Community Energy Literature Review

Hydrogen and tidal energy by Neil Kermode (2017) (IET Engineering and Technology Reference, pp. 1–10, doi:10.1049/etr.2016.0163) Kermode analyses renewable energy in the Orkney Islands, where production exceeds the needs of the local population. The situation of the islands provides abundant energy from wind, wave, and tidal stream [1]. The paper concentrates on tidal production, the output of energy from underwater turbines, and the development of strategies to utilize it. Tidal flow fluctuates due to the rotation of the earth and the movement of the moon in its orbit. The daily ebb and flow of the tides gives peaks in water speed at roughly twelve hour intervals, but these peaks are greatest on the ‘spring tides’ which occur at intervals of approximately fourteen days, and least on the intervening ‘neap tides’. The power produced by tidal stream turbines increases as the cube of water velocity. No power is generated during those hours when there is negligible movement of

Hydrogen in a low-carbon economy was published by the Committee on Climate Change in November 2018  It is available at https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/hydrogen-in-a-low-carbon-economy/ Its scope is indicated by its section headings, which are: Hydrogen for heat in buildings and industry Hydrogen use elsewhere in the energy system Hydrogen supply Scenarios for hydrogen use Energy system cost implications, and Conclusions and recommendations. This post addresses only the penultimate paragraph of the report (p.126): “ Further work is required to establish whether and to what degree hydrogen acts as an indirect greenhouse gas if emitted to atmosphere.” Some discussions around the effects of hydrogen emissions are to be found in an earlier publication HyCARE Hydrogen Energy Chances and Risks for the Environment Proceedings of the first HyCARE meeting, Hamburg, 16-17 December 2004, available at https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_994975_6/compon

Mary Robinson spoke recently in Bristol on the subject of Climate Justice. One of the points she made was that the motivation to take action on environmental issues is likely to come through narrative rather than from a logical appeal to facts.  Narrative in relation to sustainability has been examined from many angles. The narratives of individual households with commitments to sustainable living, and their relation to transition movements and to technological narratives are examined in the following paper. Transitions on the home front: A story of sustainable living beyond ecoefficiency Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 31, September 2017, Pages 240-248 Pernilla Hagberta, Karin Bradley (2017) Open Access The authors state that a “prevailing discourse in sustainable housing tends to focus on building performance, along with compelling stories of “green” lifestyles and attractive urban housing concepts, while avoiding storylines that suggest more profound chang