UK's Journey to Net Zero

A cautious reminder for those thinking of switching to an EV. Dr Alan Jones, PhD. CEng, FIET.   Summary   Two letters in the July 2023 edition of a scholarly magazine, Engineering & Technology, describe EV owner experience: a Nissan Leaf driver highlights a range of systemic charging issues while, overall, liking the car.  Meanwhile, a Fiat 500e owner describes similar infrastructure problems, but still feels positive because of cheaper motoring when charging from home.   This type of correspondence, while representative of much of what appears in social media about EV experience - relating to range and charging, tends to lack objectivity and calls into question the possibility of owners being influenced by existing beliefs – that EV’s are better for the planet and the pocket than the internal combustion engine (ICE), and therefore, in their mind the downsides of EV ownership needs to be traded against the greater good.   This paper attempts to add to t...

  At this rate of progress Net Zero will never be reached, certainly not by 2050. Dr Alan Jones, PhD. CEng. FIET. I’d like to make clear to readers that I’m not a climate change cynic. On the contrary, I firmly embrace the argument that anthropogenic (human induced) greenhouse gas emissions is the cause of the present rise in average global temperature.  What I am cynical of, and I speak as someone constantly looking to reduce my carbon footprint, is the combined ability of the nations of this one planet Earth to make a significant difference.   To my mind, national wealth, or GDP/capita, and the search for the continual growth of it, seems to trump universal survival at every turn.  I was starkly reminded of this in reading Volume 18, Issue 7 (August 2023) edition of the E&T Magazine in which a small graph under the heading - Did you know? … Fossil fuels still dominate, was displayed.  A copy of this graph is shown below and the copyright ack...

  One town in Scotland's journey to Low-Carbon, or Net Zero, but is it exploiting its credentials? Dr Alan Jones, PhD. CEng. FIET. 1 Introduction What is a net zero journey, how is Dumfries & Galloway doing in this regard and how does it compare to other parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK?  Above all, what does it mean for the local economy and businesses in the area?  These are all valid and relevant questions. Net zero, or in this article the less stringent term, low-carbon, is used to represent the goal of minimising anthropogenic or man-made emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which is the main greenhouse gas (GHG) - leaving aside water vapour, which accounted for about 82% of the UK’s total GHG emissions in 2014 (1).  Among the many human activities that produce greenhouse gases the energy sector represents by far the largest source, particularly of CO 2  emissions, due to the oxidation of carbon in fuels consumed during combustion...

  Some requirements to succeed with your campaign Dr Alan Jones, PhD. CEng. FIET.   1 Introduction   While there may be no right or wrong way to mount a campaign to achieve an effective outcome, one activity the author was involved with - Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) Dumfries & Galloway Strategic Reinforcement (DGSR) 2015 project proposal seemed to yield results that helped the campaign succeed. Aided, of course, by a good helping of serendipity, or good fortune. The guidelines below, therefore, seek to outline the activities that helped the campaign achieve its aim: encouraging SPEN to consider a more acceptable solution.     That is not to say the guideline that follow is universal in its application.  It should be appreciated that what worked well for this campaign may not, especially in full, work for every campaign.  Thus, it may be appropriate to ‘cherry-pick’ some elements while discarding others.  None...