Joe.
France, England, Germany? We all have similar problems with energy generation. I'm no expert (has-been drip under pressure) but I think France embraced nuclear wholeheartedly but then failed to keep on top of it. Whilst the UK never really made its mind up and fumbled from one government to the next. We now prefer to pay other nations to provide our energy policy.......what could go wrong?
I believe we all need to accept that oil, gas, coal, biomass etc all have a future in energy production, we simply won't cope without it. Will this contribute to global warming......let's not go there......although it's fact we're getting warmer since reliable post transistor measuring started. Are we warmer than 1922 when the local weather chappie wandered down to his weather station, who knows?
We are now in a position where LPG is being shipped from the US and the Middle East to keep our European lights on. That's crackers. There's enough gas around our EU shores to keep us going for a few years yet, why not use it?
It would be great to harvest all our natural energy, it can't be that hard, but I'm afraid governments are full of useless twonks.
Strangely, we elect them.....
Upt'North.