"Britain's most respected green energy boss.”

Live interview: Saturday 19 November 2011, 14:15 H

Wonderful to be here in Kerala.
 

#1So how much trouble are we in? Is there any solution???

Sanjoy
09:51

 

Big trouble, no denying it. A massive global mobilisation of clean energy would solve a lot of the problems, or at least soften the landings with climate change and oil depletion, but we are a long way from forming the consensus needed to do that.

#2What does Fukushima mean for the renewables industries? And what’s the impact of the global recession? Will the BRIC countries now lead on greenpower?

Sanjoy
09:54

 

Fukushima ought to be speeding the mobilisation of renewables, but actually the organised lobbying pushback from the nuclear and gas industries around the world is overall holding us back, notwithstanding the disaster in Japan. What happens in the countries that have opted to accelerate nuclear phase outs – Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, perahps Japan itself – will be very important in deciding this issue.

#3Why is there so little solar energy harvested in India?

Manu
09:56

 

I don’t know enough about Indian politics and business to know. But when I was last in Delhi, on a UK trade mission, I did meet a good few Indian business leaders who thought it is imperative for India to play catch-up with China on solar. They are correct in that view, I think.

#4What % of the total supply could be generated by solar by the time of peak oil?

Pravinder
09:58

 

The UK Industry Taskforce on Peak OIl and Energy Security thinks peak oil will hit us by 2015 at the latest, so by then we can only be a slightly less tiny fraction of global energy than we are at the moment. We and the other renewables industries have been held back by vested interests for too long, in all the years of the great fossil-fuel addiction.

#5and which governments are best at investing in solar energy?

Pravinder
09:59

 

Germany, China, and er……..

#6Is it true that 0.3% of Saharan sunshine could power Europe?

Manu B
10:01

 

It is a tiny percentage like that. Even more impressive is the calculation that in a cloudy country like the UK, putting solar PV on all available roofs and facades would generate more electricity than the country currently consumes. PV “does what it says on the tin”, as some of our clients in the construction industry call it.

#7What does the UK Governments cancellation of tariff incentives mean for your business?

Damian Bird
10:04

 

We are still assessing damage. Solarcentury’s business model protects us better than pure installers, because we both install and design/manufacture own products, meaning a lot of our business is box-shifting to others. Also, we have a good business in Italy. So hopefully we’ll be simply able to freeze hiring and cut costs other than heads. We have never had a compulsory redundancy in 12 years of operation in the UK, a record that is a rare as hens teeth, and one that we are fiercely proud of.

#8Might you, in fact, be strengthened by real free market competition?

Damian Bird
10:06

 

Its not a free market when nuclear and fossil fuels get hundreds of billions in subsidies and renewables get a fraction of that, and then have the goalposts moved on the the subsidies they do have – as with the UK feed-in tariff accelerated cut – in a way designed ….actually designed…. to maim.

#9Last one — have the oil companies invested in solar?

Damian Bird
10:09

 

Yes, very half heartedly. The exception might by Total’s acquisition of a majority stake in Sunpower. Lets see how that one goes. Interestingly, and perhaps encouragingly, Total is the only oil major to have sided with those of us concerned about peak oil. For more detail on that and other assertions in my answers please use the tabs and word-search in my website log, www.jeremyleggett.net.

#10What % of UK energy do you think PV will be contributing in 5 years.
and do you think india can use PV to allow for low carbon growth , or is it too expensive?

Tom Landell Mills
10:13

 

A few percent only, even if we are lucky. We are starting from so far behind. Mobilising fast is still essential though, because the big prize is a stand-alone market in electricity cheaper than gas, coal, oil and nuclear, in your own homeland, with an endless free fuel supply. That point of “grid parity” is only a few years off in the UK. India has much better prospects than the UK: higher insolation, more space, and the ability now, today, to generate solar electricity in much of the country cheaper and quicker than you could extend the grid and built more central power plants.

Thanks for all you questions. Any more, I’m on jeremy.leggett@solarcentury.com and JeremyLeggett on Twitter.