Potus ???

[Steven P]

Not forgetting that Trump had a cosy behind closed doors one on one chat with Putin, often considered that Putin knows more about Trump than Trump knows about Putin, but also Trump can be read like a book a lot of the time. Says what he is thinking with no filters, priceless if you want to do a deal with him.

 

 

 

 

I know this won't be a mega popular idea, but said it before, the UK needs energy security - green energy is fastest to bring online, nuclear as a base load takes 25+ year (needs starting now), and taking away our reliance of foreign supplied oil and gas - considering that the foreign oil is controlled by the more interesting countries and leaders (Putin and Trump included there), and the known supplies are running down (could be a close thing, oil runs out or a meteor strike in 2032)

 

[GarethM]

9 minutes ago, Steven P said:

I know this won't be a mega popular idea, but said it before, the UK needs energy security - green energy is fastest to bring online, nuclear as a base load takes 25+ year (needs starting now).

Unfortunately that won't work, for every Kw of renewable you have to have the same in conventional sitting idle and burning fuel.

 

That's why you have gas power stations practically running 24/7 to smooth the supply and stop a rolling blackout, from a engineering and electricity supply it's better to not have wind and use solar locally.

 

I've said it many times we design/built and had magnox Calder Hall online in 3 years!.

[Steven P]

Yes, but modern UK planning and NIMBYs, nuclear power takes about a million years of local planning enquiries and objections. Think we all accept that reducing our reliance on overseas oil and gas is a good goal, and that North Sea oil and gas has a shortening limited lifespan. I know I was flippant about the meteor hitting us, but that would also just about coincide with a new nuclear plant if we pushed really really hard. Think we need to be working on that sooner rather than our kids having an "Oh Shit" moment when the gas and lights run out.

 

You won't like this bit but to utilise the green energy best, we need a transition to an electrical based society rather than a gas / oil based society - and that is going to mean electric boilers, heat pumps, cars and an equalisation of the tax on domestic energy (electricity in the UK (since this is POTUS thread, just thought I'd qualify that) is taxed at a higher rate than gas). Localised energy storage where appropriate (BESS systems or domestic 10-15kwh batteries).

 

As for local solar and wind, true, over the complete country a national strategy, distribution network, storage and control equalises differences to ensure an efficient system. That does mean we need to upgrade the infrastructure to move electrical power from generation to supply, it is a price I think we need to pay to help society transition and future proof for our children and theirs. Again better do it now rather than wait for the rest of the worlds 'Oh Shit' moment and their repowering driving the raw material prices higher still.

 

And where does this leave Trump (the current POTUS).... the US has about 5 years of proven oil and gas reserves - excluding shale gas which has an unproven quantity (could be a lot and a lot) - it is there and no one knows exactly how much, so Trump is OK, his oil paymasters will keep the dollars rolling in with shale gas... but like some in the UK and Europe, burying his head in the (shale) sand is not going to do his country any favours in the long term.

 

And then to link up a few threads, The Ukraine has large gas deposits, Greenland is suspected to have some but both have minerals that can be used to power the green energy future (batteries and so on). Might explain some of Trumps interest* in both countries - carving up the Ukraine gas reserves, and the potential from Greenland. Looking to the Iraq war, the US gained access to a lot of oil and gas from Kuwait off the back of that, going to defend a country and being paid in cheap oil is a proven strategy for the US.

 

 

Edity

* : When I say Trump, I really mean his advisors, I suspect he doesn't have the knowledge, interest or intellect to work out what his country needs, but some of the people he employs do.

Edited February 22 by Steven P

[GarethM]

From what I hear they're reopening old nuclear power plants, as they're also realising the time scale for new is daft as you just down rate a power station and won't need to swap out the fuel as much.

 

Personally, all the pwr just makes it far too complicated and electric nation is not practical, say a gas boiler is 25Kw+ for every home is a lot of electricity.

 

Low pressure town based nuclear district heating is the real solution, sealed and safe using the gas pipework infrastructure for central heating.

[Johnsond]

5 hours ago, Steven P said:

Not forgetting that Trump had a cosy behind closed doors one on one chat with Putin, often considered that Putin knows more about Trump than Trump knows about Putin, but also Trump can be read like a book a lot of the time. Says what he is thinking with no filters, priceless if you want to do a deal with him.

 

 

 

 

I know this won't be a mega popular idea, but said it before, the UK needs energy security - green energy is fastest to bring online, nuclear as a base load takes 25+ year (needs starting now), and taking away our reliance of foreign supplied oil and gas - considering that the foreign oil is controlled by the more interesting countries and leaders (Putin and Trump included there), and the known supplies are running down (could be a close thing, oil runs out or a meteor strike in 2032)

 

Pure ideological garbage from start to finish. 

[monkeybusiness]

2 hours ago, Big J said:

 

No, heatpumps are the future of heating. 25kW is almost never needed and even it it were, the 4:1 efficiency ratio of heat pumps reduces that to just over 6kWh.

 

In the middle of winter, we use about 40kWh a day to fully heat and power our house here in Sweden. It's a big house to heat as well. It's well insulated, but equally, it's nearly 70 years old with it's original double glazed windows.

 

My friend here works as a safety engineer at the local nuclear power plant. He's said that the spikes in energy production are the biggest issue with renewables, as dumping the excess electricity is problematic. So storage has to be the solution for that problem, where it's electrical (battery) or physical (water based - pumping water uphill to a reservoir in times of energy excess to allow it to power turbines on the way back downhill in times of need).

How do you create hot water (immersion heaters I guess?), and how many baths/showers a day take place in your household? 
Is your house heating underfloor or conventional radiators?

[Steven P]

25kW.... That is the power when the boiler is on max, of course there will be discrimination in the system (20 million houses arn't all turning on the bath at the same time). Heat pump heating again lowers the demand from a boiler too - the 25KW copes with heating and hot water. So it isn't quite as bad as that. 10KW is typical for a shower.

 

However there are peak demands on the system, but to make the most and cost effective use of the 'free' energy sources - free wind, free sun (after construction costs) we do need to shift that way. The network controllers can then generate with the cheapest / best fuel source according to the time of day and what is out there. As it stands if we want hot water (as a country) the gas boiler goes on, no choice in the fuel, cannot switch "it is windy, use the electric boiler instead".

 

 

Heat pumps... and hot water... since it is sunny in the day, peak solar production... we can cut back on overnight storage heating a bit and heat on demand... but needs an overhaul of domestic pricing systems to do that. It is no small task the world faces, the populations mindset also needs to think electric.

[GarethM]

What you're all believing to be a panacea solution requires more stable based load ie more nuclear.

 

Wind will never be able to support that as there will never be anywhere to store it, so they'll do what they currently do and pay to keep it off, so don't waste your money and the environment littering it with boondoggle turbines and a bigger grid to cope not with capacity but those times when it does.

 

You're system also requires 3 phase everywhere, as even with inverter drives the spikes will be massive and running mostly 24/7.

 

My domestic load is say below 150-200w would be 4000w for most of the day if you're forcing me off gas.

[Johnsond]

1 hour ago, Steven P said:

to make the most and cost effective use of the 'free' energy sources - free wind, free sun

😂😂Free, you and Milliband on the same medication. 

What happens when it’s dull, overcast and there is no wind, the exact weather conditions we have experienced loads of since Xmas ??

National grids own power generation app showed low single figure power generation for renewables on numerous occasions. 
The only way this will work is if the whole renewable gravy train is a nationalised enterprise, currently it’s a very profitable free for all. I’ve said it numerous times, Energy, Water and numerous other things should never exist to make profits for multinational corporations. 

Edited February 23 by Johnsond

[Johnsond]

1 hour ago, Big J said:

 

But as I said earlier, storage has to be looked at. Ideally, each house should be equipped with battery storage to allow for charging during periods of high production or low demand.

😳😳That’s a lot of batteries J, we can’t according to Labour afford to help pensioners never mind put a never ending supply of batteries into millions of homes. Mind you imagine the potential corporate profits on that boat. 
What happens when they need replacement??. 
Or be sensible build a rake of nuclear capacity and stick possibly a few wind farms over the horizon not on land with all the associated OH lines, pylons and substations scarring the countryside. 

Edited February 23 by Johnsond