Ineffable mediocrity and the blindingly obvious
August 1st 2009 Jonathon Porritt spoke at this summer’s Energy in Transition conference. His observations on the Government’s inability to address energy efficiency are a damning indictment from one who has worked so closely with Government for the last ten years.Tim McManan-Smith reports
For every megawatt saved by the end user three megawatts do not have to be produced.That is the potency of energy efficiency. Is it difficult to achieve? Obama’s new energy advisor Steven Chu has said that “energy efficiency isn’t just low hanging fruit; it’s fruit laying on the ground”.
Recent Ashden Award winner Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council has enacted a series of measures such as insulating all homes in the area. Jonathon Porritt said at the Energy in Transition event that while it was commendable what they had done it “fits into the blindingly bloody obvious category”.
That is not to belittle Kirklees achievement, however, what has been achieved is nothing but common sense.As Jonathon Porritt commented,“The surprise is that this is the exception”.Why is this type of thing such a rareity that it wins top environmental awards? Why if, as Steven Chu says, it is so easy to obtain, do we fail to implement actions that would save costs, the environment and ease security of supply worries?
Malcolm Wicks, the PM’s special representative on international energy issues said at another talk at the Energy in Transition conference that “intellectually, scientifically and politically we are in a good position, we just need to do it”. But that ‘just’ is the problem and although Malcolm Wicks knows this, how is situation going to change? Porritt finds it mystifying quite why the UK performs so badly.“I heard Steven Chu talk eloquently about energy efficiency rather than concentrating on geo-political issues. In 35 years I can’t remember a single minister in Government speak with passion and knowledge of the subject.Yet this is the foundation stone of any energy policy. So my first of four failures is a failure to enthuse.
“The Government has also obstructed energy efficiency within its own power structure by splitting supply and demand side management.There was a turf war between the DTI (supply-side) and DEFRA and the DTI won.“This structure pretty much did for energy efficiency in Government”. Porritt also says that the Government has failed to understand markets. “Asking energy supply companies to be the prime supplier of energy efficiency is nonsense.We have been conducting an experiment in the impossible.”They are bound by shareholders to perform (by selling more energy).“The energy efficiency commitments put upon suppliers is an obligation to set aside market realism.A CEO at an energy company will tell you that there is no contradiction between selling more and more of the stuff and being good at selling less and less of the stuff!”Porritt says that energy services companies (ESCOs) are a sorry postscript to the real business of supplying energy.This contradiction is Porritt’s second failure.
The third failure is the inability of the Government to understand the role of prices.“It wants low energy prices but high carbon prices yet our energy is carbon based. Look at the petrol crisis, the Government hasn’t the courage to use prices to change behaviour.”VAT is lower on new build yet the demand is more for retrofit – “It’s just not good politics.”
Porritt also argues that there needs to be a floor price for Carbon. Vincent de Rivaz, EDF Energy’s CEO, argues this as it would provide clear signals to the market for new nuclear build.“I am not keen on nuclear power,” says Porritt “but we can’t be irrational about these things. If nuclear is low carbon then the carbon prices will allow this as well as green generation.The case for nuclear will not be made on the price of carbon.’
“We are also failing to get to grips with the dynamics of behavioural change.Without it we cannot get good at energy efficiency.We need a lot more attention to what goes on between the ears and not just engineering solutions,” comments Porritt.This is his fourth failure to address energy efficiency.
Getting to grips with energy has more implications than the lights going out.“People have short memories. It was only last year that there were food riots in 27 countries due to the knock-on effect of high oil prices (when they were at $147 a barrel)”.This was due to increased costs for fertilisers, food transport, and industrial agriculture. Energy has repercussions across the globe and in unexpected areas.
Porritt said “is it uncharitable to say better late than never” for Government action in general.What we have achieved in 13 years “could have been done 10 years ago”. As a matter of putting the Government’s commitment into context he cites the percentage of the recovery that will be spent on green measures.
The UK is 7%, China 40% and South Korea 82%. We are “stuck in our own ineffable mediocrity”.That says it all from someone who has worked with the Government closely over a number of years. Sir Jonathon was appointed chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission by Tony Blair’s government in 2000 and left the post in June this year. More articles from WEE News Desk: | 
