Energy?

I can try to do my bit for the environment. We have (some) solar panels and an electric car. The solar panels only generate a small amount of electricity, which I then get paid for at a derisory amount. It's about 1/10th or 1/15th the amount we get charged for using electricity.

Adding more panels is an option but t the moment, including the necessary batteries for storage still makes it an expensive route. Our modern house already has the second highest environmental certificate and the recommendations to improve were minimal.

Walk around the local Tesco car park and observe. There are plenty of new and late model cars there. Many are SUVs and nearly all are still ICE (Internal Combustion Engine). Multiple exhaust pipes and hardly a green tagged number plate to be seen. They say it is too expensive for most people, but a new BMW diesel SUV isn't exactly a cheap option either.

I guess there is still another whole company car renewal cycle before the 2030 targets loom large, so people don't care. 'Topgear said this was the fastest/biggest/plushest' so that is the one to get.

No surprise then that the UK has made ‘no progress’ on climate plan, say government’s own advisers. They go on to sayUK has lost leadership in climate action and almost all targets are being missed. Fewer homes were insulated last year under the government-backed scheme than the year before, despite soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis. There is little progress on transport emissions, no coherent programme for behaviour change, and still no decision on hydrogen for home heating.

The installation of new wind and solar farms and the upgrading of the electricity grid are still too slow to meet net zero, according to the Climate Change Committee, which says that the lack of urgency of government and a failure of political leadership means progress has stalled.

I guess we'll need alligators in the Thames before anyone takes notice. And my friends with older vehicles are all up in arms about the ULEZ being extended to in London.

I now get 100% ULEZ discount and 100% congestion charge discount, but the CC charge discount is being phased out from end of 2025. A contra indication compared with urging more people to use EVs?

I expect the free road tax type exemptions will be whittled away over the next few years too as governments scrabble around for extra income.

Charging at home is fine with a 'full tank' costing about a fiver, lasting up to 330 miles (300 in reality) and charged overnight on Octopus EV tariffs. When out and about the electric charges are often expensive at maybe up to 40%-50% of gasoline charges.  

They could reduce EV charging by 15% by imposing the same VAT as home charging. 5% instead of 15%...As if.

Sometimes I'm lucky and find a no cost destination charger in a shopping mall or at a hotel. Only once have I been inconvenienced with charging. I travelled to a hotel which said it had 6 chargers. It did but all 6 were out of service. The next nearest was also out of action. I'd tried 8 chargers by that point. Then I found 4 that worked. About half a mile from where the six broken ones were situated. I still had about 100 miles at that time. I'd cheerfully say that 'range anxiety' is a non-issue.

Emissions from transport have remained stubbornly high as the government has “made a political choice” to allow an increase in road traffic, instead of encouraging people on to public transport.

There is no coherent programme to encourage people to change their high-carbon lifestyles.

There is no clear policy to decarbonise steel production, or emissions from other heavy industries.