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UtILIty WEEK | 23rd - 29th May 2014 | 31 Community Disconnector Editor: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellen.bennett@fav-house.com; News editor: Jillian Ambrose, t: 01342 332061, e: jillian.ambrose@fav-house.com Energy editor: Megan Darby, t: 01342 332087, e: megan.darby@fav-house.com; Features editor: Karma Ockenden, t: 01342 332086, e: karma.ockenden@fav-house. com; Reporter: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathew.beech@fav-house.com; Reporter: Conor McGlone, t: 01342 332083, e: conor.mcglone@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ed Roberts, t: 01342 332067, e: ed.roberts@fav- house.com; Sales executive: Nicky Shaw, t: 01342 332070, e: nicky.shaw@fav-house. com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amanda.barnes@fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Subscriptions: UK £577 per year, Overseas £689 per year, t: 01342 332011.ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham house Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex rh19 1UZ Is the tank really running dry? You can tell it's a slow news day when the papers grab at any le-field report produced by "sci- entists" and run it at face value, for fear of what scrutiny might do to the story. Last Friday was such a day, thinks Disconnector. How else to account for a BBC head- line screaming, "UK's oil coal, and gas 'gone in five years'"? It was based on a report from an organisation called the Global Sustainability Institute, which said with admirable specificity that the UK has just 5.2 years of oil le, 4.5 years of coal and 3 years of gas. Discon- nector can only assume that this must have come as a shock to operators in the North Sea. And the great man cannot image any combination of factors that would leave the UK with just three years of coal. We've practi- cally killed the mining industry in this country, not because we've run out of coal, we've just decided it's not worth our while digging it out of the ground. Lead author Professor Victor Anderson declared: "Coal, oil and gas resources in Europe are running down and we need alternatives." But by the report's own figures Germany has 250 years of coal le. Surely the Germans can be considered a reliable source of energy, even if Russia and Norway can't. He didn't elaborate on what we have against the Norwegians. Perhaps that whole Vikings thing still sticks in his craw. Disconnector So what was the answer, according to the Global Sustain- ability Institute? Why, build a fleet of new nuclear power stations and embark on a major programme of shale gas extrac- tion, of course. Only joking. It was more windfarms. Energy reservoir Singapore, like other countries, wants to do its bit when it comes to renewables, but land there is at a sky-high premium. Where do you put them? The Public Utilities Board plans to float solar panels on its Tengeh Reservoir, providing enough power for "1,000 local homes" (that's about 10 football pitches-worth, by Disconnector's reckoning. Give or take a football pitch or two). The board says, somewhat dubiously, that the scheme won't have any adverse environmental impact and may even have ben- efits because the carpet of solar panels will stop algae growing on the surface. Hmm. Disconnector can't see the idea catching on here. If the Ukipers of Blighty go apoplectic at the thought of covering a scrubby field in solar panels, imagine the reaction if you tried to pave over a lake with the buggers. Solar panels hit the road Solar farms are ugly, and you need acres of them to produce a meaningful amount of power. However, one US company has come up with what it says is the ideal solution: pave the roads with them. They're black anyway, aer all. US start-up Solar Roadways says it has created panels that provide both the traction and the resilience necessary to be used as a road surface. "You mention glass, people think of your kitchen window," says co-founder Brad Bradshaw. "But think of bulletproof or bomb-resistant glass." The panels incorporate LEDs that can be configured to provide road markings as required, and have heating ele- ments to melt snow and ice. According to Solar Road- ways, there are 18,000 square miles of roadways in the US, and if they were all paved with solar panels it would provide enough electricity to power the entire country. So what's the catch? Well, to make the panels tough enough, they must be half an inch think, and laminated, and tempered. How much would it cost to install and maintain? Two winters' of freezing cold and torrential rain have le many of the UK's roads pitted with potholes that cash- stapped councils are struggling to patch up. Imagine the repair bill if they were coated in elec- tronics instead. Hmm. For those who are inter- ested, the company is crowdfunding the next stage of development at Indiegogo. 3,580 average circulation Jan–Dec 2013 Subscriptions: UK £577 per year, Overseas £689 per year fhcustomerservices@ abacusemedia.com Emily Gosden @emilygosden If you thought Ofgem fines were lenient… Severn Trent pays £35k for raw sewage pol- luting reservoir, killing fish. Gerry Morrow @GerryMorrow @DECCgovuk @EdwardDaveyMP Decc is doing far more damage to electricity bills than Eon. Adam Scorer @adam_scorer #energy Mis-selling has been an open sore for energy companies. This is a big fine on Eon. It needs to cauterize the wound. Jonathan Reynolds MP @jreynoldsMP One man told me today he wasn't voting because "the Illuminati control everything". I was tempted to respond: '"We certainly do…" John Howell @johnny_howell1 @Ofwat Yet more protection for the water companies, further alienation for the customers. Not good for the consumer. #novoicenochoice LiberumAtherton @LiberumAtherton RWE: numbers show that trading conditions for gas-fired plant throughout Europe remain dire, especially in Germany where it is catastrophic. 3WhitehallPlace @3WhitehallPlace We are now consulting on our world-firsting "Green Hydro: Generating Electricity with Organic Water" proposals. Please respond by 31 June. James Beard @JamesBeardREA Cheap? Check. Getting cheaper? Check. Popular? Check. Eco-friendly? Check. Good for jobs? Check. So it's settled then. No more #solar farms. Nat Insulation Assoc @NIALtd @GDFinanceCo Now needs to look at more flexible range of payment options to meet consumers needs. Tim Probert @TimProbert Cuadrilla's greatest cock-up? 'Balcombe was a tipping point when the tide of public opinion began to shift.' Top Tweets