Bad bad things are going on in Norway these days. Please spread the word.

[Janne]

Those state built plants, are they operated as private companies, after being sold for a fair market price?

That would be ok I think, but I have always hated seeing the money nicked by the governments from me being wasted.

We (tx and duty payers) just payed 68 million to rebuild our airport here. Parts of it flooded during the first tropical rain after they finished it.......


The explanations and excuses were typical governments. Lame, assuming the popuation share one braincell.

 

[demographic]

There is actually a ban in place for building turbines in the UK. Didn't know that. Cameron's makeshift government brought it in and May advanced the date. A great step forwards towards a zero carbon economy. Leadership, eh? Seems these people are happy to do anything, appease anyone to get themselves elected.

Eh? Whatchotalkinaboutwillis?
There's no ban on new windfarms up here, new wind turbines going up in Scotland all the time and especially offshore.
Less so in England but as far as I know the govenmennt just cut the feed in tarif so they don't get as good a price.

 

[GuestD]

"
WWF Scotland noted that National Grid demand for October 2018 was 1,850,512MWh, almost all of which could have been provided by wind turbines. The amount of renewable wind energy produced by the turbines was enough to power almost five million homes.

WWF Scotland’s senior director Dr Sam Gardner said: “What a month October proved to be, with wind powering on average 98% of Scotland’s entire electricity demand for the month, and exceeding our total demand for a staggering 16 out of 31 days.

“These figures clearly show wind is working, it’s helping reduce our emissions and is the lowest cost form of new power generation. It’s also popular, with a recent survey also showing more and more people support turbines in rural areas. That’s why it’s essential that the UK Government unlocks market access for onshore wind at a time when we need to be scaling up electrification of heat and transport.”

The worst performing day in terms of wind energy output last month fell on 18 October and was still enough to power more than 1.5 million households. The best day (23 October) saw 105.9MWh generated, powering 8.72 million homes.

Indeed, wind generation accounted for more than 100% of all Scottish households for 27 days last month, and accounted for more than 100% of the country’s demand for 16 days.

The data was gathered by WeatherEnergy, part of a project supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme.

Severn Wye Energy Agency’s weather energy project manager Alex Wilcox Brooke added: “October’s figures are a prime example of how reliable & consistent wind production can be, with production on 16 days outstripping national demand.”

 

[Janne]

Erect more windmills and sell the excess electricity to the rest of UK!

 

[Billy-o]

I'd imagine that being seen as a dumping ground for the UK's windfarms will be a particularly knotty problem for Scottish politicians, especially given Scotlands tourist economy, and especially if the wind farms are just privately owned ventures that only a relative few benefit from.

 

[Janne]

Dumping ground?
No, good business that can bring work opportunities and good money injection into the Scottish economy?

 

[GuestD]

I'd imagine that being seen as a dumping ground for the UK's windfarms will be a particularly knotty problem for Scottish politicians, especially given Scotlands tourist economy, and especially if the wind farms are just privately owned ventures that only a relative few benefit from.

It would be worthwhile reading the Scottish government policy on renewables, and the current tourism statistics for the country (Scotland) in relationship to your opinion.

 

[Paul_B]

100% of supply? Interesting information. Does the report say anything about the supply of the wind power in relation to demand throughout the day? I'm not trying to be negative but without storage there is an issue with the cycle of demand.

I'm more than a little wary of reports by organisations whose interests are to promote wind energy. In not saying they're wrong but are they completely right?

As a theoretical problem, requirements for supply is one figure throughout the day and it's 100% matched throughout the day. But demand isn't uniform. Coronation Street comes on at whatever time that is and the surge of kettle halfway through pushes the demand through the roof. Wind power no longer provides 100% of demand. So something else is needed. Hydro, nuclear or what? If nuclear then you'll possibly not need as much wind energy.

As I said, I'm not trying to be negative just that simple figures without the full picture (even a summary of demand implications) aren't very useful except at self promotion by the industry promoting themselves.

What can I say? I'm a cynical person! Not who I want to be but I just question things a bit too much perhaps.

 

[Tengu]

I hear they build little oil fueled stations to supply the demand on calm days.

 

[Paul_B]

Gas too. Been good to me over the years. I worked in a company supplying parts to gas fuelled power stations around the world.

 

[GuestD]

100% of supply? Interesting information. Does the report say anything about the supply of the wind power in relation to demand throughout the day? I'm not trying to be negative but without storage there is an issue with the cycle of demand.

I'm more than a little wary of reports by organisations whose interests are to promote wind energy. In not saying they're wrong but are they completely right?

As a theoretical problem, requirements for supply is one figure throughout the day and it's 100% matched throughout the day. But demand isn't uniform. Coronation Street comes on at whatever time that is and the surge of kettle halfway through pushes the demand through the roof. Wind power no longer provides 100% of demand. So something else is needed. Hydro, nuclear or what? If nuclear then you'll possibly not need as much wind energy.

As I said, I'm not trying to be negative just that simple figures without the full picture (even a summary of demand implications) aren't very useful except at self promotion by the industry promoting themselves.

What can I say? I'm a cynical person! Not who I want to be but I just question things a bit too much perhaps.

you could spend the rest of your life reading the arguments for and against. The next step to stabilise demand is large battery storage,

https://arcusconsulting.co.uk/major-battery-storage-application-submitted-perth-and-kinross/

this attracts a whole load of different protesters. There is always a majority who will tell you what they don't want, but never what they do want with regards to the betterment of future like life. Before moaning about a battery store, it was farmers with polytunnels that were the problem, they're getting a rest now. Once the battery store is completed, there will be something else that warrants the attention of the professional busybodies. And you say you're cynical ?

 

[petrochemicals]

"
WWF Scotland noted that National Grid demand for October 2018 was 1,850,512MWh, almost all of which could have been provided by wind turbines. The amount of renewable wind energy produced by the turbines was enough to power almost five million homes.

WWF Scotland’s senior director Dr Sam Gardner said: “What a month October proved to be, with wind powering on average 98% of Scotland’s entire electricity demand for the month, and exceeding our total demand for a staggering 16 out of 31 days.

“These figures clearly show wind is working, it’s helping reduce our emissions and is the lowest cost form of new power generation. It’s also popular, with a recent survey also showing more and more people support turbines in rural areas. That’s why it’s essential that the UK Government unlocks market access for onshore wind at a time when we need to be scaling up electrification of heat and transport.”

The worst performing day in terms of wind energy output last month fell on 18 October and was still enough to power more than 1.5 million households. The best day (23 October) saw 105.9MWh generated, powering 8.72 million homes.

Indeed, wind generation accounted for more than 100% of all Scottish households for 27 days last month, and accounted for more than 100% of the country’s demand for 16 days.

The data was gathered by WeatherEnergy, part of a project supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme.

Severn Wye Energy Agency’s weather energy project manager Alex Wilcox Brooke added: “October’s figures are a prime example of how reliable & consistent wind production can be, with production on 16 days outstripping national demand.”

In October, it supplies about 15 percent of scotlands needs, but given that house heating, cars and chip fryers run on gas and oil it's not very reassuring. Times the numbers of windmills by 5 and you will be approaching the number. Add another 5 times for loss of energy during storage and conversion. A gas powered heater is90 percent efficient for heating, electric has all sorts of inneficiencies.

 

[santaman2000]

So far the issue of battery storage has only been discussed as a technical limitation. Nobody’s mentioned the green issues with storage batteries yet; how rough on the environment is their production and disposal?

 

[Paul_B]

Too right you can argue the matter. The only truth is we'll get to see what happens only once it has. Looking back you won't necessarily know any more than looking forward what the truth of the matter is.

Climate disaster and species extinction or just a readjustment? What's the outcome of doing nothing, little, nearly enough or everything? What's acceptable?

Few facts come from vested interest. Those facts are often misinterpreted. And that's from all sides of the debate. What's a dumb schmuck like me supposed to believe? What we see I guess but that's too late.

 

[Janne]

I read about the storage problems and plans. Sounded feasible and well, but I too wondered about the envirnment issues in mining and manufacture.

Countries that have serial multiple hydro dams apparently can pump water back up from a lower dam as energy storage!

I remember an article from years abo about loss of electricity over distances. This is one if the problems in Sweden, our hydro plants are usually far away from the need.
Hence the placement of the nuclear power plants.


Interesting future is awaiting the World!
Lot of species will disappear, and new ones will emerge.

 

[Tengu]

How about we remake some?

I for one, would find Auroch very tasty.

And they live in forests.

 

[Paul_B]

How about we remake some?

I for one, would find Auroch very tasty.

And they live in forests.

Bos Taurus Primogenius? Isn't that like Windermere? Two words for cattle or bull just like two words for body of water or lake. Cattle Bull First-of-its-kind?

Did Carl Linnaeus not use exclusively Latin in his taxonomy of the natural world? If so then how can they use the ancient Greek word "bos"?

 

[Janne]

Latin for Cow, the allknowing internet tells me.

He used Latin because it was the Lingua Franca for scientists and learned people at that time.

I think that Britain needs to plant a bit more widespread forests before reintroduction of animals. A Danish guy has started in Scotland already.

European Bison would be good to reintroduce all over Europe.

 

[Paul_B]

Bos is actually ancient Greek but the romans took a lot of Greek words so it means the same in Latin apparently but it's really ancient Greek. Taurus is Latin.

The Greek for cow and cattle is actually one of the few words I remember from my Greek gcse! I think it's still a shame they stopped insisting on a classical language qualification before acceptance to university. They're an intellectual subject

 

[vestlenning]

Wind turbines? Before the age of fossil fuels we were a lot fewer and our footprint were a lot smaller, when the oil etc "runs out" we will return to that state. The world seems to be powered by technology but technology depends on cheap energy and fossil fuels are the cheapest large scale energy source mankind has ever been able to utilize. Unfortunately the Earth is a finite planet and fossil fuels are getting harder and harder to get hold of, at some point the stuff will become too expensive and we're in for very different times. Grim prospect for us humans but I bet many of our coinhabitants are hoping for this next age to hurry up and arrive.