Nextenergy Solar Share Discussion Threads

[craffert] 30/1/2025 09:19:58

The renewables industry actually needs oil...try manufacturing solar panels or wind turbine blades with no rust-proof plastic components, and see how long a turbine gearbox lasts without regular greasing.

[sleveen] 23/1/2025 17:00:48

Add pharmaceuticals too.

[tag57] 23/1/2025 13:50:17

CC2014 - everything would suggest he doesn't have a clue. He is just putting ideology about everything else.

[cc2014] 23/1/2025 10:28:57

I wonder if Milliband realises plastics and the petrochemicals industry are dependent on oil?

[nickrl] 23/1/2025 09:36:53

@Specto Its Norway that has an issue with i/c's drive up costs because they've gone to zonal pricing and all the i/c's are connected into one zone it pulls up the price in that zone. As a result Norway has blocked anymore i/c's with other countries. In the UK suppliers and generators can source cheaper leccy through the interconnectors most days as our gas generators pay a hefty carbon tax which makes them uncompetitive. Last few days with the wind drought across N.Europe then prices rise there and UK gas becomes economic.

[skinny] 23/1/2025 09:16:47

Yes - a picture speaks a thousand words.....

[chucko1] 23/1/2025 09:13:42

Is a modicum sufficient? Who the heck advises him? That said, I suspect he is not far from taking a big fall.

Remember the bacon sandwich, or worse, the Edstone? It's like something out of Veep.

[spectoacc] 23/1/2025 06:59:07

@chucko1 - I'd almost go the opposite. He's obviously got a modicum of academic ability, so how come he's so damned stupid? How can you square killing off the North Sea oil industry, with putting £18bn into unproven carbon capture? The former says (blatantly falsely) we won't need fossil fuels in the near future, the latter says we clearly do.

How is importing oil/gas from abroad, and paying pounds, and having it travel far further, better than our own already-built supply? Granted, it's a world market, but all the more reason to produce here.

It's inane - as is the rest of Labour - which makes knowing the future for ITs subject to govnt policy, diktat, and funding, somewhat tricky.

I still say it's in the price with the likes of NESF, but I'd have said that higher too.

[yump] 22/1/2025 23:30:29

Just think, if we’d gone into politics, we could all be in charge now and everything would be tickety-boo.

[cruelladeville] 22/1/2025 20:06:14

Well, I never. I had no idea Millipede actually passed an A level. To me, he just comes across as extremely thick and totally incapable of understanding anything beyond the extremely simple. Hence the decisions he makes. I can't really explain his apparent desire to carry out as much destruction to the UK economy as possible in his time in office.

[adam] 22/1/2025 18:36:45

Quite. The investment in unreliables should be matched with investment in PSH.

[kernelthread] 22/1/2025 18:16:15

You don't even need to know much science to realise that if you're thinking of replacing an essential service you better make sure the replacement is ready and working before you think about removing the old equipment.

[spectoacc] 22/1/2025 16:12:52

Indeed, and as the original post said: "Much like social media really.", the point stands.

I'm a big fan of Private Eye, their piece on Miliband and his GB Energy/Net Zero folly was bang on point. Interconnectors make our electricity more expensive, more often.

[kenmitch] 22/1/2025 10:10:21

Fair point yump. I mistakenly quoted the bit from SpectoAcc’s post. Doesn’t alter the key point though, that we both think you couldn’t be more wrong.

[yump] 22/1/2025 09:59:45

I didn’t say or imply misinformation.

Ironic. You could perhaps try reading what I put properly.

I prefer not to read constant moaning and “clever” “revelations” from journos who are sitting on the sidelines, instead of going into politics to sort it out. I guess a lot of them think they’re going to uncover a Watergate at some point.

Their excuse is always “seeking the truth”.

[kenmitch] 22/1/2025 09:22:02

Agree SpectoAcc. Surprised anyone who reads it properly could think it spreads misinformation.

[spectoacc] 22/1/2025 06:58:53

You couldn't be more wrong. One seeks truth, the other spreads misinformation & conspiracy.

[yump] 21/1/2025 23:03:06

I stopped getting private eye because apart from the funny cartoons and short funny bits of columns, its a stream of criticism of everyone and everything, from people who have not got to deal with any of the actual problems.

Much like social media really.

With the very occasional discovery of an important scandal or serious problem.

I reckon social media is like private eye spread out to the entire population, day after day. Cynical, critical, snidey, moaney, with the occasional funny pet.

[spectoacc] 21/1/2025 21:02:15

Private Eye had a good piece on the total folly of idiot Miliband, including something I'd not really considered - that the interconnectors make electricity far more expensive, because it goes to the highest bidder in times of renewables drought.

Standby gas is the only "solution" I see - renewables definitely have their place, but gas-fired can be started or shut down rapidly when needed.

[nickrl] 21/1/2025 20:58:20

@tag57 as well being well protected against 3rd party interference! Milibrain calls it energy security.

[tag57] 21/1/2025 19:32:34

Don’t worry we have interconnector cables to the rest of Europe, that should as they have plenty of wind and solar too, oh hang on……

[kernelthread] 21/1/2025 16:16:59

What other solution is there? If wind is going to make up a large percentage of your electricity generating capacity then either:
1. You ration electricity when there is no wind
2. You have a backup system to generate energy when there is no wind
3. You store energy when there is more wind power than needed and release it when there is no wind

Either 2 or 3 entails a lot of cost to cover "corner cases". Option 1 turns us into a basket case economy if sufficient electricity is not available at all times. With the transition to electric cars and electric heating, demand for electricity overall is only going to increase.
Maybe someone got the sums wrong and thought we could be more reliant on wind than we actually can be.

[cc2014] 21/1/2025 14:14:13

The low wind for multiple days in a row is definitely a challenge to overcome and I don't see any sensible economic solution.

Keeping 25Gw+ of gas maintained to be available for just 20-30 days a year makes little sense

Installing Lithium batteries (or any other sort of batteries) to shift electrons for just 20-30 days a year makes even less sense

Doubling nuclear baseload would only provide 5Gw and the cost is troublesome

Hydro and wave. Additional volumes would be insignificant.

So, that leaves Hydrogen or compressed air storage from excess renewable energy. Compressed air storage is highly inefficient and the issue with Hydrogen is that you still need a turbine or whatever to burn it, which if it's only being used for 20-30 days a year again is economically impractical.


I really am struggling with this.