Posted by: Gerry Purcell

Campaign: Which radical ideas for new energy sources deserve investigation?

As we stand, the burning of fossil fuels takes place in a small number of large-scale plants. These currently work at about 50 percent efficiency and waste a significant amount of heat. Future energy plants will be smaller in scale and far more commonplace. These producers of low-cost renewables will bring energy to a local level, allowing the everyday person to generate and trade energy. A significant benefit of bringing energy production to a local level is the reduction is waste. Surplus heat from localised producers will be passed on to nearby homes and businesses. By taking a local approach, we are also likely to see a reduction in waste as energy has less distance to cover (The Ecologist 2019)