Here's What You Get For £200Bn

[New Judge]

On days like today I like to take a glance at how electricity demand is being met. Here's what I discovered a short time ago:

 

https://ibb.co/JjMv7g6Q

 

A measly 1% of current demand for electricity is being met by wind generation (and solar obviously nil). And you didn't misread my heading: this has cost consumers and taxpayers a cool £200 billion.  Never mind. Mr Miliband wants to spend  four times as much again on what is quaintly termed "renewables". So that will bump it up to 4%.

Should Mr Miliband be encouraged? Or should he be persuaded to give up work and apply for sickness benefits because of "mental health problems"?

[ToraToraTora]

the world has gone radio me old china!

[Buenchico]

Past week's figures:

Coal 0.0%
Gas 40.6%
Solar 5.9%
Wind 19.6%
Hydroelectric 1.1%
Nuclear 10.9%
Biomass 8.0%
 

[Buenchico]

https://grid.iamkate.com/

[fender62]

milipede should be in a straight jacket and put in a rubber room.

[newmodarmy]

At 7:10pm  its not surprising solar was 0. But we had 11 hours if sunshine from 7am to 6pm

 

[THECORBYLOON]

A complete year might be more representative than the snapshot in time provided by NJ.

The National Grid states that in 2023, "Wind power contributed 29.4% of the UK’s total electricity generation." (Emphasis added

https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/how-much-uks-energy-renewable

[THECORBYLOON]

From the same link, renewables accounted for 41.1% of energy production in 2023.

[Buenchico]

^^^ Up to date figures for the past year:

Coal 0.2%
Gas 29.0%
Solar 5.2%
Wind 30.2%
Hydroelectric 1.3%
Nuclear 14.9%
Biomass 7.2%

(Sourced from my link above)

[DTCwordfan]

that doesn't add up to 100%.... have they forgotten hot air?

[Buenchico]

^^^ The rest is imported, DTC.

[DTCwordfan]

so its largely gas or LNG then - maybe some French nuclear?

[Buenchico]

^^^ The biggest exporter of electricity to the National Grid is France (with 7.8% of what we use), so there's almost certainly quite a lot of nuclear generation involved.

The next biggest exporter is Norway (3.8%), where hydroelectricity leads the way.

[New Judge]

“Past week's figures: “

Indeed Chris.

But there will always, always be days like today when wind provides next to nothing. Since Christmas there have been a number of spells where wind provision has been in the low single figures. At times like this, alternative sources will be required in large quantities to supplement the unreliable intermittent sources. 

For the foreseeable future, due to the abandonment of coal fired generation and successive governments’ failure to sanction suitable clean replacements (principally nuclear) that backup must come from gas.

Despite that, Mr Miliband refuses to countenance the exploitation of domestic sources and the UK now imports over 70% of its gas, principally from Norway, USA and Qatar (the latter two in liquid form in huge, diesel powered tankers).

It’s no use wind providing 50% of demand if it only supplies it on 50% of the days.

[THECORBYLOON]

CHRIS, I seen those percentages but didn't use them because the  gigawatt figures make no sense for a year's use.

[vulcan42]

Only the Uk would rely on its energy renewal on an intermittant source. For a country surrouned by water that hydroelectric figure is ridiculous.

[New Judge]

"CHRIS, I seen those percentages but didn't use them because the  gigawatt figures make no sense for a year's use."

But you miss the point, Corby.

Tonight, 60% of the UK’s demand is being met by gas. It is not at all unusual for gas to be  needed to provide more than 50%. However much wind capacity the country instals, this will not change because the country has no plans for any significant alternative for reliable supply.

Imports can only provide so much because when it’s not windy here, it very often isn’t in the near Continent and those countries are not going to jeopardise their supply to meet ours.

The strategy is simply lunacy and all Mr Miliband will say is that the Grid will be “net zero” in five years’ time.

[THECORBYLOON]

The impression  you gave was the 1% costs £200 billion and claimed that four times that cost would produce 4% of renewables.

You must be aware renewables does not mean only wind so that "4%" is false and power generated by wind can be stored.

On days when there is a shortage of wind, the stored amount could be used instead.

[douglas9401]

The 'fifth biggest economy in the world' and not a pot to piss in.

Everything seems to be broken and no dosh to fix it, outside of London anyway.

Amazingly we can afford to house manky invaders in hotels we used to use for leisure though.

[vulcan42]

Surely if the wind is contributing a small percentage of power to the system, it isn't producing enough for storage.

[newmodarmy]

Maybe at very windy and sunny times these produce more than 100% of our needs so the excess is stored.