This months blog is also published in The Lynn News as a monthly column.
https://www.lynnnews.co.uk/lifestyle/view-from-a-shed-written-by-kevin-holland-9229133/
For all the media attention and global focus, it didn’t take long for COP26 to whimper out and for the doors at Glasgow to close before it appeared we were back to business as normal.
There was some good news from COP26 regarding recycling. In particular the recycled announcement regarding deforestation!
Like me, you were probably sitting at home thinking that we’ve heard it all before and the politicians have yet again failed to grasp the issues that need grasping most. The UK, as other major western economies, are still investing in Coal. Still subsidising fossil fuels by more than 10 times that of renewables.
The headline grabbing, flag waving photo calls are over and everyone has gone home and what are we left with? No solutions, no direction and no agreement on the biggest issue of all. And is it any wonder when you learn that over 500 delegates at Glasgow were from the fossil fuel industry and associated lobbyists. More than the total number of delegates from any one Nation!
The planet is already 1.2 degree warmer on average than pre industrialised levels and it won’t stop until we all stop.
Last week, there was another gathering of leaders. This time at the N.E.C. in Birmingham where the Solar and Storage industry got together for their annual trade show. This was a 3 day gathering for every major manufacturer, every major renewable company and thousands of installers.
It’s like an arms fair for the climate war ladies and gentlemen. And having spent 3 days discussing the technologies, seeing the innovation and hearing about collaborative efforts between businesses, all working towards a simple goal, eradicating coal and oil from our lives, whilst saving clients thousands of pounds in energy bills.
The exhibition halls were filled with a global industry, fighting a global cause and rooms were abuzz like I’ve never witnessed in 15 years of attending these events. Something has changed and we could feel it in the room.
What’s changed is the public appetite for a better world, a cleaner world, without the dirty politics that’s associated with fossil fuels that built the old economic structures. It’s the public that are driving the renewable revolution. From shareholders of companies instructing manufacturers to green up the supply chain, to a recently retired couple looking to reduce outgoings as much as they can, especially when fuel bills rise faster than pension increases, buying 30 yrs of energy in advance, at today’s price, seems like a no brainer for many.
The technology that now exists is much more than saving a few quid and reducing your carbon as well.
Last weekend, we had the first named storm of the year. Storm Arwin. A red warning was issued. Solar / Battery owners were able to tell their batteries to charge up from the grid, and stay full until the grid went down. Now thankfully, although we were sitting on 3 days worth of energy for our heating, hot water, lighting, refrigeration and a few essential appliances, it wasn’t needed as our lines stayed intact. But for thousands of others, it didn’t and they were plunged into darkness. Those with smart technology stayed warm, the fridge was fine and they had lighting until the electricity lines were restored.
Renewable energy adds resilience as well as a better, cleaner, cheaper future.
And it’s not just householders that win. Local factories such as Advanced Engineering Ltd in King’s Lynn are the latest major local engineering company who have joined the renewable revolution by adorning their roofs with 370 panels that will cut around 1,500,000 kg co2 over 20 years. Looking at Google Earth and zooming in on the industrial estates of King’s Lynn and seeing the acres and acres of blue roofs, covered with panels, generating clean, green energy shows me that it’s not only the homeowners who are leading the charge, but also the forward thinking, ambitious local businesses with more than one eye on the future.