“Clean” energy
does not exist.
Consider sulphur
hexafluoride, or SF6.
SF6 is used in the
electrical industry
to prevent short circuits
and accidents.
It has the highest greenhouse
gas global warming potential
of any known substance.
Over 20,000 times more warming
than is claimed for carbon dioxide (CO2).
Leaks of the little-known gas
in the EU in 2017 were the
equivalent of putting an extra
1.3 million cars on the road.
SF6 use is rising because of
the green energy boom.
SF6 is a cheap, non-flammable,
colorless, odorless, synthetic gas.
It's a very effective
insulating material for
medium and high-voltage
electrical installations,
widely used for large
power stations, wind turbines
and electrical sub-stations
in towns and cities.
It prevents electrical
accidents and fires.
It also persists
in the atmosphere
for a long time.
Coal-fired power stations
are being replaced by
wind, solar and natural gas.
This results in many more
connections to the electricity grid,
so more electrical switches
and circuit breakers are needed
to prevent serious accidents.
These safety devices are called
"switchgear", and most use SF6 gas
to prevent arcs and stop short circuits.
Costa Pirgousis, an engineer with
Scottish Power Renewables
on its new East Anglia wind farm,
which doesn’t use SF6 in turbines,
said:
"As we are putting in more
and more turbines, we need
more and more switchgear
and, as a result, more SF6
is being introduced into
big turbines off shore.
"It’s been proven for years
and we know how it works,
and as a result it is very reliable
and very low maintenance
for us offshore."
The UK network of power lines
and substations uses about
one million kilograms of SF6.
A University of Cardiff study
found the amount of SF6 used
was increasing by 30-40 tonnes
per year.
This rise across the EU's
28 member states in 2017
was equivalent to 6.73
million tonnes of CO2
-- that's the same as the
emissions from 1.3 million
extra cars on the road for a year.
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