Renewables in winter

[Geoff1946]

Is it just me who thinks the UK is heading for disaster with our power supplies?

It's presently calm, mostly overcast, but as it's only October not particularly cold, and it's Saturday, so presumably industrial demand will be modest. 

I've just looked at 

https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Wind power contribution is about 5 percent of demand. The international connectors appear to be at maximum, whilst nuclear, gas, and biomass are giving a major proportion of their capability.

Meanwhile, the only recent announcement from government, on investment, is to build more wind capacity.  Our nuclear plans are delayed as overseas investors don't want to fork out for us. (Who could blame them?)

Looks to me like a cold snap plus  one or two system faults and the proverbial will really hit the fan.

 

[Murdoch]

Well, looking at grid watch I can see that none of our coal stations are running - which they could, so I think the power companies are playing to the green brigade and by importing energy they can say they aren't emitting rubbish into the atmosphere.

I'd rather the coal stations were on giving employment to people here, along with building more wind farms, solar and nuclear AND making homes and businesses more energy efficient

As I write this, we are carbon neutral as our panels are generating 428w and as we need about 300w to run the house, the remaining 100w is heating water in our hot tank and as it gets sunnier the water heating gets quicker!

OK a small contribution but imagine if 5 million homes or more had this?

 

[binky]

Coal should remain as a back-up, but ultimately phased out. I reckom hydro should be added to the investment programme, whether tidal or traditional dams. Scotland has space for loads of dams and could be the 'power house' of the UK and earn them serious money of the did go independent. But then the environmental lobby will moan about great crested newys or something - I get fed up with some of these lobbyists, they want their cake and eat it far to often, they need to earna bit about compromise not protect every blade of grass.

 

[boltonsparky]

Hydros will be standing by for pretty much instantaneous start up. 

, so I think the power companies are playing to the green brigade and by importing energy they can say they aren't emitting rubbish into the atmosphere.

Same as with electric vehicles, just move the pollution elsewhere.

Not sure how much forethought has been put into where all the power for these electric vehicles is going to come from, over the next 10 to 15 years there's going to be a monumental increase in power consumption from the uptake of electric vehicles.

 

[Geoff1946]

Not sure how much forethought has been put into where all the power for these electric vehicles is going to come from, over the next 10 to 15 years there's going to be a monumental increase in power consumption from the uptake of electric vehicles.

My thoughts exactly. If the large scale switch to electric vehicles was anything but a pipe dream there would already be a massive programme of increasing generation and distribution capacity.

A further thought is that if our continental neighbours increase their electric transport use they may become less keen to sell us their surplus power.

UK needs to be doing a bit of forward planning, (beyond just the next election!), and investing seriously in our future power network.

 

[binky]

UK needs to be doing a bit of forward planning, (beyond just the next election!), and investing seriously in our future power network.

 long term planning in the UK - no chance, that's not how capitalist system wroks and as we have a right wing government, their buddies won't be able to make so much money. 

Sad fact is our Tory government doesn't believe in state intervention, it prefers to let 'market forces decide' which means nothing happens until it's financially worth while, ie expensive/ desperate, or just buy from abroad. They / previous Labour government,  have done a certain amount of work, like Hinckley Point, and offshore wind turbines but it's been fairly minimal and rather late! 

 

[Murdoch]

 long term planning in the UK - no chance, that's not how capitalist system wroks and as we have a right wing government, their buddies won't be able to make so much money. 

Sad fact is our Tory government doesn't believe in state intervention, it prefers to let 'market forces decide' which means nothing happens until it's financially worth while, ie expensive/ desperate, or just buy from abroad. They / previous Labour government,  have done a certain amount of work, like Hinckley Point, and offshore wind turbines but it's been fairly minimal and rather late! 

not sure I agree with you. There are plenty of plans for solar and wind in the UK but the nimbies seem to want to prevent lots of them

I say bring them on, and tidal, which as the uk has very decent rise and falls seems to make us ideal

the tidal system planned for the Severn, got binned due to environmental issues if my memory serves me correctly.

it’s an interesting subject, because if you’d asked me 10 years ago how much renewable power we would be using now, I would have probably said 10 % .... but we, on the whole are doing far better than that.

 

[rapparee]

I agree tidal is ultimate resource. 

Wave is also an option in the future. 

There should be so much surplus power created from tidal and wave that the UK and Ireland would be well positioned to create green hydrogen. 

 

[binky]

There should be so much surplus power created from tidal and wave that the UK and Ireland would be well positioned to create green hydrogen. 

 and ditch the stupid electric cars - what's green about batteries, bugger all! 

 

[Murdoch]

 and ditch the stupid electric cars - what's green about batteries, bugger all! 

they are when they are made abroad and we import electricity  :slap

 

[binky]

they are when they are made abroad and we import electricity  :slap

 what's the old joke " Who kills more Indians than General Custer? "   " Union Carbide" 

for those too young to remember or just old and forgettful .... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster