Hastings business leader says seaside towns could have wind, wave and tidal power plants to combat energy crisis

John Bownas, manager of Love Hastings Ltd, said a ‘real long-term solution’ was needed for global energy usage.

He made the comments while highlighting the difficulties local businesses are having with huge rises in their energy bills.

Mr Bownas said: “We urgently need short-term financial assistance across every sector – otherwise it’s quite clear that we will see many businesses fold.

“But beyond the very short-term, simply helping people with their bills doesn’t feel like the solution – surely all that will do is put more profit into the pockets of the gas and oil giants?

“The bottom line is that at current rates of use half the population of the planet will see a day in their lifetimes when fossil fuel runs out. That could be as close as 50 years from now for oil.

“The price rises we are seeing today will pale into insignificance when the time comes that genuine supply shortages start to hit the world.

“So now is the moment when real long-term solution has to start to be set in motion.

“Global energy usage soars year-on-year, but our reliance on fossil fuels has been kept in check with renewable sources meeting this growing demand. That shows the building blocks are already in place to reach a point where we are no longer reliant on oil, gas, and coal.

“So the question is, can the Government bring about a massive acceleration in the shift to renewable energy, perhaps with a big focus on democratic localised production in order to break the economic stranglehold that the big energy firms have on the markets?

“We need cheap and sustainable year-round electricity from renewable sources, and we need it sooner rather than later. It won’t be cheap, but the price of doing nothing will be far higher.

“Perhaps every seaside town should have dedicated offshore power generation plants harvesting wind, wave and tidal power.

“And why can’t every suitable building or empty piece of land have solar panels fitted and air or ground heat pumps installed?"

He said Hastings Business Improvement District will be looking for any way possible to help local businesses through the coming months.

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