Was, not is. We just had a storm, which changed a few things.

 

No it isn't. Right now the UK is generating 20.57 Gwatts from wind power.

 

In the last twenty four hours the average power generated by wind has been 21.1 Gwatts which is 61% of our total power demand.

 

 

 

This website shows power sources to grid, every five minutes.

 

https://grid.iamkate.com/

 

National grid is paying £08.37 per kilowatt hour for the energy. When the wind isn't blowing it is more like £0.20 to £0.30 per kilowatt hour.

 

It works most of the time, but when it is calm we need to have 25 Gwatts of gas turbine power ready to fire up. That is where I diverge from that dolt Miliband who thinks we can run during a winter high pressure event for three weeks on battery power.

Standing charge to be scrapped for some new tariffs to give low user consumers more choice and slightly cheaper bills.

First time foe some 300 pages or more for a post on the line of the actual thread heading.

#6875 tried its hardest, but drowned out by drone wars!

Five energy companies have now racked up £240 BILLION in profits since 2020

"Obscene"

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2024/07/26/energy-companies-profits/

National Grid profits underscore case for public ownership of energy

https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2024/november/national-grid-profits-underscore-case-for-public-ownership-of-energy

 

 

British Gas profits leap from £72m to £751m in a year

Unite union says UK energy supplier’s bumper results ‘come off the back of exorbitant energy bills’

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/15/british-gas-profits-energy-bills-centrica

Kretinsky’s UK gas power plants made bumper profit after energy crisis

Companies controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky own power stations in Hull, Devon and Northern Ireland.

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/kretinsky-s-uk-gas-power-plants-made-bumper-profit-after-energy-crisis-b1196878.html

Britain Promised Clean Energy, but It Still Needs Oil

The government wants to rapidly replace oil and natural gas with renewable energy projects, but offshore wind and other alternatives are still in their early stages.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/business/energy-environment/britain-oil-clean-energy-transition.html

Oil giant BP to ‘significantly reduce’ investment in renewable energy for rest of decade

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/oil-giant-bp-significantly-reduce-172024247.html

Five energy companies have now racked up £240 BILLION in profits since 2020

"Obscene"

They could not have done that if our electricity was not relying on fossil fuels.

Big news!

 

Business operates to make a profit.

 

Hey - who'd have thought it?

 

I mean - why don't they work for nothing like Jesus, handing out everything for free?

 

Energy companies extract, distribute and sell a EXTREMELY valuable stuff, and they sell it cheap. I'll tell you who makes more out of energy than the oil companies - the government. Most of the cost of a gallon of petrol is tax, and the government did nothing to get the stuff out of the ground or transport it to the petrol station.

 

Fifty-one percent of the cost of road fuel is tax imposed by the government. They will soon be adding that to electricity when the mass of motoring is powered by electricity. That's a dead certainty.

 

If you can't afford it, use less of it.

 

Those who are always whining about how rich other people are should take a look at the societies that abandoned and even outlawed market economics. Soviet Russia; Mao's china; Pol Pot's Cambodia, the disaster that is Venezuela where you can't find anything to wipe your backside with. You think that you'd like that better?

 

And by the way - if you want to be richer, do something for yourself . We have people here who have never worked and spend half their posts whinging about how they don't get enough free money sent to them, and how their inheritance might affect their benefits.

 

Fking parasites! They'd starve if I was in charge - or worse.

Fking parasites! They'd starve if I was in charge - or worse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s_North_Korean_famine

They could not have done that if our electricity was not relying on fossil fuels.

 

Of course they would have. Energy is extremely valuable. Just try thinking about how life was before our species started to realise how they could take advantage of power. Ninety nine percent of people were extremely poor, they lived in cold miserable huts and toiled all the daylight hours in fields trying to scrape a bare living of a handful of peas and a few scraps of bacon fat if they were lucky. Their children died in droves and the average life expectancy was about forty. Energy changed all of that. This is why we prize it and go to great lengths to extract it. This is why it is valuable. The same would be true no matter how it was / is generated. I know a bloke who works on offshore wind farms. He is 45, and extremely well paid. He is rich and lives in a very nice house because he spends a lot of time in very hazardous work on boats in bad weather, climbing huge towers and working at extreme height in a dangerous machine on top of a giant stalk in the middle of the North Sea. After work, he lives on a boat, and his work is not 9 to 5. Long hours and then confined on a barge in the North Sea. Of course he is rich - why else would he do that? Maybe the whining lefties on here should sign up for that, or do they just prefer their free money paid out of my friend's huge tax bill. The worst complainers on here have never worked in a decade - probably more than that. They wouldn't know how.

 

The investment put into generating yesterday's average of 21 Gwatts of wind energy is absolutely huge. Barely imaginable. Do you think the product is ever going to be sold cheaply? Think again. All that horde of money spent building and maintaining the windmills must be covered, and the people who invested their money to do it, need a return. You should understand that. You invest yourself. Do you do it for nothing? Are you like Jesus handing out free fish and bread? Where do you think the money goes? The investors and the workers get it.

Of course they would have. Energy is extremely valuable. Just try thinking about how life was before our species started to realise how they could take advantage of power. Ninety nine percent of people were extremely poor, they lived in cold miserable huts and toiled all the daylight hours in fields trying to scrape a bare living of a handful of peas and a few scraps of bacon fat if they were lucky. Their children died in droves and the average life expectancy was about forty. Energy changed all of that. This is why we prize it and go to great lengths to extract it. This is why it is valuable. The same would be true no matter how it was / is generated. I know a bloke who works in offshore wind farms. He is extremely well paid. He is rich because he spends a lot of time in very hazardous work on boats in bad weather, climbing huge towers and working at extreme height in a dangerous machine in top of a stalk. The investment put into generating yesterday's average of 21 Gwatts of wind energy is absolutely huge. Barely imaginable. Do you think the product is ever going to be sold cheaply? Think again. All that horde of money spent building and maintaining the windmills must be covered, and the people who invested their money to do it, need a return. You should understand that. You invest yourself. Do you do it for nothing? Are you like Jesus handing out free fish and bread? Where do you think the money goes? The investors and the workers get them.

Household electricity prices in Europe

https://countryeconomy.com/energy-and-environment/electricity-price-household

Of course they would have. Energy is extremely valuable. Just try thinking about how life was before our species started to realise how they could take advantage of power. Ninety nine percent of people were extremely poor, they lived in cold miserable huts and toiled all the daylight hours in fields trying to scrape a bare living of a handful of peas and a few scraps of bacon fat if they were lucky. Their children died in droves and the average life expectancy was about forty. Energy changed all of that. This is why we prize it and go to great lengths to extract it. This is why it is valuable. The same would be true no matter how it was / is generated. I know a bloke who works on offshore wind farms. He is 45, and extremely well paid. He is rich and lives in a very nice house because he spends a lot of time in very hazardous work on boats in bad weather, climbing huge towers and working at extreme height in a dangerous machine on top of a giant stalk in the middle of the North Sea. After work, he lives on a boat, and his work is not 9 to 5. Long hours and then confined on a barge in the North Sea. Of course he is rich - why else would he do that? Maybe the whining lefties on here should sign up for that, or do they just prefer their free money paid out of my friend's huge tax bill. The worst complainers on here have never worked in a decade - probably more than that. They wouldn't know how.

 

The investment put into generating yesterday's average of 21 Gwatts of wind energy is absolutely huge. Barely imaginable. Do you think the product is ever going to be sold cheaply? Think again. All that horde of money spent building and maintaining the windmills must be covered, and the people who invested their money to do it, need a return. You should understand that. You invest yourself. Do you do it for nothing? Are you like Jesus handing out free fish and bread? Where do you think the money goes? The investors and the workers get it.

You should see the growth of solar panels and batteries in Australia. By this time next year, Australian homes would probably produce enough electricity for their own needs. A lot of EVs now have V2G capabilities. They store electricity produced by solar panels and returns it to the grid later. Storage battery capacity is set to double every year for the next 6 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990s_North_Korean_famine

 

Yes - like all the other communist dictatorships vast mismanagement is the main issue. It is pretty noticeable that the Korean Peninsula has two systems running on it - one a free market economy and the other a communist dictatorship. Guess which part is which from this satellite image...

 

 

 

 

This is where 'everything for free / no profits for business' leads.....

You should see the growth of solar panels and batteries in Australia. By this time next year, Australian homes would probably produce enough electricity for their own needs. A lot of EVs now have V2G capabilities. They store electricity produced by solar panels and returns it to the grid later. Storage battery capacity is set to double every year for the next 6 years.

HOT NEWS.

 

WE DO NOT LIVE IN AUSTRALIA.

 

WE DO NOT BENEFIT FROM UNINTERRUPTED SUNSHINE AND LOW LATITUDE.

 

NOBODY IS EVER GOING TO ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO EXTRACT ENERGY FROM THEIR EXPENSIVE BATTERY - USING UP THE BATTERY'S LIMITED CYCLES.

 

Edit.

A few weeks back I described the plan to build vast solar farms in the Sahara and transfer the energy to Europe via very high voltage DC cables. That is the only serious way solar can supply energy needs up here in the northern latitudes. Much of the year half of Britain is swathed in thick cloud from the Atlantic. The Romans came here in 55 BC and described Britain as a wet, dark, misty island in the huge ocean. Government after government of all stripes has allowed the population to grow through epic levels of migration far outstripping the capacity of this land to support its people. We are headed for a horrible disaster here and we brought it on ourselves. The main economic pain for people is not the cost of power - it is the cost of housing. This eats up the lion's share of the average family's income.

Household electricity prices in Europe

https://countryeconomy.com/energy-and-environment/electricity-price-household

 

I'm not sure what you are saying with that link.

 

It shows UK electricty prices as Euro 0.22 per Kwhr, Ireland as Euro 0.37 per kwhr and Germany as Euro 0.39 per kwhr. On the map, the only big countries with power cheaper than the UK are in the Balkans and Ukraine. I wouldn't fancy living in any of them to be honest.

 

Anyway - I don't think the numbers are correct. I am certainly paying more than E 0.22 per kwhr. Maybe that number is ex tax or something.

 

Of course Norway with barely any people and vast hydrocarbon resources and profits is way cheaper and so is Iceland, but they live on a raft of solidified magma floating on a sea of molten rock and have about a quarter of a million people, so I doubt they buy much gas from anybody. In Iceland, all you need do to get heat in abundance is dig a bit of a hole and put some water in it and watch it start to steam.

 

 

Why is power cheap in Iceland?

 

HOT NEWS.

 

WE DO NOT LIVE IN AUSTRALIA.

 

WE DO NOT BENEFIT FROM UNINTERRUPTED SUNSHINE AND LOW LATITUDE.

 

NOBODY IS EVER GOING TO ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO EXTRACT ENERGY FROM THEIR EXPENSIVE BATTERY - USING UP THE BATTERY'S LIMITED CYCLES.

 

Edit.

A few weeks back I described the plan to build vast solar farms in the Sahara and transfer the energy to Europe via very high voltage DC cables. That is the only serious way solar can supply energy needs up here in the northern latitudes. Much of the year half of Britain is swathed in thick cloud from the Atlantic. The Romans came here in 55 BC and described Britain as a wet, dark, misty island in the Atlantic. Government after government of all stripes has allowed the population to grow through epic levels of migration far outstripping the capacity of this land to support its people. We are headed for an epic disaster here and we brought it on ourselves. The main economic pain for people is not the cost of power - it is the cost of housing. This eats up a huge proportion of the average family's income.

Australia's enbrace of solar energy is a good example of the way forward for us. Solar cell yield is improving fast with new material science advances. We are now reaching 60% efficiency in then labs. Eventually, we won't need to bolt panels to the roof but just wire the roof and windows into the grid and the EV. I have seen video of dodecahedron balls that are wired to capture solar energy. Think of turning your gravel drive into solar capture device.

NOBODY IS EVER GOING TO ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT TO EXTRACT ENERGY FROM THEIR EXPENSIVE BATTERY - USING UP THE BATTERY'S LIMITED CYCLES.

 

They do in Denmark and apparently it is popular. There it automatically reduces their electricity bills.

 

The limited charge cycles seem to be a bit of a myth with some EVs at least. Witness the taxi operator using Nissan Leafs, constantly being put back on fast charge but still fine a decade later on their original car, which convinced them to switch to five Leafs with just one diesel for the rare very long run.

.

Don't be such a dinosaur. The UK is generating over 21 Gwatts of power right now with what you call flaps.

 

Over the last year, 31% of our electric power has come from wind. When it is there, which is mostly, it's a no brainer to use the wind. It is vastly the cheapest form of electric generation. Right now, the UK grid is buying power from all the generators at 7 pence per kilowatt hour.

 

The campaign you are running here is just stupid.

 

[ATTACH type=full" alt="61396]61396[/ATTACH]

I was wondering how they synchronise all these different Generators?

"..Synchronous Grid.. Three Phase Alternating 50hz Frequency..synchronised so that voltage swings at almost the same time.." Wikipedia

So what happens when the wind blows too little, too much, doesn't blow at all, how does it keep synced?

https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/maps-and-charts/wind-map#?model=ukmo-ukv&layer=wind-speed-and-direction ..

What happens when there is a peak demand and the wind Drops? "Oh sugar! Crank up the Gas, hydro, anything..Tell them to turn the wick up on the Neuwks".

Country needs power even when the wind doesn't blow, which means having Other generator types, and Paying for them All. Which multiplies the price. Don't know where you got your 7p/kWh. I'll have some of that please! Hehe :-)

(Is there a price that includes All the Subsidies pls?

Av price in Ireland is 35.36c/kWh Inc vat)

Never mind, your country is doing its bit for the green revolution:

 

Ionity opens Ireland's largest high powered charging station, their Dublin site represents another milestone in the country’s mission for 40% of cars to be electric by 2030.

 

LINK

.

Meanwhile, in the real world, no-one's buying Eccentric Veehikules and gov will Fine manufacturers £15,000 for each milk float they don't sell, wow!

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/opinion/365324/ev-targets-risk-destroying-uks-car-industry-good

Do ye feel "spurned" by the Gov too? :-)

I was wondering how they synchronise all these different Generators?

"..Synchronous Grid.. Three Phase Alternating 50hz Frequency..synchronised so that voltage swings at almost the same time.." Wikipedia

So what happens when the wind blows too little, too much, doesn't blow at all, how does it keep synced?

https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/maps-and-charts/wind-map#?model=ukmo-ukv&layer=wind-speed-and-direction ..

[ATTACH type=full" alt="Screenshot_20241217-112721_Chrome.jpg]61415[/ATTACH]

What happens when there is a peak demand and the wind Drops? "Oh sugar! Crank up the Gas, hydro, anything..Tell them to turn the wick up on the Neuwks".

Country needs power even when the wind doesn't blow, which means having Other generator types, and Paying for them All. Which multiplies the price. Don't know where you got your 7p/kWh. I'll have some of that please! Hehe

(Is there a price that includes All the Subsidies pls?

Av price in Ireland is 35.36c/kWh Inc vat)

Balancing fundamentals don't change that much, because the variations in demand have always had to be managed. The big change is that similarly scaled variations in supply also now need managing.

 

Pumped storage of GW scale able to come on line in seconds has been the mainstay of this in the past. The rush to battery farms also helps with rapid load variation, and is probably environmentally preferable to the generator parks that came before them.

 

The untapped flexibility resource is domestic customers: most of us care about nothing more than money, and for the right price would be more than willing to timeshift consumption. Supported by forecasting on short/medium/long timescales, there's scope for a major shift in our relationship with energy.

 

Smart meters to some extent failed because they did not give the customer the level of control that was promised.

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/12/07/storm-darragh-weather-ireland-latest-updates/

Selective Amnesia in abundance here?

How much wind juice did ye get when Darragh was blowing?

Australia's enbrace of solar energy is a good example of the way forward for us. Solar cell yield is improving fast with new material science advances. We are now reaching 60% efficiency in then labs. Eventually, we won't need to bolt panels to the roof but just wire the roof and windows into the grid and the EV. I have seen video of dodecahedron balls that are wired to capture solar energy. Think of turning your gravel drive into solar capture device.

 

Unrealisable here with our population policies. Almost a third of the households are single, often living in flats. Here they are often in tower blocks of 44 to 52 storeys, so they have no roof or drive to speak of and many of the flats face unfavourably away from any sunlight. Nor can they have EVs, since planning policy doesn't allow the provision of any parking in these developments.

 

Even as far back as 1960 a new low rise block of 24 family flats where I lived only had space and planning permission for 5 lock up garages and 2 visitor parking bays.

 

And where I live now my garage is one in a block of 50 with no electricity provision, so no chance of V-to-G. I was able to wangle my supply, but it's only a one off dodge with cannot be repeated.

 

It's a bit like automated self drive cars, all these excellent newer systems can only work if we bulldoze everything we've got now and rebuild to suit. But that, even if possible, is self defeating.

.

...and the synchronisation issue is a non-issue. Devices have to be synchronised as they connect to the grid, but once connected to the grid, they automatically stay in sync. That's just how AC power works.

 

A generator is a generator because it is 'pushing' forward against the grid's AC waveform, increasing the frequency by a tiny bit as it contributes current. A consumer 'drags' back against it, consuming current and slowing the frequency down.

 

Understanding the complexity of why that works is way too much for a post from me, and most people don't have the maths ability to understand it anyway.

Australia's enbrace of solar energy is a good example of the way forward for us. Solar cell yield is improving fast with new material science advances. We are now reaching 60% efficiency in then labs. Eventually, we won't need to bolt panels to the roof but just wire the roof and windows into the grid and the EV. I have seen video of dodecahedron balls that are wired to capture solar energy. Think of turning your gravel drive into solar capture device.

"Gravel Drive", I might go out right now and stick the multimeter probes in d drive and see what's ocurring. Uhh, zilch from d "Balls" around here! Haha :-) Jetsons Syndrome again?