My email of 11th December 2021.
Subject: Heat in buildings – National Public Energy Agency: consultation – call for evidence 2021/2022
TO:
National Public Energy Agency, Scottish Government,
Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee of the Scottish Parliament
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport
BCC: Energy contacts email list
Hi,
Further to my email of 1 December to you all, to which I have as yet received no acknowledgement or reply.
Heat in buildings – National Public Energy Agency: consultation – call for evidence 2021/2022
Here is my evidence in response to the Scottish Government’s call for evidence.
Appoint me as the first Director of the Scottish National Public Energy Agency.
This consultation says “decarbonisation” because it’s been badly advised by the UK CCC – “Committee of Climate Chancers” (I call them, their official title is “Climate Change Committee”).
Biofuels and other net zero fuels (synthetic hydrocarbons, alcohols and ethers, for example – made from green hydrogen from electrolysis and captured biogenic carbon dioxide, from fermentation, biomass-burning flues etc) have carbon, they are not “decarbonised”, but that’s OK because they are net zero.
This consultation, misled by the Committee of Climate Chancers, wants “heat decarbonisation” but biomethane and renewable synthetic methane are carbon-containing net zero gases that can be supplied with NO changes to boilers.
See my blog post
ScotGov’s Stark-mad, Skea-keech plan to ban gas boilers
We get to net zero heating by supplying net zero gas and net zero electricity.
There’s no requirement to do anything on energy efficiency, insulation, massive refits of buildings, banning boilers etc.
Options exist for people to fit heat pumps etc. if they want but we get to net zero heating regardless.
This consultation is not “just asking”.
This consultation is doing a lot of telling – “decarbonisation” because that’s what has been told to them by the UK CCC.
I need to be in charge so that I can slaughter all their sacred cows and start from square one, following the science.
The hydrogen devil is in the details.
Best case- green hydrogen from electrolysis, for energy storage, transport, making net zero fuels.
Worst case- blue hydrogen and suffocating people to death with carbon dioxide leaked from Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
The only way to sum this up “in a tweet” is to say that the people in charge are clueless and badly advised, ignoring my good advice in my renewable energy science blog.
Unless I am in charge, what I know doesn’t alter the Scottish Government’s mistakes albeit mistakes drummed into ScotGov by the UK’s CCC.
UPDATE – 18th January 2022
BRAEMAR FIREPLACES🔥
I am writing to offer my scientific support for the protest of Braemar residents against the intention of Aberdeenshire Council to order the fireplaces in their homes to be ripped out or blocked up, without the residents’ permission.
Firstly, the arrogance of the council bureaucracy and the one-size-fits-all Scottish Government policies which seem to seek to overrule the wishes of the residents are both disrespectful and unacceptable. For that reason alone, a pause for reflection and negotiation is necessary.
Secondly, the days of power cuts suffered by Braemar and other areas in Aberdeenshire and elsewhere following the recent Storm Arwen have proved that the electricity supply in Braemar and elsewhere is not sufficiently resilient to expect residents to depend on electrical mains heating alone.
Thirdly, some way to heat houses during extended power cuts is required and fireplaces have served many well for many years in that regard. So it is a retrograde step and a perverse kind of “upgrade” to remove the fireplaces and threaten to leave residents freezing cold during power cuts.
UPGRADE
An “upgrade” which was worthy of the name, would either leave the fireplaces as is while upgrading the electrical heating or would provide some alternative form of heating to use during a power cut.
If not a Braemar fireplace then –
- a gas fire and / or gas or oil-fired central heating (with a boiler which is coupled to an uninterruptible power supply [UPS] so that the boiler will operate with or without an electrical mains supply).
- diesel or gas 20kW stand-by generator to provide electrical power for the house during a mains power cut. A 20kW generator for each home will cost the council £ thousands each – here is one for £5,800 – another for £7,558+VAT.
And that’s just the price to buy the generator – installing it is extra and the generators need to be installed permanently with an automatic transfer switch so that the generator powers up immediately there is a mains power cut and shuts off again when mains power is restored.
The stand-by power for electric heating may need 10kW minimum to warm a small, well insulated house and the generator needs to be able to supply another 10kW to power a shower or other appliances. So 20KW is the minimum power of the generator that I think each house needs. More power is better but considering it is only used rarely, then you don’t want to spend too much on a more powerful generator than you can manage emergencies with.If the council is not prepared to stump up the cost of installing 20kW generators then they should let people keep their fireplaces.
By the way, it is not the case that gas or oil heating or diesel generators “cannot” be net zero – they can indeed become net zero if and when the fuels burned are net zero – biomethane and biodiesel (or synthetic versions made using renewable energy) for example.
Likewise, fireplaces become net zero when they burn net zero solid fuels such as wood or charcoal. The main environmental problem with fireplaces arises in urban and suburban areas where fireplaces cause air pollution – a risk that may be acceptable in rural areas like Braemar or may indeed be briefly tolerable in urban areas during a power cut.
The governments and councils must find a way to net zero which does not risk residents being unable to heat their homes. I and my renewable energy science blog can advise how that can be done.
How to draught-proof your chimney – Chimney Draught Excluders
Carbon is an essential element of life. We are all made of carbon. Don’t use the word “decarbonise”; it makes you sound like a Dalek.
Scottish Scientist 
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