U3A's Allan Wilson encounters Beneath the Wisteria

University of the Third Age participant, Allan Wilson, heard of the Beneath the Wisteria blog just this morning and after a quick look, made these observations.

Allan, who has a scientific background and conducts a monthly “Big Issues From Science” session for U3A members, has made some thoughtful observations, although he was somewhat uncomfortable about what he said being taken too seriously as they were largely “off the cuff”.

What he has said, is thought provoking and warrants consideration by Beneath the Wisteria supporters.

Allan wrote:

The present position expressed on the blog appears to be a 'back to nature' view point that I think defies human nature. 

People talk energy efficiency and walk around the house turning off the lights in empty rooms, but then go out and buy another car as well as air condition the whole house. 

Beneath the Wisteria blog
 seems to have a 'back
to nature' view point.

Energy efficiency will rise, but so will total consumption.   Our civilisation is built on energy - that is energy external to our own muscle power. 

We might listen to what people say they will do, but it is usually more informative to follow what they actually “do”.

By all means build energy efficient houses, but they will be only a small part of the solution.  It pays to never forget that we live in a capitalist structure: Price of power and alternatives will rule.  When in doubt 'follow the money'
Solar Power: I am still unsure that this is the answer to much. First, the present subsidies distort our view of its cost - we need to look at everything on a no subsidy basis.  Two, the daily supply profile is dreadful. 
It is difficult to look ahead, with new technologies coming in from various directions, but one that I think is imminent is the electric car. 

This has all sorts of ramifications:

1.  Home charging: leading to the need to redesign the power supply arrangements.  If the right arrangements are in place(a big if), it should be possible to recharge directly from home without entering the grid - perhaps using two sets of batteries - one in the car an one in the garage.  Need here to support the coming smart meters, so that cars are charged off peak.  

2.  Parking lots with recharge points attached.
This follows into a discussion of new smart meters, which should be one of the saviours of the future - allowing people to set up all sorts of things at home based on taking in power when it is cheap (variable tariffs in half hour blocks).  I don't know why there is opposition to these.

This will lead to all sorts of home energy storage systems - some of which will simply be heating or cooling based and others electricity storage.  Co-generation of power and heat from small household units based on gas would also come into use.
I would put my mental energy (pardon the pun) into thinking about how to generate power without blowing carbon into the atmosphere.

To that end, putting a price on carbon would seem to be the right path, except that it fails if even a minority of countries of the world opt out of doing so. 
On climate change and carbon, there seems to be a mismatch of directions here. 

The oil, gas and coal industries of Australia are building up for gigantic expansion over the next 20 years.   But the climate change policy makers say we need to be building low carbon energy economy, starting now so that the carbon outputs to atmosphere start to taper off in 20 years. 

Once the carbon dioxide (and equivalents in methane and other pollutants) is there they can't be recaptured.  

When I see the amounts involved (9,000,000,000 tons carbon as co2 a year) and the trajectories of increase, I get very pessimistic for this globe 100 years hence.