As I write Russia has invaded Ukraine and eastern Europe suddenly seems to be a very uncomfortable place to be. This is the sort of sentence we should only read in history books of the 20th century, but now there is a sense of dread across the world about where this all ends up. There of course will be sanctions and consequences for Russia, but there are also consequences for us. Immediately stock markets fell and energy prices continued to soar, which will fuel further inflation. This is hitting the pockets of UK citizens right now.
So it was interesting to be part of a gathering earlier in the week discussing how the UK can wean itself off expensive fossil fuels and particularly natural gas. At one of the first face-to-face gatherings since the lockdowns the country’s best energy minds met at the Association for Decentralised Energy’s winter reception at the House of Parliament. In our own little way, how could our industry solve some of the global issues of price stability, energy resilience and supply chain security?
Both Dr Alan Whitehead MP and Lord Callanan talked about the importance and the chronic need to reduce our reliance on natural gas through new and existing innovation. There will be a mix of technologies that will be deployed to tackle the issue. Batteries, Heat Pumps, PV, CHP, heat networks and sustainable fuels all can play their part.
And that’s why Fleetsolve exists. Our purpose is to provide low carbon, resilient power and heat. Existing CHP technologies with new sustainable fuels, putting our clients in control of their own electricity generation and heating solutions, away from grids and international supply chains if need be.
So in a time of uncertainty, if not despair, at the situation in eastern Europe, it’s the little things we do to help us regain control in our daily lives and the ADE reception gave us that hope that we can build a better world one step at a time, week by week.
