Let there be light!

This is a great piece on the growth in the UK's solar industry. Key takeaway:

The growth in jobs is attributable as much to the nature of the Government scheme as it is the size—offering predictable, guaranteed long-term support for the industry, rather than the more sporadic offers of short-term grants and tax breaks that have been so common across the Globe.

It's all about long-term certainty. Otherwise you have peaks and valleys for renewable energy development. And not to sound like a broken record here, but these policies create jobs, jobs, and more jobs.

UK Nuclear Energy Policy

I recently came across this Financial Times article about UK nuclear energy policy. It's a bit dated but thought you might want to take a read.

Essentially it talks about the difference in views between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. Yet despite these differences, there remains a commitment to nuclear energy, which emits zero greenhouse gases (GHGs). Furthermore, the private sector appears relatively unfazed about the need for 100% private sector funding so long as they have the regulatory certainty needed to make long term plans about nuclear new build.

If you really want to get into the weeds on UK nuclear energy policy take a look at their 2008 Nuclear White Paper and, more recently, the UK's draft National Nuclear Policy Statement.