit is a single story building with some 2 story building

The station will have its own wood chip production as part of the unit and the storage facilities for pre produced biomass pellets.

Storage facility for pellets confirms shipping of prepared pellets to site rather than log transportation.

The power output will be purchased by a National Power company fed directly to the grid and hot water by product will be available for local consumption using underground insulated pumped pipe distribution network.

Hot water pumped from site will enable district heating of residential, and social service establishments, as well as local business organisations.

The use of pre- pelletized biomass by the unit suggests there is scope for local biomass growers contributing to Carmarthenshire’s local rural economy and local grown timber suppliers should have the possibility to supply log mass for chipping.

In essence the application is well documented in terms of risk and up to date environmental assessments in terms of emissions and noise pollution control and should pose no risk to the local environment.

Precedence for building of such units is well established in many parts of the UK and will contribute to Wales‘ stated policies nationally and locally to supply environmental and sustainable energy production reducing reliance on higher CO2 emission carbon based fossil fuels of limited supply base, much of which is imported from politically unstable sources.

The current debate on the growth of biomass, including grain crops for conversion to fuels for heat, and energy production, as electricity and motive power, is producing vociferous dialogue worldwide.

The debate centres on the one hand, to grow crops to convert to fuels, or for food for a growing world population.

The answers to the debate are, that both can be accommodated. In South America, crops for food and for energy production can be grown on land which is more suited to one, or the other.

South America is an exporter of biomass for energy conversion in the UK, as well as feed stock for human consumption locally. Grain crop is widely used in Brazil for conversion into automotive fuels.

The economic viability of transporting biomass long distances has recently been proven, as well as minimisation of so called carbon footprint.

In many parts of the UK, where land is not viable for food crops, either animal or vegetable, green biomass can be grown for energy conversion.

Food production on marginal agricultural land in many parts of upland United Kingdom is not economical, but can accommodate green biomass energy product, with a lower carbon footprint, rather than the use of agrochemicals that come with a higher carbon footprint, needing high energy input.

As a nation, which has a high energy demand for manufactured items for home consumption and export, as well as home energy needs, we will in the very near future, have many difficult decisions to make nationally, and locally, to safeguard a sustainable future. Compromises will need to sought, there can be no winners, only losers in the long term, if we delay decision making.

Reasoned debate not confrontational argument, will be needed, there will be no room for self centred idealism.

The alternative to the above is to use less, rather than try to generate more, lower carbon dioxide output, energy.

Individuals can lower their energy requirement’s by the greater use of home insulation methods, use transportation which uses less energy per head of population, procure local product rather than that having a high carbon footprint, procure less by reducing waste. Millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide by product will be eliminated by relatively simple solutions.

Energy efficient transportation solutions, are being sought by vehicle manufacturers using lower weight component design, greater fuel efficient choices of motive power are being designed.

Transportation by air, long thought not to carbon friendly is, now high on the political agenda for seeking a more sustainable future using lower weight component manufacture.

The new Boeing Dream Liner has a lower carbon dioxide output per passenger mile flown using more fuel efficient engines and having a lower aircraft weight.

As a country, small in relation to other Western Industrialised nations, with a higher population density, and lower acreages for industrial output, food production, and population living space, we do not have large areas of land only suitable for gigantic solar energy farms as are available in arid regions for instance in southern Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and North America. We have not the large alpine regions of Central Europe or large unpopulated river basins capable of Hydro electrical energy.

We will therefore always be restricted to wind, and wave power, which in most instances can only be constructed in remote areas. These areas are considered by some to be areas of outstanding natural beauty, unsuitable for such constructions, and vigorously contest their being there.

Hence the dilemmas.

Robin Burn

16^th August 2010