I MUST admit that I was disappointed with the reaction generated by my
recent letter (August 28), where I warned that global reserves of coal
could run out as early as 2040. That is the good news – but the bad news is
that the world will have next to no electricity either.

Nearly 94 per cent of all electricity worldwide is produced by thermal
power stations. The vast majority of these raise steam by burning coal and
360,000 billion tonnes of it will go up in smoke by 2040. The other main
heat source for raising steam is nuclear fission but this method has had
its day and is in decline, and nuclear fusion has always been 40 years away
since I was a boy.

It is a pity that De Charles Wardrop (Letters, September 1) seems to have
“skim read” my letter and missed the point – there will be no coal left
anywhere on planet Earth in less than a generation or two, so pointing the
finger of blame is not really helpful.

Neanderthal thinking that we have to burn stuff to generate heat to raise
steam is putting us, and future generations, in peril of having no
electricity at all. The key to a sustainable future is to raise “green
steam’” from our plethora of intermittent renewables by harnessing their
frictional heat, storing it as heat and converting this new heat source
into electricity in our existing thermal power stations.

Without a constant supply of thermal electricity induced on to the windings
of wind, wave and tidal turbines the wind can blow, the waves can “wave”
and the tides can ebb and flow all they like and not one unit of
electricity will be produced. The sooner we start producing secure cheap
green electricity by friction 24-7 the better it will be for us all.

My advice to those who are contemplating buying an electric car is don’t –
because there will be no electricity available, or it will be too expensive
to buy, to charge the battery pack within a few short years from now.

Andrew H Mackay,
Causewayside, Glenaldie, Tain.


SAS Volunteer

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