Nuclear is a low-emission, baseload energy source that has an excellent record of reliability. It is also one of the safest energy sources per megawatt-hour historically. If more nuclear plants were in operation in the UK and the EU, these extreme price shocks in fossil fuels might have been mitigated. Moreover, setting nuclear plants up for cogeneration, which would capture the heat from the reaction and deploy it for uses like district heating and desalination, would improve energy efficiency in a circular manner.
Geothermal electricity is another source of reliable baseload energy, but it is also renewable. Geothermal heat pumps can be used anywhere and can reduce the demand for other energy sources of heating and cooling in buildings, as well as in district heating and cooling. There are many places in the UK and the EU where geothermal energy could have been developed.
The energy transition will not be easy. In the long run, the UK and the EU can reduce the chances of price shocks in the future with better planning and investments in nuclear and geothermal , along with the many other sources of clean dispatchable power. The current energy crisis provides an important window into what is to come if we do not adjust our energy transition policies to account for the reality of the energy security situation. The transition towards renewable energies is not the only reason for the current energy crunch, but it is a key contributing factor and, more importantly, one which we can correct before power shortages become commonplace.
If we are truly committed to reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the most important thing we can do is limit the use of coal in power generation. This means building more nuclear power plants instead of closing them down and investing more money and resources in natural gas production and transportation.
It also means planning for easily predictable downtimes for solar and wind by ensuring adequate supplies of natural gas and a stable source of nuclear power. Otherwise, we will increasingly face an unpleasant choice between power outages or the burning of coal and oil. When world leaders and policy makers meet in Scotland at the COP26 summit, they must address the reality that our modern lifestyles require power generation and energy that is reliable and regularly abundant.
Our global energy demands will only grow, so any transition that results in a net loss of power generation will significantly exacerbate situations like the one we currently face. Ellen R. Gas has long been viewed has a key piece of energy security, but this crisis shows the limits to which gas—and coal, which also faces critical shortages—can ensure energy security. In the short term, the supply shock does demonstrate the security value of fossil fuel supplies, and it may drive support for increased gas production.
Energy security relies upon stable fuel supply, so a push to secure or produce more supply seems a natural reaction to the crisis. But in the longer term, the supply crunch in the gas and coal markets highlights the vulnerabilities inherent in fossil fuel supply chains.
Make no mistake: this crisis is because of fossil fuel reliance. In the long term, a power grid less reliant on that market would be less prone to the unprecedented price spikes currently squeezing importers. The crisis may thus discourage developing countries from downstream gas development and reliance on an increasingly volatile fuel market that is prone to disruption. As climate impacts worsen, the risk of supply disruptions and energy crises will rise.
What renewables offer—particularly over the long term as their share of generation increases and as battery capabilities and clean baseload technologies, like advanced nuclear, improve—is greater independence from insecure fuel supply chains.
There will be no winners this winter—except, perhaps, the balance sheets of major oil and gas producers—as energy shortages drive blackouts and strain energy systems around the world. Some will say that the answer to this crisis is to redouble gas production, but blame at the feet of renewable energy and climate action will be misplaced. VOA Newscasts. Previous Next. East Asia. October 04, AM. Jamie Dettmer. More Asia News. Uyghur Recap: November The Day in Photos. November 12, Trial Try full digital access and see why over 1 million readers subscribe to the FT.
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