It actually got on the national news last night the debate about whether there is sufficient generation capacity to supply the UK in the next few years (this decade, not some far away thing the media generally doesn't choose to contemplate). I couldn't help but sense a sub agenda........
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19844109
There is nothing new here that has not been known for years. The power stations are getting old and we have climate targets to meet and investment is required NOW to address this. We also know that in the past decades international tension to basically protect fossil fuels has cost billions. Allegedly the US spend almost $20 million per hour on war. We are told climate change is costing global GDP 1.6% (over $1 trillion per year now) and with peak oil and we are assured accepted climate models all this is surely only going to get worse.
In the economist only this morning we read of global economic problems that could push us back into recession and the need for clear and strong govt led policy to give us ''plebs'' (I don't know what one is, sorry if it's mega rude) on the ground the courage and environment in which to move forwards. See another blog entry in a moment from the economist.
So if we need policy to move investment and we need investment to sort out the energy problems and we need to sort the energy problems because of climate change and peak oil problems and the real inability just to keep fighting over fossil fuel - Then why oh why does the govt, our govt not simply agree that we have a problem, join these dots together and get on and promote the investment needed to get us a greener, cleaner, less fossil fuel reliant and import trapped, lights on society.
Dashing to gas, which strikes me as the sub agenda really is only a small small part of the equation. Reneawables tick all the boxes and at just shy of 10% of UK generation already the potential really is huge.
Report from - IAE http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/ieajournal/iea-journal-issue-3/name,31971,en.html
and here - http://caplors-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/climate-change-committee-says-dash-for.html
The ofgem summary is well worth a look if the full 80 plus pages is a bit daunting
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/WhlMkts/monitoring-energy-security/elec-capacity-assessment/Documents1/Electricity%20Capacity%20Assessment%202012.pdf