The United Kingdom is experiencing a severe energy crisis which is about to get worse as the UK energy regulator Ofgem announced that the cap on energy prices charged to households is about to be lifted, which will raise energy bills on average about 80 per cent for the fourth quarter of this year.
Starting October 1st, electricity prices will rise on average from £0.28 to £0.52 per kWh, and natural gas will rise from £0.07 per kWh to £0.15 per kWh. Ofgem states that the global rises in natural gas prices is the driving force behind these extreme price increases.
It sounds like the next period is going to be very challenging for many households who will have to find ways to pay for these energy increases, or cut back their energy use drastically. Of course there is a great deal of pressure on the UK government to ease the pain.
It was my experience of growing up in the UK in the 1970s when the country was affected by power cuts, and gasoline shortage that made me realize at a young age of how dependent we are on fossil fuels. I remember winter evenings of sitting around a fireplace with candles and paraffin lamps when the power went out, eating meals that were cooked over a camping stove. At the time for a boy, it felt like a kind of an adventure, but I am sure for my parents it felt very different. Nevetheless, it brought on a kind of anxiety about the future of civilization in the absence of reliable energy that sparked in me a lifelong interest in energy issues, and ultimately has led to my interest in the Ecat which continues to this day. And I am still hopeful that it can prove to be a technology that can help with the global energy crises.
