Keith Barnham, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Imperial College London, author of The Burning Answer: a User’s Guide to the Solar Revolution and a proud Frome resident for 15 years, will be talking at the Frome Festival, on Sunday 12th July at 4 pm in the Town Hall.
He will describe how his Get it from the Sun (GIFTS) software can guide Frome to becoming the first UK town to achieve an all-renewable electricity supply.
Keith said
“I would like to thank the Frome Festival organisers for giving me the opportunity to talk about the GIFTS programme that I have written with my colleagues Orrin Lancaster and Jamie Taylor. It is an amazing coincidence that, after 5 years trying, I have been offered the chance to talk to experts at the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero about GIFTS in the week after my talk.”
SUPPORTED BY HEROES LIKE YOU
Support independent eco journalism that drives real change.GIFTS software can calculate the progress Frome has made towards all-renewably powered status thanks to organisations like Freco, Frome Town Council (Solar and Beyond) and Sustainable Frome, plus individual homeowners installing solar panels. GIFTS will also tell us how the efforts of Frome’s Energy Advice Champions, in encouraging individual households to use energy more efficiently lowering their bills, also by switching to all-renewable electricity suppliers, helps achieve an all-renewable electricity supply.
However, if Frome is to be the first all-renewably powered UK town, it also needs to back up wind and solar power when there is no sun and no wind. GIFTS software calculates that just over a quarter of the UK electricity demand must be supplied by a flexible back-up. Successive governments have favoured natural gas electricity generation for this important contribution. This has made the UK particularly vulnerable to the international price of natural gas. As a result, we suffered 11% inflation following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Also, the current rise in inflation results from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
AI Summary of Keith's Book
The Burning Answer: A User's Guide to the Solar Revolution is a popular science book written by Keith Barnham, an Emeritus Professor of Physics at Imperial College London. Published in 2014, the book serves as a passionate solar manifesto, arguing that solar technology alongside other renewables can entirely satisfy global primary energy demands. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The Core Premise: Einstein's Two Equations
Barnham structures his argument around a historical and scientific coincidence from 1905, the year Albert Einstein published major papers on two core equations: [1, 2]
- E = mc²: The famous equation of relativity that led to the development of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Barnham argues that governments heavily prioritized this equation due to military motivations. [1, 2, 3]
- E = hf: The lesser-known quantum equation explaining the photoelectric effect. This equation forms the bedrock of modern digital electronics (like smartphones and laptops) and solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The author investigates why global civilisations rapidly exploited E = mc² for energy, putting the world on a dangerous path of nuclear risks and fossil fuel depletion, while largely ignoring the safer, cleaner potential of E = hf. [1, 2]
Key Themes & Arguments
- The Solar Solution: Barnham insists that an all-renewable energy grid is entirely practical, cost-effective, and safe. He debunks common anti-solar myths, such as the idea that solar is useless when the sun isn't shining, by detailing how a integrated combination of solar, wind power, and biogas backup can successfully handle peak demands. [1, 2, 3]
- Politics vs. Science: The book highlights a political divide in energy adoption. He notes that nations historically barred from nuclear weapons development after WWII—specifically Germany, Japan, and Italy—subsequently led the world in solar expansion. Meanwhile, nuclear-armed nations like the US and the UK lagged behind due to institutional prejudices and massive subsidies keeping nuclear and fossil fuel industries afloat. [1, 2, 3]
- Actionable Vision: Barnham outlines specific steps for everyday individuals to participate in the solar revolution, visualising a future where rooftop solar arrays directly power household appliances and electric vehicles. [1, 2, 3, 4]
About the Author
Professor Keith Barnham began his career in experimental particle physics at prestigious institutions like CERN in Geneva and UC Berkeley. He experienced a career pivot after reading about impending fossil fuel crises, switching his research focus to solar energy. He later co-founded the Quantum Photovoltaic group at Imperial College London and invented a high-efficiency solar cell capable of drastically outperforming standard rooftop panels.
