Institute of Physics in Ireland, Spring Weekend Meeting 30th March – 1st April 2007 in Birr, Co. Offaly.

This year’s Physics in Ireland Spring meeting was held with the physics community looking at the possibility of developing fission as a form of energy production and in the process helping the climate by not producing any nasty greenhouse gases much blamed for climate change.

Speakers from the academic world included Prof. Peter Lynch from UCD, Mr. Larry Staudt DKIT and Prof. Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, UKAEA. Representatives from the industrial sector included Dr. Andy McCrea, Director Action Renewables and Mr. Hugh Corr, British Antarctic Survey.

One thing that was agreed by all speakers is that we are in trouble when it comes to climate change and we need to act quickly to help stop what is fast becoming a growing global problem. How we do that however was not so clear. Evidence of climate change put forward by Prof. Lynch included the fact that global temperatures are increasing as is our population and Co2 emissions and that snow levels are falling at a similar rate due to warmer earth temperatures. He predicted that in one hundred years the mean world temperature will be 4oC higher than now and extreme heat waves will be much more likely. He also coined the phrase Unanticipated Emergent Phenomena or in layman’s terms: ‘expect the unexpected’ in the future of climate change. Mr. Hugh Corr who himself has been involved in scientific studies in The Antarctic told us that 87% of two-hundred and forty-four glaciers in The Antarctic have retreated in the last fifty years and samples taken from the ice sheets show huge increases in CO2 and methane levels (greenhouse gasses) in the last fifty years. The ice is melting and the climate is changing, that we are sure.

Those in the renewable camp (including myself) believe that renewables are the way forward and we need to keep investing in renewables, including wind and solar, for energy production. In Ireland at the moment, Mr. Larry Staudt told us that we have too much energy production based on fossil fuels and too little with renewables. Much of our energy production is base-load generation using peat, combined gas generation, coal and oil. We have twice the base-load needed for Ireland and we need to diversify more into renewables. He predicted that the world will have used 40% of the reserves of coal and oil by 2050 and a further 10% each decade after that. Energy supply is running out!! He also estimated that global wind energy potential stands at 53,000 TWh/year with a world energy demand of only 18,184 TWh/year – what more evidence do we need to start producing more wind power!

The other side of the coin in terms of energy production is the use of fusion technology. Simply put, fusion is the joining of sub-atomic particles, which produces large amounts of energy and the only byproduct, is water. Magic! The only problem is that we don’t know how to do it! Much research is happening at the moment including that conducted by Prof. Llewellyn Smith. The hope is to have a commercial fusion reactor up and running in the next twenty to thirty years. The total world budget for fusion study currently stands at around €10 billion over the next two decades. If the result is a successful fusion reactor then it will be worth it and we will be in a position to produce limitless amounts of power long into the future and just in time as the coal and gas is running out. If it doesn’t work however - what a waste of money!! The problem is, we need to invest now in whatever energy system we choose to be ready for the energy challenges and climate change impacts of the future.

In conclusion, we saw from the conference in Birr that we need decision and action now to produce more energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the impact of global climate change. I suspect that we will discover that renewables will be developed but not to an extent that will have a global impact and that world energy demands will continue to grow at an unprecedented rate. The solution will have to be quick, producing low Co2 emissions and probably using existing technologies. The answer, although not really explored greatly at the conference, I fear can only be nuclear. That is indeed another debate.

Patrick Creed has a degree in Physics. His Mini Bio is at the end of his article on Renewable Education. Readers are welcome to contact him through www.renewableeducationireland.com. For more information on the Institute of Physics in Ireland: http://ireland.iop.org/.