Watt Committee on Energy Publications: Towards an Energy Policy for Transport: Watt Committee: report number 7 PDF

Foreword

The importance of energy for transport was recognised in Report No. 1 published by The Watt Committee on Energy in 1977. Two features of transport energy use are its magnitude (approximately 22% of the UK total) and its vulnerability to oil supplies (nearly 50% of our oil supply). There have been several excellent conferences elsewhere since then on new technology and the future designs of aircraft, ships and railway trains but there seemed a need to consider all transport modes together. In assessing substitution of energy sources there is a tendency also to consider substitution of transport modes, but this is a complex matter and such substitutions will be slow and generally costly. There are historic instances of such changes, e.g. from sail to steam at sea in the 19th Century, from coal to oil on the railways in the 1950s and from petrol engined aircraft to kerosene powered jets in the 50s and 60s. Such changes take place over a time span of decades. Some transport vehicles have a normal replacement time of 30 years, a few longer still, hence it is a vital matter to match any major transport response to future energy changes to the appropriate time scale.

This Report is based on the proceedings of the all-day Consultative Council held at The Royal Aeronautical Society, London, on 27th November 1979 to deal with the factors contributing to a rational energy policy for transport. The papers were arranged by the Transport Working Group of The Watt Committee. The proceedings also include extracts from the discussion and correspondence subsequently received. The papers presented set the scene as follows:

Oil availability

Transport policy issues

Modes of transport

Non-vehicular transport

Changes of life style

Recommendations for transport energy policy Energy however is only one aspect of transport planning and although prospects for reducing energy losses by improved design are important so also are matters of industrial policy, taxation, legislation and the acceptability of alternative life styles. Moreover there are severe conflicts between short term profitability and longer term interests compounded by restraints on available funds for innovative engineering.

The meeting reported here was an experiment to deal with a complex but significant part of our present way of life by outlining issues and opening up discussion amongst professionals drawn from over 60 institutions.

Clearly the matter cannot be finally settled at a one day-long meeting and hence it has been arranged to hold a follow-up occasion in June 1980 when various considered responses to these proceedings will be reviewed. Thereafter recommendations for forming and implementing an energy policy for transport will be advocated.

Author: Watt Committee on Energy Publications