Meeting of the Parliament 11 November 2015
One of the first things that I was ever taught in a science class was that energy can never be created or destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another. That is a lesson that we should all take to heart when we are thinking about the need to store energy because, too often, we go for the hi-tech solution when low tech is the right way to go.
Many people will remember how conditions in some areas of Africa were transformed when Trevor Baylis had the genius idea of putting a clockwork mechanism on a radio. Simple—and, in some cases, ancient—technology can serve a modern function. For that reason, we should always be careful not to go for the high-tech solution when the low-tech solution will deliver.
With regard to the energy storage solutions that are available, a number of members have already suggested that pumped storage or hydro is the way to go. We have certain difficulties in Scotland—for example, our mountains are not as high as those in Norway or the Urals, and the volume of water that is available is not as great as that in other countries—but using low-cost surplus electricity to pump water up a hill and then letting it back down through the turbines during times of demand and at a much higher price is a tremendous business model. We should always remember that, regardless of what Government can or cannot do, that business model already pays off handsomely for the company that operates such pumped storage schemes. We should seek to extend that technology wherever we can, because almost all of our current hydro schemes would be suitable for pumped storage.