Where are we going with Renewable Energy in Great Britain

Just starting a thread on renewables.Just a few articles.

Please add articles and comment if you like.I will add some more articles as time goes by.

Had to start somewhere, hopefully with your ideas, knowledge and thoughts, posts we can see what is happening in Great Britain and elsewhere.

See where we are going, how we are doing compared to the rest of the world.

Who wants it who does not. And for what reasons.

Is investment falling or rising?

How many jobs being created, things like that.

Ever since someone gave me an upcycled solar light I thought I have a feeling this is not in everyone's interest.

Free power.Perhaps the powerful ones would not like this idea. Do you know?

Renewables growth breaks records again despite fall in investment.

Falling costs allowed the world to add record new renewable capacity even as investment fell, according to a new report.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/renewables-growth-breaks-records-again-despite-fall-investment

UK breaks solar energy record on sunny March weekend

Amount of electricity demanded by homes and businesses one afternoon was lower than it was during night for first time ever

https://www.carbonbrief.org/renewables-growth-breaks-records-again-despite-fall-investment

Sustainable Energy – without the hot air.Loads of links to interesting articles.

http://www.withouthotair.com/

G.B. National Grid Status

Data courtesy of Elexon portal and Sheffield University

The meter, you will soon get used to it.For someone like myself it may take a little time but interesting.

To see what is happening throughout the day.

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/index.php

Well to tell you the truth I do not know that much about renewables, wind, solar, tidal and all the rest.

Sustainable energy etc and hope you will add your knowledge, thoughts and add to this thread.

I said I would start a thread on renewables etc and have started one as promised.

And if you are outside looking in, bursting with information or wanting to say anything you can join and have your say we are a friendly lot in the forums.

Link here.http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/register.php

Thanks for reading anyway.

I wish you a good evening wherever you may be.

Tawnyowl.

Just expanding this to the rest of Europe.In fact anywhere that has an interesting story on renewable energy.

Even someone like myself with very limited knowledge wonders what happens when solar and wind is not available.What then.

What about this in Germany.

So many interesting things seem to be happening around the world with renewables.

Germany Converts Coal Mine into Giant Battery to Store Renewable Energy for off-Hours

North Rhein Westphalia, Germany — The Prosper-Haniel hard coal mine, slated to be shut down in 2018 when government subsidies run out, is being repurposed to become a giant battery for excess power created by renewable energy sources. Located in North Rhein Westphalia, the coal mine’s conversion will allow Germany to store 200 MW of electricity for use during times when solar and wind are unavailable or unable to meet energy needs.

Many interesting stories under the link as well.

http://www.environews.tv/world-news/germany-converts-coal-mine-giant-battery-store-renewable-energy-off-hours/

'where are we going with renewables'.... as you say 'who knows'

...since the election snap, a green view.

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/blog-post/3008534/snap-election-a-moment-of-maximum-risk-and-maximum-opportunity-for-the-green-economy

Just learning a little about Tidal Energy.

It is estimated that tidal power could generate around 20% of Britain's requirements.

There are great practical challenges associated with this form of hydropower and only around twenty sites in the world have been identified as being ideal locations for large scale tidal power arrays.

A link that leads to many more interesting articles.Not sure if this article is up to date.But a start.

Tidal Energy UK

http://www.tidalenergy.eu/tidal_energy_uk.html

Tidal Energy - How does it work?

Coming Soon: The World's Largest Tidal Power Plant

Not sure if these are completely up to date. I will catch up as time goes by.

Learning curve.

Top 10 Energy Sources of the Future

These are ten most promising alternative energy sources of tomorrow.

Video made in 2014,many advances since.Even talking about space solar power.

Better leave things for today, i am getting a little excited.

Need to catch up with all this new knowledge.

Take it in.

It’s a really exciting time to be alive. We have a front row seat to the only known transformation of a world powered by dirty fossil fuels, to a planet that gets its energy from renewable, clean sources. It’s happening just once, right now.

I wish you all a good evening.

Tawnyowl.

Combined Heat & Power Systems

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/combined-heat-and-power

Here is a case study: https://www.vitalenergi.co.uk/casestudies/wyndford-estate/

be interesting to see how much these will cost

https://www.yahoo.com/news/e-offers-uk-households-solar-panels-battery-storage-132051426--finance.html

good map

note the apparent increased tax on solar, as greenpeace poses.

coal free day yesterday, first time since the indust revolution, nicely coinciding with 'earth day'!

What are we replacing it with though, Ford ?

What are we replacing it with though, Ford ?

quite.

hence abit of irony in my post re it conveniently coinciding with 'earth day' re emissions.

apparently gas usage is up, mostly imported. with a few fracks

the news said renewables are at around 15%.

i suppose the rest is nuclear, or imported?

normally coal is apparently around 30%.

i guess they had enough from other resources to cover the demand without using the coal fired elect (for the day )

i dont see why each new home/business or redevelopment is not auto given solar (the panels that dont just need sunlight). well, i do see; business and the gov't. can't just suddenly get rid of the cheaper traditional fuels at the expense of the utility co's. those co's that favour the gov't and its shareholders.

and, renewables will prob cost the public more in the short term.

eg one company that does a green only tariff is slightly more expensive then their normal tariff.

proble is Drax now burn 7 million tons of timber a year, all imported so the cost of transport makes itunviable if there was no interference in the energy markets. We are paying a subsidy to the power station to do this. That is not carbon neutral because the worlds forests cant grow fast enough to absorb all the resultant CO2. Most of the CO2 is not absorbed by forests anyway but by plankton. Half of the CO2 actually produced is a result of leaves falling from trees and rotting so should we cut more trees down? Composting produces as much greenhouse gas as burning the same material so biodigesters and small scale power stations make a lot of sense.

No-one will expalin how yu can reverse the current trend without killing half the worlds population and if you accept that as being the way forward who do you choose? We have a simple choice, accept the continued destruction of the biosphere (man made global warming has nothing to do with that, it is just a tax raising con) or do something about the number of people. Doctore and politicians want us the live a lifstyle that allows us all to get to the age of 115- what for? 40 yeras of incontinence and a horrible expensive death at the end of it? ban seat belts and make smoking compulsory.

coal free day yesterday, first time since the indust revolution, nicely coinciding with 'earth day'!

further to an earlier link

High court says the gov't can't delay its draft air pollution plan

'The High Court has today rejected the government's application to extend the deadline for publishing its draft air quality plan until after the general election, setting a new deadline for the plan to be released after next week's local elections....'

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3009135/high-court-orders-government-to-publish-draft-air-quality-plan-after-local-elections

Hi Ford.Great links.

Some interesting stories appearing.

I had just noticed that story on the BBC and posted it on the Fracking thread.

I quite like these comments.

Government lawyers had told Mr Justice Garnham that publication would drop a "controversial bomb" into the mix of local and national elections

The High Court ordered the plans to be published on 9 May, immediately after the local elections.

Fancy trying to delay such an important plan.Have they got one.

Make you wonder about the powerful ones sometimes.Devious devils.

Are they scared of something?

i posted on the election thread about what gov't plans wld be dropped due to the snap.

looks like the gov't didn't get away with this one...

Challenge Conservatives on energy priorities and cuts to renewables

Onshore wind has higher public approval than nuclear and fracking, so why are Tories expanding unpopular industries with higher carbon footprints?

Renewable power expanded exponentially under the Tory-Lib Dem coalition elected in 2010 and by 2015 the renewable industries had a turnover of £14.9bn and had reduced wholesale electricity prices. If this expansion had continued under the next government, an all-renewable UK electricity supply was achievable by 2025.

Though the 2015 Tory manifesto claimed onshore wind farms “often fail to win public support”, the government’s own surveys demonstrate widespread approval. Support remains high even for a large-scale local wind farm.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/10/challenge-conservatives-energy-priorities-cuts-renewables

New air quality plan published for consultation

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-air-quality-plan-published-for-consultation

Government plans propose a "targeted" scrappage scheme to improve air quality, but environmental groups say it's not enough

http://www.cityam.com/264157/targeted-scrappage-scheme-could-used-get-most-polluting

The new plans come after the High Court ruled against the Department for Environment's last-ditch effort to delay the plans until after the general election.

"Woefully inadequate"

Environmental groups and politicians have said the government's clean air plans are "feeble" and lack detail.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said the proposals "don't go nearly far enough to meet the scale of the challenge".

Khan said: "The government’s proposals don’t include a commitment for a new comprehensive Clean Air Act. And there’s no commitment to changes to vehicle excise duty to encourage people to buy cleaner cars.

"This is a weak plan that lacks any sense of urgency. That means thousands of people will continue to die prematurely and unnecessarily, and many more children having to live with long-term health problems."

Challenge Conservatives on energy priorities and cuts to renewables

Onshore wind has higher public approval than nuclear and fracking, so why are Tories expanding unpopular industries with higher carbon footprints?

 

Renewable power expanded exponentially under the Tory-Lib Dem coalition elected in 2010 and by 2015 the renewable industries had a turnover of £14.9bn and had reduced wholesale electricity prices. If this expansion had continued under the next government, an all-renewable UK electricity supply was achievable by 2025.

Though the 2015 Tory manifesto claimed onshore wind farms “often fail to win public support”, the government’s own surveys demonstrate widespread approval. Support remains high even for a large-scale local wind farm.

https://www.theguardian.com/environm...uts-renewables

I would think the answer to your question is because so many of their friends or donors have a stake in the nuclear and fracking, TO

. Most of the CO2 is not absorbed by forests anyway but by plankton. .

thats interesting. recalling something quite some time ago about how a study of plankton, and other sea 'things' inc fossilised/dating, showed that there is not really a 'global warming' by what had been put forward (i know now some call it 'climate change' rather than) . will try find info re that some time...

a few articles re

https://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=7187

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/climate-change-atlantic-plankton-bloom-reflects-soaring-carbon-dioxide-levels-scientists-say-a6750241.html

https://phys.org/news/2016-05-well-travelled-plankton-global.html

Solar power breaks UK records thanks to sunny weather.

With solar continuing to be installed despite the government’s drastic subsidy cuts in 2016, further records will certainly be broken this summer and for years to come.

Thousands of photovoltaic panels across the UK generate 8.7GW, smashing previous high of 8.48GW earlier this month

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/26/solar-power-breaks-uk-records-thanks-sunny-weather

Back in 2016.

Solar subsidy cuts lead to loss of 12,000 jobs

UK loses third of solar posts as survey reveals almost four in 10 companies are considering leaving market entirely

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/25/solar-subsidy-cuts-lead-to-loss-of-12000-jobs

Could new 'home batteries' bring your energy bill to ZERO?

Powerwall battery will store energy generated by solar panels to be used when households need it

Batteries will also provide back up during outages and storms

Households could eventually survive without connecting to the grid at all

Good Heavens Imagine That-Some Of The Powerful Ones Will Not Be Happy.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-3064216/Could-Tesla-s-new-home-batteries-bring-energy-bill-ZERO.html#ixzz4iSfUbJl6