How to avert the coming energy crisis

HAVING read Terry Prone's column on wind power (Irish Examiner, March 8), I was struck by the implication that the move from fossil fuel was optional.

Even if we survive the pollution from its use, fossil fuel will run out or become prohibitively expensive over the next few years.

We have already seen at least two fuel-led wars, which goes to demonstrate the need to secure energy supply within the country. This cannot be done at present with one source of power: we need a solution based on several energy sources such as tidal power, small hydro, photovoltaic power, solar thermal and geothermal arrays. We must move away from dependence on large, remote energy sources to a more widely spread, smaller scale supply base.

I agree that wind cannot support all the electrical demands in the short term, but then again peat, coal, gas and oil combined cannot deliver the necessary clean energy either.

Wind must be the lesser of these two evils, and I believe a short-term rise in energy costs to achieve a sustainable level which is not reliant on international price fluctuation is the correct move.

Cathal O'Boyle,

Willmount,

Gardiner's Hill,

Cork.