Factors Determining Energy Costs and an Introduction to the Influence of Electronics: Watt Committee: report number 10 PDF

Foreword

Two of the various threads linking the many activities of The Watt Committee have been its concern with in-depth objective assessment by professionals, and the stimulation of new thinking. These characteristics derive from the very origins of The Watt Committee in the originality of the concept first put forward by Sir William Hawthorne, and the progressive involvement of a widening circle of professionals through their membership of one of the member institutions of The Watt Committee, listed on page iv.

The first part of this report ªInfluences upon Basic Costs and Prices of Primary Energyº has strong links with earlier Watt Committee work, and particularly with report No. 2 ªDeployment of National Resources in the Provision of Energy in the United Kingdom, 1975±2025º. It is an example of the consistent aim of The Watt Committee to probe subjects in-depth by building upon earlier work, and the setting up of the working group arose out of discussions with ETSU subsequent upon the publication of report No. 2. Indeed, there has been a measure of financing for The Watt Committee as a result of this continuation for which we are most appreciative. Unlike many of our other reports, this present study is qualitative rather than quantitative. This derives from the level of commercial confidentiality required among the various organisations from which people competent to undertake such a study must inevitably be drawn. I know that Paul Fletcher and members of his working group, who gave a great deal of voluntary effort, view this paper as a step along the road towards a more extensive dialogue of the various influences bearing upon costs and prices of primary energy. It is The Watt Committee's intention to ask members of selected institutions to take a lead in progressing this dialogue to a further stage.

While the first part of this report is significant in its development of earlier work, the second part on ªEnergy and Electronicsº is equally significant for its heralding of a more complete assessment of the effects of electronics on the various aspects of energy. It was in Autumn 1979 that Cyril Banyard gave a paper to a Council of Europe discussion meeting at which he suggested ªEnergy and Electronicsº had such inter-related aspects as to form a subject for study. This having been taken up by the Council of Europe, we of The Watt Committee have been pleased to arrange with them a Summer School at Reading University in September of this year at which there will be two weeks of lecture and discussion covering many aspects of the subject. We are following this by making ªEnergy and Electronicsº the topic for our next Consultative Council in December when a small selection of the lecturers at the Summer School will be given the opportunity to make their points to an audience drawn from all our member institutions.

This work being done on ªEnergy and Electronicsº is again voluntary. We are deeply grateful to the individuals concerned, to their businesses and institutions who meet any related expenses, and to our voluntary Executive for the co-ordination of this along with so many other diverse efforts.

Author: J.H.Chesters