ENERGY MATTERS

[Stanley]

That's what I call a reliable statistic Wendy. Lovely and I am glad it paid off off for you.
Something struck me this morning. Despite the fact that I have smart meters and BG know from hour to hour what my consumption is they still run my account on a deficit. I never bother about this, it's their choice but it struck me this morning that the debit on my account isn't taxable. I can't see how this helps them but it's curious.....

[Whyperion]

Cashflow.

Nil electric from coal, a couple of open-cast mines are marketing to the hertitage railway, etc market, so I presume it is down to one man a JCB back-hoe and a couple of 30t artics running from Northumberland. Winter electric might bring on coal usage, so stockpiles running up a little. Does British Steel use coal/coke and its own electric or does it use the grid these days?

Presumably switch in part to bio-mass (imported I think from Nordic countries and the Americas in the main).

[Tizer]

We have been looking at the figures for our solar panels,......a worthwhile investment!...

The house we are hoping to buy has solar PV panels. They didn't play any part in us choosing the house, there are lots of other reasons we went for it, but they'll be a bonus. I don't know how much of a bonus yet because we are waiting to find out when they were installed and what the tariff is. They are the property of the house owner and not one of those `rented roof' schemes - the estate agents are quick to make that distinction nowadays. There are 16 panels, so I guess it's the maximum allowable for the tariff, but - here's the downside - there are 8 facing east and 8 facing west because the roof ridge runs north-south. It'll be interesting to find out how efficient it is. At least we haven't had the capital outlay!

[Stanley]

Whatever, the fact they are there is a bonus!

[Stanley]

For the first time, over half of the electricity being generated at lunch time yesterday was from renewables and nuclear.

[Pluggy]

PV panels pointing due east or due west produce about 70% of those pointing due south. Having half of them pointing each way. It does give you a longer generation day. 16 panels is probably a 4kwp system. I'd be expecting about 3000 kWh a year out of them . in an ideal world they,d be installed prior to April 2012 which would attract the highest FIT payments of circa £1500 a year.

[Stanley]

Fingers crossed for the date Tiz!

[Tizer]

Pluggy, thanks for that explanation, 70% is better than I'd hoped for. Let's hope that they were installed before that date - it would make this old man very happy! On the other hand, I'd regard any tariff as a benefit, as we didn't have to fork out the capital for the system.

[Stanley]

You're right Tiz, it's a bonus on any terms. Plus you have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing your best for Mother Earth!

[Wendyf]

No power here since just before 1.30 this afternoon. Batteries are well charged so the freezer is running ok and we could watch the tv if we wanted to. Northern Powergrid say it should be fixed by 7pm .....they have 5 minutes! About 6 pm we had a visit from 2 engineers in 2 pick up trucks but they were from North West electricity and said it wasn't their problem as the poles have Yorkshire written all over them! Suspicion falls on neighbours down the clough who are getting building work done....
Last time this happened was back in 2012 when a local farmer knocked down an electricity pole whilst cutting silage just as the Olympic Opening Ceremony was about to start.

9.30pm and still no power.

[Stanley]

And I thought it was all centralised now Wendy. Hard luck. What a good job you aren't relying on the leccy for milking...... Frustrating!

[Wendyf]

I always enjoy a power cut! My neighbour was in the middle of shearing so he wssnt amused. It came back on just before 11pm.

[Tizer]

Ah, so you're on overhead power cables too, Wendy. That's one thing I won't miss when we move into town (well, I'll miss the wires because they're a good place for swallows, matins and owls to perch!). The power would often suffer a blip here due to animal activity - swans flying into the cables, for example. Once we were told the power was become unstable because a cow had been scratching it's bum against the pole!

[Wendyf]

We are due for an upgrade next year, still overhead though. I'm hoping that the pole in my field, which sits in the middle of my view and is slightly askew, will be replaced with an upright one.

[Stanley]

I can remember when they were putting your supply in Wendy..... Time for one of my electric pole stories I think.......

"I got so much enjoyment from the people I met as well, there was always something new to see. I was at a farm near Troon one day in 1969 to pick up a load of cattle and the man’s wife was making me a cup of tea and a sandwich in the kitchen while we waited for her husband to turn up. The farm stood on the edge of a sort of cliff which dropped down to a flat piece of land where the main road was and the sea shore was on the other side. It seemed fairly clear that at some time the land had risen and the sea had moved away from the bottom of the cliff. The farmhouse was near the edge of the cliff and the result was that the view from the kitchen window was of a short stretch of grass and then open sea as far as Arran. Only one thing spoiled the view and that was an electricity supply pole bang in front of the window. I asked her what had possessed the company to put it there and she said she didn’t know, it had been installed one day while they were on holiday and they were in the middle of a battle to get it re-located. As I stood there looking out of the window I noticed a ship out in the Clyde moving at incredible speed for its size. I pointed it out to the lady and she said it was the new Cunard liner doing its sea trials, it had been going up and down the Clyde for a couple of days. It must have been doing speed trials that day and as we watched the helm was put hard over at full speed and it made hundreds of acres of white foam as it turned. I watched it for about a quarter of an hour and it was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen in my life. Of course, I realised later it was the QEII, Cunard’s last great Atlantic liner on its trials before being accepted by the owners."

[Stanley]

See THIS for what could be promising news for people who have solar or wind power already and others who are considering it. At the moment on a sunny windy day the consumer is having to pay wind farms to go off line which is obviously crazy. Add the contemplated costs of old fashioned central generating like Hinkley Point and it begins to look as though a massive rethink is needed. Technology is changing in the generating of electricity and micro generation could be a way forwards.

[Tripps]

Interesting exchange in the Commons from Paul Flynn MP (fully paid up member of the awkward squad), and the Minister Andrea Leadsome.

"When can the House express its disdain and contempt for the rip-off decision made by a gullible Government in agreeing to buy the dearest electricity in the world from a French company and guaranteeing that price for 35 years? Only months after starting out, the project is £1.5 billion over budget and a year behind schedule. Like all other European pressurised reactors—EPRs—this one will involve vast cost overruns and long delays, and none of them has ever produced enough electricity to light a bicycle lamp. May we debate this, to address the continuing rip-off of the taxpayer for the next 50 years?"

Andrea Leadsom
I have the greatest respect for the hon. Gentleman, who has been an anti-nuclear campaigner for a long time. I respectfully say, as an ex-Energy Minister, that I just disagree with him. On average, nuclear energy provides around 20% of our electricity needs at all times, and our ageing fleet of nuclear power stations must be replaced. If we want to continue to keep the lights on, we have to take steps. This particular project protects taxpayers from the costs of budget overruns.

[Stanley]

I think Flynn is quite right. The contract should be stopped. So many things militate against it.

[Stanley]

Funnily enough David, Old Sparky in the current Private Eye has interesting things to say on the same subject. I wondered the other day whether there is a connection between the announcement of the abolition of fossil fuel cars and Hinkley Point. If all goes to plan the demand for mains leccy will soar.....

[plaques]

Just imagine all those wires stretching across the pavement on the terraced rows or perhaps by then they won't be able to afford cars.

[Tizer]

I think one of the reports said that we will need the equivalent of 10,000 more wind turbines to provide leccy for the cars. The other critical factor is having enough lithium to make the batteries, unless someone comes up with suitable batteries based on a different, more readily available metal. Not surprisingly the price of lithium is shooting up and new mines are being opened. China is one of the main sources.

[chinatyke]

...the price of lithium is shooting up and new mines are being opened. China is one of the main sources.

And they are keeping control of it for themselves!

[Stanley]

Exactly what we would have done in the days of empire!

[Pluggy]

Lithium is one of the more common elements on earth. The Tesla Megafactory in Nevada (which ls largely about producing Lithium Batteries) was built there because its handy for the Lithium mined in Nevada. Many salt flats have vast reserves of Lithium. Presently the biggest producers of Lithium are Australia and Chile, China is 3rd. ( http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the- ... world.html ) If you want to throw up your hands in horror at the questionable benefits of Lithium Ion batteries, you'd be far better kicking up a stink about Cobolt. A far rarer element and is often mined under questionable circumstances with kids and dubious working practices in war zones etc (Most of it comes from the DR of Congo). There is a small amount of Cobolt in the anodes of Litihum ion cells. (about 40% of the worlds cobolt goes into batteries, but it also used in posh steel alloys used in the aerospace industry) But of course that isn't in the title.........

If you want something else to whinge about, you could try copper, used in large quantities in anything electrical, including cars and not just electrically propelled ones. The price of that is going daft, (they don't risk life and limb nicking cable from electric railways for nothing) But because copper and electricity have been in use for over a century, that's perfectly ok. Some of the more stupid have posted pictures of huge copper mines, branded them as lithium mines and used them as an argument against Lithium Ion batteries. Lithium mines are pretty low key and are mostly evaporation lakes to concentrate the brine they pump up from under salt flats. Nothing but nothing makes bigger, uglier holes in the ground and slag heaps than copper mines. Typical modern copper ores are only 0.6% copper meaning they need to process a tonne of ore for every 6 kilograms of copper. The monster tipper trucks (400 tonnes in a single load) are usually employed in copper mines.

[chinatyke]

...the price of lithium is shooting up and new mines are being opened. China is one of the main sources.

And they are keeping control of it for themselves!

You've jogged my memory, Pluggy, it was rare earth metals that China was controlling, but I'll guess they will be controlling Lithium also.