Tag Archives: Mel Stride

The Great South West Powerhouse

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I had high hopes for what I dubbed the “South West Powerhouse” back in 2015, when I attended the launch of Molly Scott Cato’s “The Power to Transform the South West” report in Glastonbury. Here’s Molly, the then Green Party MEP for South West England, describing that vision from the podium:

After the presentations were over I bumped into a researcher from the University of Exeter, who didn’t look very well. I enquired after his health, and he explained that it wasn’t a physical problem. It had just been announced that the then Conservative / Lib Dem coalition Government had published its so called “Productivity Plan“, which claimed to be:

Creating a more prosperous nation.

The plan included the following weasel words:

The government does not intend to proceed with the zero carbon Allowable Solutions carbon offsetting scheme, or the proposed 2016 increase in on-site energy efficiency standards.

An unfortunate side effect of the cunning Conservative plan was that the vehicle-to-grid pilot project at South West Exeter that I’d just been discussing with Molly was instantly consigned to the recycle bin of history. Hence I wrote the first of several subsequent “open letters” to Mel Stride, recent candidate for leadership of the Conservative Party and my then Member of Parliament:

https://V2G.co.uk/2015/07/an-open-letter-to-mel-stride-george-osborne-david-cameron-et-al/

Much more recently I found myself on stage at the Everything Electric North event in Harrogate, where I exhorted to audience to “get out and vote!”, a message echoed by presenter Robert Llewellyn:

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An Open Letter to Mel Stride, George Osborne, David Cameron et al.

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Productivity Plan? NegaWatts are cheaper than MegaWatts!

 

To: Mel Stride MP
Cc: William Dartmouth MEP
Cc: Ashley Fox MEP
Cc: Julie Girling MEP
Cc: Clare Moody MEP
Cc: Julia Reid MEP
Cc: Molly Scott Cato MEP

 

Hello again Mel,

Further to our previous conversations about UK plc’s so called energy policy, I urge you to protest in the strongest possible terms to Messrs Cameron and Osborne about the following paragraph in the Chancellor’s so called “Productivity Plan“:

“The government does not intend to proceed with the zero carbon Allowable Solutions carbon offsetting scheme, or the proposed 2016 increase in on-site energy efficiency standards.”

Do they not comprehend that NegaWatts are cheaper than MegaWatts? Do they not realise how many research hours at Exeter University they are unceremoniously flushing down the pan, or the effect those innocent sounding words will have on the forthcoming “South West Exeter” housing development in Teignbridge? Are they deliberately setting out to destroy investment in the “Energy Efficiency” and “Renewable Energy” industries in South West England in general, and in your constituency in particular, or do they simply have no idea what they are doing?

I await your substantive response at your earliest convenience, and preferably sooner.

Yours in shock,

Jim Hunt

Smart Grid Consultant
V2G Limited

P.S. According to Andrew Marr “We’re all still dancing on the precipice”