For a UK running on 100% renewables by 2050 – or as soon as practicable before then – 100percentRenewableUK.org
BP’s decision to cut oil production by 40 per cent and shift to renewables big time by 2030 is likely to last about as long as oil prices stay fairly low, which might not be as long as people think. BP’s green programme announcement is obviously a good move to reverse the slide in its … Continue reading “Why I don’t believe BP is getting off oil and into renewables”
A massive plant that will produce ammonia from renewable energy is scheduled to be operating in Saudi Arabia in 2025. This will enable renewable energy to be stored long term and thus dispenses with any need for so-called ‘baseload power’ from fossil fuels or nuclear power.
By David Toke The UK Government could be poised to scrap commitments for a programme of energy efficiency and, alongside this, postpone programmes being proposed to boost energy efficiency of buildings. Instead the gas lobby will be given full rein. A range of Government departments and agencies trying to implement democratic comitments are being eclipsed … Continue reading “Is the ‘deep state’ undermining energy efficiency?”
By David Toke One striking fact quoted by the Committee on Climate Change in its newly published Progress Report is that: ‘while the public are generally supportive of action to tackle climate change, and 75% of people are concerned about climate change, just 35% of people report having heard of ‘Net Zero’ as a concept, … Continue reading “Why the Committee on Climate Change should target 100% renewables before net zero”
By David Toke Work is now underway on an energy storage scheme which could be the most significant energy breakthrough project in the last quarter of a century. It is the 50 MW liquid air storage plant in Manchester led by the company Highview. This (as yet small step) has a very good chance to … Continue reading “Is this the technology that makes 100 per cent energy from renewables the most practical solution?”
Here we publish a summary of our new, first, report: How nuclear power is switching off windfarms in Scotland – The truth about wind power compensation payments This report investigates the extent to which the operation of nuclear power plant in Scotland can be blamed for the large amounts spent on compensating windfarms for being … Continue reading “Nuclear Power Switches Off Windfarms”
Summary: This report investigates the extent to which the operation of nuclear power plant in Scotland can be blamed for the large amounts spent on compensating windfarms for being asked by the National Grid to shut down production. These shutdowns are done in order to stop the electricity network from being overloaded and the payments … Continue reading “How nuclear power is switching off windfarms in Scotland – The truth about wind power compensation payments”
In a decentralised energy system energy supply is mainly produced independently of centralised control. In this system balancing and energy storage take on a new, and in some ways, much more important role compared to the old paradigm of centralised dispatch. For a compact but well-rounded discussion which summarises the main options for long term energy … Continue reading “Storage and Balancing”
How we can supply all UK energy needs from renewables by David Toke A recent report from the International Energy Agency [1] has demonstrated how offshore wind power alone can supply 18 times more energy than the current world supply of electricity, including 16 times the electricity supply of Europe – with the UK better … Continue reading “100 per cent Renewable UK – An Overview”
If fossil fuels are the problem as regards air pollution in general and climate change in particular, why should they be part of the solution? The fossil fuel industry has been pushing for many years for research and demonstration programmes into schemes to have power plant capture carbon dioxide and have this stored somewhere (carbon … Continue reading “No to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)”
Transport accounts for over a quarter of energy consumed in the UK. The large bulk of that is motor vehicles, and on the European continent at least there’s a big movement for car free cities. However, while we’ve still got road vehicles, here’s some discussion, especially about opportunities for electric cars. Powering road vehicles The … Continue reading “Transport”