If you don’t like the answer, stop asking the question. That is what the government has been accused of doing by deleting a question on support for fracking from a quarterly public opinion survey. For four years the survey has shown that more people oppose fracking than support it. Now, just as fracking is about to resume, the government has dropped the question. The latest Public Attitudes Tracker survey on renewable energy and shale gas, published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, is silent on the public’s attitude to fracking. The survey published in April, showed that 32 per cent opposed fracking, 18 per cent supported it, 47 per cent were undecided and 4 per cent did not know. The issue was considered by the public to be one of the most important questions. The department said that the question would still be asked but only once a year, and not again until next year. This means that support for fracking will not be measured by the government as Cuadrilla, which expects to start fracking next month, hydraulically fractures two wells at a site near Blackpool.
Times 17th Aug 2018 read more »
Guardian 16th Aug 2018 read more »
Business Green 16th Aug 2018 read more »
Ineos has been granted planning permission to drill the first shale gas exploration well in Derbyshire despite strong local opposition. The petrochemicals company controlled by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire industrialist, bypassed Derbyshire county council after complaining that it was taking too long to decide and appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. It granted consent yesterday for the proposed well at a site between Sheffield and Chesterfield. Ineos intends to drill to a depth of 2,400 metres to take samples of the shale rocks and assess the volumes of gas trapped within them but has not sought permission for fracking.
Times 17th Aug 2018 read more »
Michael Gove, the environment secretary, is due to confirm plans to ban the sale of the most-polluting fuels for domestic wood burners in an attempt to cut harmful emissions. The sale of traditional house coal will be phased out under proposals set out in the government’s draft clean air strategy in May, which are expected to be confirmed by Gove’s department on Friday. Restrictions are also expected to be placed on the sale of wet wood, particularly in urban areas. Burning wood before it has been properly dried releases more of the damaging particulates that contribute to air pollution.
Guardian 16th Aug 2018 read more »
Dave Elliott: Most oil companies see global energy needs increasing, which is good news for them and other fossil energy producers. For example, ExxonMobil says energy demand will rise about 25% by 2040, led by non-OECD nations. And that global electricity demand will rise by 60% between 2016 and 2040, led by a near doubling of demand in non-OECD countries. BP looks to similar rates of growth, projecting that global energy demand will grow at around 1.3% a year up to 2040. However, these oil companies also see electricity from solar and wind increasing – ExxonMobil says by about 400% by 2040. BP’s 2018 “2040 outlook” says “the pace at which renewables gain share in power generation over the Outlook is faster than any other energy source over a similar period. The closest parallel is the rapid build-up of nuclear power in the 1970s and 1980s”, with solar expected to be over 150% higher in 2035 than BP forecast in its 2015 Energy Outlook. But BP and ExxonMobil both also see gas use expanding rapidly, with ExxonMobil suggesting that about half its growth will be for electricity generation. And for oil, there is also good news for the companies: as ExxonMobil notes, although oil use for light-vehicles may peak by 2030, “oil will continue to play a leading role in the world’s energy mix, with growing demand driven by commercial transport and the chemical industry”, which uses oil as a key feedstock. BP sees it similarly – cars are still all the rage and electric vehicles (EVs) won’t have a big impact on oil; oil use will not peak until the 2030s, though BP notes that petro-chemical applications may be constrained a little, given the revolt against plastics. So fossil fuels may be with us for some time it seems, with some serious carbon emissions implications. Even Bloomberg New Energy Finance, which has wind and solar supplying 50% of global power by 2050, still has coal at 11%. In my next post I will look at the carbon implications of alternative possible lines of development, and in future posts, at what role carbon capture might play in reducing the impact of using fossil fuel.
Physics World 15th Aug 2018 read more »
