The Lessons of a Coal-Fuel Power Station
Any kid who has grown up in Battersea has at a certain point dreamt of invading the huge Power Station and exploring the secrets of the once great edifice. It looked like a majestic monster to us boys, just lying there asleep by the banks of the river. It took me some time before I could imagine what it must have looked like when it was fully operational.
It was built in the years between the two world wars and still remains as the largest brick-built edifice in Europe. It was also one of the biggest coal-fired power stations in London. Can you imagine the sight of it- its gargantuan chimneys towering over Battersea, spewing huge clouds of smoke in the London sky? It must have looked a lot like Tolkien’s Mount of Doom.
But then was air quality in London the same as Mordor’s? Coal power plants still produce a serious percent of the nation’s electricity, not to mention their worldwide importance. At the same time they are one of the biggest polluters and sharply deteriorate air-quality in the areas they operate. Many would argue this is a necessary sacrifice urban communities have to make- after all how do you imagine your life without electricity? But there are certain arguments you must have in mind.
Scientists have confirmed that the rate of respiratory diseases dramatically rises in areas near coal-fuel power plants. Furthermore, they are much less efficient than their nuclear and water counterparts, and the energy they produce- more expensive. Sooner or later we will run out of coal, so we will be forced to rely more and more on renewable sources of energy. The coal plants which have dominated the landscape of the great industrial cities of the late XIX and early XX century are a relic from the past, and not one we are particularly fond of.
Of course it was a great decision to preserve the building and list it grade II in the National Heritage List- its grandeur and imposing architectural style should be remembered by all who have anything to do with Battersea. But even further- it is a witness of the kind of thinking that has come to pass- environment and green planet are now more important terms than electricity and industry. This is the real lesson our children should learn when they look upon the great monster, lying on the banks of the Thames.