RHI and a stable energy supply

Doing the heat surveys was a great way to meet people and hear their thoughts on a range of subjects. When these thoughts turned to woodfuel heating systems, it was interesting to note a recurrence of various themes around the topic. One such theme for example was the local provision of basic hardwood firewood and that  people would like to buy it from GWI.
Another was the proposed Renewable Heat Incentive or RHI.  This acronym dominated conversations being, as it is, concerned with a government proposition that seems to offer real benefits to people, and that will genuinely support a real renewable technology in peoples homes. Speaking for myself such green and beneficial proposals from the Government are about as common as the dog digging up a diamond and it was understandable if some residents were hearing me describe such a thing as "Money for burning wood" and smiling politely, while thinking to themselves " He's quite big for someone born yesterday".  I am still a bit sceptical myself , it just seems too good........ and after all, what kind of a fool believes the government or politicians.
So I thought I would dedicate today's blog to the RHI,  some notes from the meeting I attended on the subject in Perth the other day and having a secure energy supply.

 How the meeting may have looked in Victorian times.

The meeting began with an explanation of the rationale behind the RHI which basically revolves around emission reduction targets  and increased use of renewable's between now and 2020. Scotland's 2020 target for renewables use is that 50% of electricity, 11% of heat (currently 1.4%) and 10 % of transportation needs be met from renewables. 24% of all energy currently used is in home heating (UK) rising to 50% in Scotland (don't quote that by the way, my notes are confusing, but I think this is what I meant).
Another very worthwhile, perhaps very ambitious, aim of the Scottish Govt is that no one in Scotland be living in fuel poverty by 2016.

The RHI is the first scheme like this in the world and will be funded by a direct levy on fossil fuels.It really does appear to be a good thing and its hard to see how it can fail to encourage increased use of woodfuel, not only in domestic, but business markets as well. Imagine for example; a hospital's fuel needs. Heating all that water must use a lot of fuel and be pretty expensive. Changing to a woodfired system would heat the same water and work the same way. Under RHI it would pay for itself and then probably produce an income stream. Fuel costs would be relatively stable, being unreliant on a global supply chain compared to oil.  

            How the meeting may have looked in Roman times
There are numerous benefits to the UK from a wider use of our biomass resources and less reliance on imported fuels. As one speaker put it "We need a much wider mix of fuels in the UK to avoid fluctuations in markets". With the price of oil about to rise steeply again due to various factors (mostly related to profiteering  politics and greed) I could not agree more.
Before the election became news, we were whizzing battleships to the Falklands to defend a potential oil supply there.  Following some potential "Argy Bargy" (sorry) and the expense of drilling and extracting what oil might be there, we would then ship it an incredible 7000 miles (11265 km), so that some of it could then burn inefficiently to heat our homes.

It must be an intellectually challenging job advising the Govt on future energy strategy " Yes Minister we will go almost halfway around the world to get this oil and bring it back, 14,000 mile round trip minister? Very good for the shipping industry minister".

H

    How the meeting may have looked in Neolithic times   (I'm on the left of the picture)
The underlying note to this ridiculous idea is that a future supply of oil and gas supplies is increasingly difficult to guarantee and finance, and having ones own source (whatever the environmental cost), makes one immune to this Using  local wood to heat homes in Glenlyon would involve a maximum mileage for the wood of 10 miles. Using  wood to heat hospitals and businesses would hardly clock up the miles either.
Result - decreased need for oil for heating and import/ transport. A sustainable, renewable fuel being used, more tree planting to maintain supply, thriving forest industry etc.
   
Incidentally, on a history repeating itself note, a few hundred years ago whalers from the UK did regularly make that journey. They did so in search of the whale oil that lubricated and lit industry. They would often be away for years and would drop the distilled oil off around the Falklands for dispatch to the UK. They travelled with what we now call wind power. Working on these boats was a very good way to have a very bad time..