But what alternative do we have?
We are often asked what alternatives exist to wind turbines for producing clean energy or reducing CO2. Well, there are lots! Many countries have alternatives already up and running as well as other technologies in advanced states of development. This is a list of just a few of the systems, most of which will be deployed in the near future.
The United States Geological Service has discovered that there is enough hydrogen in the Earth’s crust to supply clean power for 1,000 years.https://www.msn.com/en-gb/science/environmental-science/untapped-hydrogen-reserves-could-power-earth-for-200-years/ar-AA1vXy6t
In Britain, we have one of the world’s leading manufacturers of small nuclear reactors, used in hundreds of nuclear submarines worldwide. A single Rolls-Royce Small Nuclear Reactor has the capacity to provide 470MW of low-cost clean energy, equivalent to more than 150 onshore wind turbines, capable of running 24x7 for at least 60 years without refuelling. https://www.rolls-royce.com/innovation/small-modular-reactors.aspx#section-why-rolls-royce-smr
In Switzerland and Germany they are using solar panels as motorway sound barrier fencing. https://www.ecowatch.com/switzerland-solar-rooftops-highways.html
The U.S., U.K. and Canada, three major nuclear markets, have all signalled growing support for small modular reactors (SMRs).: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-68251630
France has developed a method of closed loop plastic recycling into fuel: https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/inventing-the-future-of-energy/edf-pulse/edf-pulse-start-up-awards/the-winners/earthwake-the-machine-that-recycles-plastic-into-fuel
China is expected to have thorium reactors and molten salt reactors in operation by 2030: https://spectrum.ieee.org/chinas-thorium-molten-salt-reactor?utm_source=feedotter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=climatetechalert-01-13-25&utm_content=httpsspectrumieeeorgchinasthoriummoltensaltreactor&mkt_tok=NzU2LUdQSC04OTkAAAGX_5gb6-MTYOxIcrpGZA74TSW3djaDOBS1aAvxQYYScWfeVnkjhhRlsJ3qyF1aPgtBU7bdwh_as4pT3L9yxJ1XjABY1MimAmoEmS6ckSHR1j01g_I
France has passed legislation requiring all outdoor car parks over 80 spaces to install solar canopies, with deadlines for larger sites by 2026 and smaller ones by 2028. These installations are expected to generate up to 11 gigawatts of energy—equivalent to about ten nuclear power plants: https://theprogressplaybook.com/2024/11/19/solar-installations-are-now-mandatory-for-large-parking-lots-in-france/
The Chinese and Americans are collaborating on a project to put solar panel roofs, comprising tens of millions of panels above thousands of miles of motorways: https://www.ecowatch.com/switzerland-solar-rooftops-highways.html
In Canada, Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore is backing small-scale nuclear power as the best source of ‘Green Energy’ : https://www.politico.com/story/2008/03/why-a-greenpeace-co-founder-went-nuclear-008835
The Netherlands: Hosts the world’s largest solar carport, covering 15,000 spaces and generating 35 MW; solar panel installations are growing in popularity at festival and shopping centre parking lots: https://www.powertodrive.de/press-releases/parking-lot-pv-solar-carports-potentials
In Japan, a university has developed a way to convert CO2 emissions into solid carbon materials for use in the electronics and construction industries: https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-024-00418-3
Sweden has developed a highly efficient waste-to-energy (WTE) system, burning non-recyclable household refuse into energy using ultra-clean incinerators. The heat generated from combustion is used to produce electricity and warm homes—over 1 million households benefit directly. The incinerators are so efficient in waste conversion that countries such as the UK, Italy and Norway are paying Sweden to take their waste: https://earth.org/sweden-waste-to-energy/
South Korea has installed solar panels in the central reservation of major highways: https://abcnews.go.com/International/solar-panel-bike-lane-generates-eco-friendly-energy/story?id=90197800
In Iceland they are turning CO₂ into stone. At the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant, scientists use a process called Carbfix to capture CO₂, dissolve it in water, and inject it deep underground into basalt rock. There, it reacts naturally and mineralizes into solid stone. https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/featured-projects/carbfix2_en
The United States has just launched the world’s first nuclear reactor designed to produce 200 tons of hydrogen every single day, marking a monumental leap in sustainable energy innovation. But this reactor isn’t just about hydrogen — it’s a multifunctional powerhouse capable of simultaneously generating clean electricity, clean water, and hydrogen fuel, all from a single facility: https://hydrogen-central.com/worlds-first-nuclear-reactor-producing-200-tons-of-hydrogen-daily-launched-in-us/
The MeyGen tidal stream project in the Pentland Firth, Scotland, has been operational since 2018 and is the world's largest tidal stream array. It generated 51 gigawatt hours of power in the last year, enough to power approximately 6,000 homes. The project is planned to scale up to 269 turbines, potentially producing 398 megawatts, enough for around 175,000 homes: https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/as-tidal-power-rides-a-wave-of-clean-energy-optimism-pitfalls-persist/
By adopting such a fanatical and zealous political obsession with wind turbines, Britain faces a very real risk of being left behind in the race for CO2 reduction, and it’s Wales that will ultimately pay the price.
