Recent events have highlighted the consequences of inadequate attention to infrastructure funding. Current funding strategies focus on fuel taxes, transfers from general funds, user fees, toll roads, congestion pricing, and using technology to enhance the fee structure of the current system. This article examines another alternative, a property tax focused on the value of […]
Read MoreTrams, energy saving, private cars, trolley buses, diesel buses
Dear Claverton, If was a matter of belief, then this debate would be theological. If should however be a matter of engineering and science. If we consider the energy issue as a supply side question, then no one would be promoting trams (or buses etc) because bicycles are an order of magnitude more energy efficient […]
Read MoreHow CERN is encouraged to not do atom or quark smashing, during periods of high demand and low power station availablity, by means of the EJP tarrif
CERN This page is extracted from the official CERN newsletters, shows that even CERN obeys the economic imperatives of the French EJP tariff, designed to force customers to use less power during high demand periods / unavailability of nuclear reactors – lin other words they turn the giant quark smasher off during the unavailablity of […]
Read More"trams as the preferred solution for public transport in urban areas"
How very sensible of you to recommend trams as the preferred solution for public transport in urban areas. I attach a note on the potential for integrating waste recycling with ultra light trams. If really good tram networks are installed (and the cost of installing lightweight rail has now been brought below £2 million per route kilometre double track) then, together with pedestrianisation, cycling and rickshaws, urban mobility can be brought to a very high level before having to bring in a few electric taxis.
Unfortunately I cannot get any of the relevant Departments in Government even to discuss these proposals, although Jonathon Porritt has now volunteered to take up the issue. I attach a copy of a letter to Hoon which still awaits a reply. The programme I am suggesting could easily be funded from a progressive transfer of money from the so-called Bus Service Operators Grant which spends some £400 million a year in subsidy to reduce the cost of fuel for diesel buses! The waste needs to be recycled urgently to prevent methane emissions to the atmosphere and to take some of the strain off landfill.
Read MoreTrading Green is moving forward and have started introducing to South-East Asia (Thailand and Philippines ) an innovative wastewater bio-treatment process.
Dear Claverton, Trading Green is moving forward and this might be a good time to ask for your assistance! As you will see by the attached, the main product we have started introducing to South-East Asia (Thailand and Philippines for the moment) is an innovative wastewater bio-treatment. Its superior performance and quick action can really […]
Read MoreA reader writes – the history of energy resources and the economy
Dear Hugh Thanks for this. My own view is that relatively low oil prices, which set the bench mark for all other primary energy sources, was the reason why the world economy was able to expand so fast. Energy prices work their way through to all other prices including salaries. and these then work back […]
Read MoreAre nuclear energy and wind energy fundamentally incompatible in large penetrations due to the intermittency of one and the inflexibility of the other?
Dear P I made a mistake,….. it was EDF and E.ON who made the submission. Not E.ON and National Power (who are now owned by RWE). Effectively they are saying exactly what was pointed out in the “Briefing Note” that was published in the Inst of Civils Energy Journal two years ago. I attach a […]
Read MoreRenewable Community Energy request for european contacts
Subject: Renewable Community Energy – request from George Hay in the US. Claverton: Are there any European “leaders” in community energy/sustainable energy concepts in England/Europe you could put me in contact with? I’m seeing in CA: the RESCO project by Gerry Braun, methodology for municipalities to plan for distributed resouces, attract critical mass of investment […]
Read MoreEnergy is everything – what is really behind the financial crisis – something which eludes bankers and economists
Great article on the present complete inability of economists and politicians to see what is actually going on: See full thing at: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=8817&page=1 It is fascinating to watch the behaviour of our political and business leaders as they attempt to cope with the world’s deepening financial crisis. It is becoming clear that they don’t […]
Read MoreWhat is the correct number to represent amount of nuclear energy produced worldwide? Discussion on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Nuclear_power My numbers are not wrong, the IEA (and EIA) numbers are wrong, because they multiply them by 3. and they say so. Any property of apples and oranges can be compared, such as color, mass, size, shape, and oh yes calorie content, or energy. As much as 90% of the total energy we […]
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