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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Nickbat on 06 March 2010, 23:39:20

Title: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Nickbat on 06 March 2010, 23:39:20
Read this article!

"Neither of the main parties seems to have any idea how we are to meet the looming shortfall in power"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/7386628/How-will-David-Cameron-keep-the-lights-on.html

Commenter "Roger Smith" has got it right:

"With 40 per cent of our generating capacity due to disappear in the next few years, as 14 of our major nuclear and coal-fired power stations are forced to close..."

The key word is "forced". And who is doing the forcing? Step forward the European Union with its Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD).

Severing our ties with the EU might not solve the energy problem, but it would buy us the time that Labour has so negligently squandered.

And the only democratic way to say goodbye to the EU is to elect a UKIP government. Otherwise, another European war is inevitable, as countries fight over dwindling resources. "
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: STMO999 on 07 March 2010, 09:10:13
Quote
Read this article!

"Neither of the main parties seems to have any idea how we are to meet the looming shortfall in power"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/7386628/How-will-David-Cameron-keep-the-lights-on.html

Commenter "Roger Smith" has got it right:

"With 40 per cent of our generating capacity due to disappear in the next few years, as 14 of our major nuclear and coal-fired power stations are forced to close..."

The key word is "forced". And who is doing the forcing? Step forward the European Union with its Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD).

Severing our ties with the EU might not solve the energy problem, but it would buy us the time that Labour has so negligently squandered.

And the only democratic way to say goodbye to the EU is to elect a UKIP government. Otherwise, another European war is inevitable, as countries fight over dwindling resources. "


I think if we knew closure of these plants would cause a power shortage, then we might beg a reprieve from our European masters.
If that was refused, I think we would probably disobey them. Naughty. :o
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Marks DTM Calib on 07 March 2010, 09:47:01
Quote
I think if we knew closure of these plants would cause a power shortage, then we might beg a reprieve from our European masters.
If that was refused, I think we would probably disobey them. Naughty. :o

It works for the french!
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Martin_1962 on 07 March 2010, 10:01:53
1) We just refuse to shut them down.
2) Who won the last two Europe based wars?
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Varche on 07 March 2010, 10:35:32
Quote
1) We just refuse to shut them down.
2) Who won the last two Europe based wars?

Germany!?

I don't think there is any cause to worry. The Saudis (supporters of terrorism?) will put up the money for a flotilla of nuclear power stations. 
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Nickbat on 07 March 2010, 10:45:21
There exists no alternative energy source, no combination of alternative energy sources, and no system of combinations of alternative energy sources that can fully replace a single, coal fired electric plant built with 1930s era technology.

Nada.
Zero.
Zilch.

Yet many want to make this group of functionally useless technologies the primary energy sources for our entire civilization.


http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/11847.html

Yet Brown & Cameron want to spend billions, yes billions, on more bird mincers to despoil the countryside and damage the health of those living nearby.

Damage their health?

Yes, but they don't want you to know that. ;)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6954565.ece

Last week, windpower contributed 1/1000th of the UK's electricity needs. I can't imagine how much that has cost to produce.  :o
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 07 March 2010, 19:51:13
Quote
There exists no alternative energy source, no combination of alternative energy sources, and no system of combinations of alternative energy sources that can fully replace a single, coal fired electric plant built with 1930s era technology.

Nada.
Zero.
Zilch.

Yet many want to make this group of functionally useless technologies the primary energy sources for our entire civilization.


http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/11847.html

Yet Brown & Cameron want to spend billions, yes billions, on more bird mincers to despoil the countryside and damage the health of those living nearby.

Damage their health?

Yes, but they don't want you to know that. ;)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6954565.ece

Last week, windpower contributed 1/1000th of the UK's electricity needs. I can't imagine how much that has cost to produce.  :o

Although I take the point about wind / wave / solar power generation, this article focuses on the USA were there is no national grid, but many regional ones, and they do not take into account nuclear power generation.   The latter is capable of replacing 1930s turbine technology with far higher levels of efficiency and power (that is why large warships can be nuclear powered), and a new building programme for such generation is being devolped now by the UK government. ;) ;)

In my opinion the alternative power generators will only pump in electricity to the national grid as and when it is being generated. But due to the British grid system it can be produced anywhere and, unlike the USA, it will still be useful to the National Grid. 8-) 8-)
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: ChevetteNick on 07 March 2010, 20:16:44
Quote
2) Who won the last two Europe based wars?
And which country is the better off after it?
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 07 March 2010, 20:23:52
Quote
Quote
2) Who won the last two Europe based wars?
And which country is the better off after it?


USA!!! ;) ;)
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: miked on 08 March 2010, 07:18:09
Quote
Although I take the point about wind / wave / solar power generation, this article focuses on the USA were there is no national grid, but many regional ones

This is actually the same thing as they are all linked together

 and they do not take into account nuclear power generation.   The latter is capable of replacing 1930s turbine technology with far higher levels of efficiency and power (that is why large warships can be nuclear powered),

The newest and largest coal station in the UK has just spent £100M on new turbines, the most efficient of any thermal plant in the UK including nuclear or any new build nuclear

and a new building programme for such generation is being devolped now by the UK government. ;) ;)

Way, way too late, will be 2017 at the earliest if they started digging this morning (which they aren't)

In my opinion the alternative power generators will only pump in electricity to the national grid as and when it is being generated. But due to the British grid system it can be produced anywhere and, unlike the USA, it will still be useful to the National Grid. 8-) 8-)

It actually makes frequency regulation rather difficult due to its unpredictable nature.
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 March 2010, 09:42:58
Quote
But due to the British grid system it can be produced anywhere and, unlike the USA, it will still be useful to the National Grid.

This is one of the biggest fallacies of the "renewable energy" brigade.

The assumption that you can just pump energy into the grid whenever it's available and that it will "make a difference". Shows no understanding of the big picture of power generation and distribution.

As said, frequency regulation on the grid requires that producers and consumers are carefully balanced. Throw that off when the sun comes out or the wind blows and the result is that you have less predictability and therefore need to keep more expensive, inefficient standby capacity available to fill in the gaps.

We're not talking about large scale, efficient, modern coal plants here - they can't respond quickly to changes in demand.

You need gas turbine generation and other much more dirty technologies to cope with this unpredictability.

In addition, changing the load on plant greatly increases the fatiguing due to thermal cycling, etc. So, guess what? Suppliers are not going to splash out on decent, efficient machines for standby generation. They are going to us old, dirty plant that is expendable or nearing the end of its' life anyway.

End result? Adding unpredictable, if "green", sources of energy to the current grid is probably more damaging to the environment.

To make use of renewables, we need a grid where demand can be managed to a much greater degree, using smart appliances or pumped storage, etc. Might as well not build another wind turbine until this is the case IMHO.

Kevin
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Nickbat on 08 March 2010, 10:26:28
What about this? Surely this is just the ticket for our future energy needs.

The Environment Agency - which, from its support of windfarms should actually be known as the Environment-wrecking agency - has a new fantasy. It has spent shedloads of our money producing a survey that claims our energy needs could be met by building 26,000 water turbines on rivers round the country.


idiots.  >:(


Link: http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2010/03/fishy.html
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Banjax on 08 March 2010, 11:03:25
aah Nickbat, OOF's very own knight in shining armour, tilting at windmills - go get 'em bud!!    :-? ;D ;D


(http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m411/bannjaxx/xbox/289px-Monumento_a_Cervantes_Madrid_.jpg)
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Nickbat on 08 March 2010, 11:58:29
Banjax, believer in alternative green fairies at the bottom of the garden.  ;) ;D
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 08 March 2010, 12:51:44
Quote
Quote
Although I take the point about wind / wave / solar power generation, this article focuses on the USA were there is no national grid, but many regional ones

This is actually the same thing as they are all linked together

 and they do not take into account nuclear power generation.   The latter is capable of replacing 1930s turbine technology with far higher levels of efficiency and power (that is why large warships can be nuclear powered),

The newest and largest coal station in the UK has just spent £100M on new turbines, the most efficient of any thermal plant in the UK including nuclear or any new build nuclear

and a new building programme for such generation is being devolped now by the UK government. ;) ;)

Way, way too late, will be 2017 at the earliest if they started digging this morning (which they aren't)

In my opinion the alternative power generators will only pump in electricity to the national grid as and when it is being generated. But due to the British grid system it can be produced anywhere and, unlike the USA, it will still be useful to the National Grid. 8-) 8-)

It actually makes frequency regulation rather difficult due to its unpredictable nature.


Thanks :y :y
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Banjax on 08 March 2010, 14:20:06
Quote
Banjax, believer in alternative green fairies at the bottom of the garden.  ;) ;D

you see them too m8 don't pretend otherwise  :y
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: miked on 09 March 2010, 21:31:57
Two days into a five day course - combustion in boilers.

The majority of the other attendees are from industries using small gas fired package boilers, small gas turbines etc.  Our lecturer is clearly heavily involved in gas turbine burner design, looking at NOx reductions (oxides of nitrogen which is apparently a bigger cause of global warming than CO2).  None of them have the first clew about the issues facing the electricity industry (which is what we were conned into believing this course would focus on !).

What has been rather refreshing is an inspector from the environment agency, attending with the view to understanding available emission reduction technologies.  I was able to give him some very enlightening facts about the UK power industry looking forwards for the next 5 to 10 years.  I was rather encouraged to find he had a very open mind and rapidly understood the realities...
Title: Re: Energy crunch time is coming...
Post by: Nickbat on 09 March 2010, 21:45:32
Quote
Two days into a five day course - combustion in boilers.

The majority of the other attendees are from industries using small gas fired package boilers, small gas turbines etc.  Our lecturer is clearly heavily involved in gas turbine burner design, looking at NOx reductions (oxides of nitrogen which is apparently a bigger cause of global warming than CO2).  None of them have the first clew about the issues facing the electricity industry (which is what we were conned into believing this course would focus on !).

What has been rather refreshing is an inspector from the environment agency, attending with the view to understanding available emission reduction technologies.  I was able to give him some very enlightening facts about the UK power industry looking forwards for the next 5 to 10 years.  I was rather encouraged to find he had a very open mind and rapidly understood the realities...


Environment agency...open mind? There's hope yet!! :y :y