We think we can say, without being contradicted, that the varied energy plans leading to some hopeful Net Zero future have not, not exactly, turned out as most would wish. As, perhaps more controversially, we’ve been saying for many years now the heart of the problem is people trying to plan things. Exactly as the Stern Review said not to of course.
But within those plans has been a further grand mistake. There has been a lot of “We’ll not do this” and “We’ll ban that”, Fracking, coal, the bumbling over nuclear has been akin to a ban and so on. When the concentration should have been on making the mooted replacements so wondrously cheap that everyone switched to them by choice.
Or, as we’ve been known to say, create that better alternative and watch in wonder as people use it. Rather than banning the extant thing that works and hope that she’ll be right.
As we can see right now, she’ll not be right that way. We’ve banned extracting the domestic gas we have even while we have an electricity system - because of unreliables and no, more solar, more windmills, does not solve this problem - that depends upon gas. We’ve bumbled to closing most of the nuclear fleet without replacing it. We’ve banned the use of the coal the island floats upon. And it’s really, really, not working out right.
Which is something to worry about really. We are where we are of course but the fools have more of this in store for us. Take, just as one, the example of the ban on petrol and diesel cars in 2030. This is again to make the mistake - to ban the old and workable instead of developing the new and better and gazing in wonder at the voluntary switch. Given the time HS2 - which is itself a boondoggle but…. - is taking to swing into action we’re not going to have a go everywherre and everywhen public transport system by then. It’s already impossible to build anything in West London given the electricity grid constraints. The electric vehicle revolution just isn’t going to be ready by then. But we’re still to ban that old and workable without having either the efficient replacement nor the ability to use the inefficient one effectively.
This is not - as that Stern Review, Bill Nordhaus’ Nobel and just plain good common sense insist - the way to run a country. But, and aren’t we the lucky ones, that is the way the country’s being run. Ban what works and hope just isn’t the right way around - invent and perfect the new and leave markets be instead. Prompt with prices if you must but given what’s happening right now who is looking forward to more of these plans?