One of the challenges confronting the successful use of renewable energy, especially sunlight, is the storage of power. Now the US Department of Energy recently developed a brand new battery technology. The Energy Department’s research arm, called Arpa-E, was started in 2009 under Obama’s economic recovery plan to fund early- stage research into the generation and storage of energy too risky and expensive for the private sector to undertake. The new technology has been tested, it works and it will be made available commercially in due course.

So much practical research and development is done with public money, and it is remarkable that Arpa- E , which is now turning to the technology of tracing natural gas leaks,  better biofuels and personal control of energy use by consumers, is proving so effective and quick to produce results. It gives the lie to those who want to reduce the size and scope of government. If it were not for government working for us all, regardless of wealth, we would not have numerous pharmaceutical drugs, the internet and other innovations.  Private industry commercialises most of the technical advances, but seldom has the money or technical expertise to do the basic research.  The poor, beleaguered government departments, criticised, cut back on staff, deprived of adequate funds, and now run largely by political know-nothings at the top, should be honoured by us all, regardless of political leanings,  even if rather too much of their work is for the military.