Prices of the electricity we use to charge

[MikelBikel]

 

[lenny]

There's no international protocol on what to do if an asteroid strikes Earth
Or so hear members of Parliament in the UK

No international protocols on what to do if asteroid strikes

: Or so hear members of Parliament in the UK

www.theregister.com

Musk's satellites 'blocking' view of the universe

Elon Musk's Starlink satellites 'blocking' view of the universe

Radio waves from the satellites are "blinding" radio telescopes and hurting research, say scientists.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[lenny]

‘Starlink killing atmosphere?’: The environmental threat to Earth Elon Musk isn’t talking about
Fiery Showers
Invisible Threat
While mesmerizing, satellite re-entries release aluminium oxide nanoparticles, which could impact the ozone layer for decades before we see the damage.
Space Junkies
With 8,000+ Starlink satellites launched and 42,000 planned, the growing mega-constellations pose a new kind of atmospheric pollution risk.
Ozone Killers?
Scientists fear aluminium oxide from re-entering satellites may act like CFCs, accelerating ozone depletion—just as we thought recovery was near.
Raining Metal
Each Starlink satellite leaves behind 30 kg of aluminium oxide. By 2050, this could reach 360 metric tonnes annually—six times natural levels.
Delayed Doom
Simulations suggest these particles could take 20-30 years to reach the stratosphere, meaning today’s pollution may haunt future generations.
Legal Loophole
No global laws regulate atmospheric pollution from satellite re-entries. The FCC approves launches but ignores the environmental impact.
Orbital Overload
Amazon, SpaceX, and other companies plan tens of thousands of satellites, but no one has a long-term plan for their safe disposal.
Debris Crisis
ESA’s “Zero Debris” initiative aims to prevent new orbital waste by 2030, but without global cooperation, space junk and ozone risks may persist.

‘Starlink killing atmosphere?’: The environmental threat to Earth Elon Musk isn’t talking about

Starlink satellites burn up, creating artificial meteor showers—but they release aluminum oxide, potentially damaging Earth’s ozone layer for decades. An unseen threat looms.

www.businesstoday.in

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites 'falling from the sky' after massive solar storms
Scientists have warned that solar storms could cause Starlink satellite parts to fall to Earth and hit the ground

Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites 'falling from the sky' after massive solar storms

Scientists have warned that solar storms could cause Starlink satellite parts to fall to Earth and hit the ground

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

 

[lenny]

Inventory counts air pollution cost of space launches and re-entries

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/01/pollutionwatch-air-pollution-inventory-space-launches-reentries

The Perfect Rocket Fuel: No Fires, No Chemicals. Just Energy.

The Perfect Rocket Fuel: No Fires, No Chemicals. Just Energy.

Hexanitrogen is a newly synthesized molecule composed entirely of nitrogen atoms, making it the first known neutral polynitrogen species other than N₂. It stores a large amount of energy in its strained bonds and decomposes cleanly into nitrogen gas, offering potential as a high-energy...

www.acsh.org

 

[Woosh]

Inside Mahindra EV factory. A bit cheesy but it shows how India is competing against China for the future of car making.

@MikelBikel, that factory runs on green electricity, power factor 0.98 so not generating much harmonics, has storage batteries on site recycle and treat water on site. Metal waste is reprocessed in a week. Each EV saves 42% carbon footprint compared to older factories.

 

[lenny]

Fish and chips for 20p? The unearthed menu frozen in time

Fish and chips for 20p? The Powys chip shop menu frozen in time

One of Wales' oldest chippies has dusted off a menu board "from another age" when meals cost pennies.

www.bbc.co.uk

A massive decline in migratory fish populations
"A jaw-dropping new study found a catastrophic 81% decline in the global population of migratory freshwater fish over the last 50 years.
That bears repeating: 81% of the fish are gone.
In some regions, the decline has been more than 90%. One quarter of these species could disappear entirely."

https://environmentamerica.org/arizona/updates/a-massive-decline-in-migratory-fish-populations/?pg=33

 

[lenny]

Household energy bills fall but may not go much lower

Price cap: Household energy bills fall but may not go much lower

Bills for homes using a typical amount of gas and electricity will drop by £11 a month.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Woosh]

Household energy bills fall but may not go much lower

Under Contracts for difference, goverment agrees a strike price with generators, if the distributors (eg Octopus) pay a higher price to the generators (eg Ørsted ), government will get most of the difference. The reverse also applies if the distributors pay less than the strike price, goverment will subsidise the difference.
The system will gradually remove the role of expensive marginal pricing based on gas generated electricity from 90% in recent years to 10% by the end of this parliament. It is expected that CFDs will bring the price that consumers pay for electrity to the level of the strike price as renewables become the biggest part of the supply.

Strike prices by technology (from Allocation Round 6, Sept 2024)

• Solar PV: ~£50.07/MWh
• Onshore wind: ~£50.90/MWh
• Fixed-bottom offshore wind (new): ~£58.87/MWh
• Floating offshore wind: ~£139.93/MWh
• Tidal stream: ~£172/MWh

The levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from new Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs) is typically:

• £90–£120/MWh (mid-range estimate from BEIS data, 2023–2025)
• Can spike higher in crises (e.g., >£200/MWh in 2022)

 

[MikelBikel]

 

[MikelBikel]

Bending the blade of the biggest hedge trimmer on earth. So Green, so sustainable, oops broke it..
Straight to landfill!

Transporting turbine blade

youtube.com

 

[saneagle]

According to this, Jaguar registrations in Europe have completely collapsed, with only 49 cars registered in April. I suspect that the fact is true, and commentators are blaming their woke marketing campaign that would have put off a load of Jeremy Clarkson types; however, I reckon it's more to do with pre-registrations, which seems to have expanded massively as a way to fake reaching sales targets.

Jaguar sales collapse 97 percent in Europe amid controversial rebrand and EV transition

Jaguar faces a steep sales decline following a radical rebrand in November 2024, with European registrations plummeting 97.5% in April 2025. The shift to an all-electric, ultra-luxury brand, coupled with a controversial marketing campaign and the absence of new EV models, has alienated long-time...

m.economictimes.com

 

[Woosh]

According to this, Jaguar registrations in Europe have completely collapsed, with only 49 cars registered in April. I suspect that the fact is true, and commentators are blaming their woke marketing campaign that would have put off a load of Jeremy Clarkson types; however, I reckon it's more to do with pre-registrations, which seems to have expanded massively as a way to fake reaching sales targets.

Jaguar sales collapse 97 percent in Europe amid controversial rebrand and EV transition

Jaguar faces a steep sales decline following a radical rebrand in November 2024, with European registrations plummeting 97.5% in April 2025. The shift to an all-electric, ultra-luxury brand, coupled with a controversial marketing campaign and the absence of new EV models, has alienated long-time...

m.economictimes.com

It could be one way of clearing stock of old models. Lots of manufacturers do that. They pre-register then discount them quietly through platforms like autotrader or ebay. Teslas have new batteries, all 2026 EVs will have massive boost in performance and range in the autumn for the same money.

 

[lenny]

Will there be a drought where I live?

UK dry weather 2025: Will there be a drought where I live?

We take a look at river, reservoir and groundwater levels after a particularly dry few months.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[MikelBikel]

Inside Mahindra EV factory. A bit cheesy but it shows how India is competing against China for the future of car making.

@MikelBikel, that factory runs on green electricity, power factor 0.98 so not generating much harmonics, has storage batteries on site recycle and treat water on site. Metal waste is reprocessed in a week. Each EV saves 42% carbon footprint compared to older factories.

I like the reduction of pollution, and the recycling..
But since the "karbon footprint" is totally immaterial, co2 is the gas of life, it makes the other bits irrelevant.
And I wouldn't necessarily believe the hype either..

India's industrial growth slumps to 1.2% in May 2025, lowest in nine months

India’s industrial production growth slowed sharply to 1.2% in May 2025, the lowest in nine months, as output in the manufacturing, mining, and power sectors weakened significantly, according to official data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO)

www.firstpost.com

While it was purported to be 3.8% in 2023..

"There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics "

"Hundreds of millions of people in India are continually exposed to toxic air:[1]they inhale, for example, a 24-hour average of up to 25 micrograms/cubic metre of air of the deadly, microscopic pollutant, PM 2.5—far above the World Health Organization’s (WHO) limit of 10 micrograms/cubic metre. "

Tackling Industrial Pollution in India: Where is the Data?

Tackling Industrial Pollution in India: Where is the Data?

www.orfonline.org

Vs. ONE "clean" factory

 

[Woosh]

I like the reduction of pollution, and the recycling..
But since the "karbon footprint" is totally immaterial, co2 is the gas of life, it makes the other bits irrelevant.

it's clear that CO2 is good if we have the chloroplasts in our cells but we don't. You could die breathing in just 2% of CO2 in a couple of minutes. So CO2 is not good for humans.

Vs. ONE "clean" factory

they clearly need a lot more clean factories than that showroom of a factory.
Do you know that worldwide sales of BEVs are increasing twice as fast as hybrids while ICE cars are retreating? Like millions of Brits, I happen to have some BP shares that I bought years ago. A couple of weeks ago, there were rumours of possible takeover of BP by an oil giant, presumably Shell or Aramco or Exxon. Those rumors have died with the general consensus that oil companies are not doing well without wars and demands for oil has peaked. BP shares lost 21% of their value in the last year.

 

[saneagle]

You could die breathing in just 2% of CO2 in a couple of minutes. So CO2 is not good for humans.

You could die breathing air with no CO2 in it. To die from CO2 poisoning, the level would have to be much higher than 2%. You start to have serious reactions at about 10%. The HSE guidelines are 1.5% for short-term exposure, but you wouldn't die from it.

CO2 Concentration	Health Effects
<1000 ppm	Limited or no health effects
1000 ppm-2500 ppm	Fatigue, loss of focus and concentration, uncomfortable ‘stuffy’ feeling in the air
2500 ppm-5000 ppm	Headache, drowsiness, tiredness
5000 ppm-40000 ppm	Violates OSHA requirements, severe headaches, slight intoxication depending on the exposure time
40000 ppm-100000 ppm	IDLH (Immediately dangerous to life or health), dizziness, increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing; seizures and loss of consciousness after prolonged exposure
>100000 ppm	Loss of consciousness within minutes, coma, risk of death

 

[lenny]

 

[Woosh]

You could die breathing air with no CO2 in it. To die from CO2 poisoning, the level would have to be much higher than 2%. You start to have serious reactions at about 10%. The HSE guidelines are 1.5% for short-term exposure, but you wouldn't die from it.

CO2 Concentration	Health Effects
<1000 ppm	Limited or no health effects
1000 ppm-2500 ppm	Fatigue, loss of focus and concentration, uncomfortable ‘stuffy’ feeling in the air
2500 ppm-5000 ppm	Headache, drowsiness, tiredness
5000 ppm-40000 ppm	Violates OSHA requirements, severe headaches, slight intoxication depending on the exposure time
40000 ppm-100000 ppm	IDLH (Immediately dangerous to life or health), dizziness, increased heart rate, sweating, difficulty breathing; seizures and loss of consciousness after prolonged exposure
>100000 ppm	Loss of consciousness within minutes, coma, risk of death

I was fact checking your table when I came across this interesting video, posted 7 years ago. In view of recent trump bombing Iran, I wonder how soon the Iranians are going to make their nuclear weapons.
This series of videos was released 7 years ago.
That mockup small nuclear munition is 15cm in diameter and can still kill a city of the size of Nagasaki.

 

[MikelBikel]

So Green, so sustainable, so safe.. oops RIP

Death after 'heavy machinery incident' at major wind project

Incident at Queensland wind power project reportedly involved a piece of heavy machinery

www.rechargenews.com

 

[MikelBikel]

Are EV chargers to blame for high petrol prices? | Auto Express

The Competition and Markets Authority’s new report shows wide retailer margins continue to keep fuel prices high

www.autoexpress.co.uk

"PRA] members are finding charging points take a long time – as long as 8-10 years – to recoup the initial cost associated with them. In fact, in some areas of the country it can cost £1.2 million just to ensure a correct level of power is being delivered.”
My goodness, this is derikulous!