Securing power supply in 2030

Somewhere in Swieqi a television, left carelessly on standby, guzzles nearly five kilowatt hours of power a day. In the same home an oversized washing machine, and a frequently hosed-down patio, waste water while the energy cost of its production are being absorbed unsustainably by state subsidies.

Securing energy supplies and cutting down on emissions is now at the top of our shopping list. Leaving the electric blanket on for hours will only put the meter, and your conscience, in a spin.

There is still a little time to adapt to energy-saving ways in these few years before the oil supply peaks (some predict as early as 2010). It is a while yet before fossil fuel resources begin to dwindle and become less dependable in the long term.

A conference organised by the Marsaxlokk-based Institute for Energy Technology last month hailed Malta as the best spot for solar radiation in the Mediterranean.

Current financial incentives have so far not been enticing enough to exert the country's full potential for renewable energy. Despite some pre-election promises to improve the situation, measures such as time-graded electricity tariffs, designed to spread users more evenly over 24 hours with cheaper rates at night, have yet to find any solid support.

The Faculty of Engineering carried out an energy audit of electricity consumption at the University to address the wasteful use of air-conditioners over the summer months when students were not using the campus. Part of the library, which needed cooler surroundings to preserve archives, were put on a different distribution system to the rest of the building so that most of the air-conditioners could be switched off overnight.

Freezers and cold stores in the biology and pharmacy departments account for a quarter of the university's entire electric bill. Old fluorescent lighting was replaced by T5 tubes for better efficiency with a payback after two years.

These changes brought savings of 11 per cent on the university's electricity consumption and 415 tonnes less of planet-warming carbon dioxide each year.

Now, observers are anxiously watching the development on campus of a new IT building. A planned glass dome could reduce energy efficiency. Any savings gained from better daytime lighting might not make up for the energy spent on extra heating and cooling needed if the dome is given the go-ahead.

Spain is the first European country to make solar energy for heating obligatory in new and refurbished buildings. This reduces energy consumption by up to 40 per cent and cuts carbon dioxide emissions by half for every building that turns to solar heating.

The Malta Resources Authority has been comparing two types of software for heating and cooling calculations to improve the energy efficient performance of buildings. The performance of two different types of solar water heating systems (glass tube and flat plate) is on a par as long as the user is shown how to use and maintain them in each case.

Malta Enterprise has received 23 applications from businesses vying for partial funding of renewable energy projects that are innovative under a European Regional Development Fund grant.

Environmental technologies are a growing business and the potential of countries investing in Malta is on the increase. Cooling towers running on seawater, already in use in Sardinia and Saudi Arabia, is one idea open to exploration for local use.

The Institute for Energy Technology has also been looking at how thermally driven chillers with combined heating, cooling and power supply might be used in domestic buildings and small offices.

In another exercise by the institute to see how performance could be improved, the Arka Respite Centre in Gozo saved on the electricity bill after fitting photovoltaic panels on the roof. At a cost of €630,000 (Lm 270,459), such measures would have to be supported by a substantial increase in the price offered for any extra electricity generated which can be sold to the national grid.

Connecting to the European electricity grid by means of an undersea cable would mean that Malta could buy renewable energy generated overseas, although the reliability and security of supply might be less certain. Even if Malta does link up with the mainland power supply within the next 10 years a back-up power supply would be needed in case of failure.

Each country puts its national interests above that of others when faced with its own local energy shortages. Our peak demand for cooling in summer coincides with that of Italy and Greece while northern countries would charge us higher network connection fees.

Any extra pollution generated by one country supplying another with energy must be accounted for by the country on the receiving end. We would not be able to export our emissions but could gain points if importing electricity from a renewable energy source.

The Government may have shifted its gaze toward Hurd's Bank as a location for harvesting wind. Conflicts with the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Department of Fisheries over a fish farm containment zone, and with the Malta Maritime Authority on bunkering in the same area, may need to be resolved before this can happen.

In the meantime we need to start installing renewable capacity. A land-based wind farm at Marfa Ridge, close to existing overhead circuits, would avoid the cost of laying cables to connect it to the grid.