Anyone see BBC Breakfast News this morning, were they visited the National Grid’s control centre, I was surprised to see the board in the background, with the power generation figures, which showed what was being generated by each source,
Coal 40%
Gas. 33%
Nuclear 18%
Wind 6.6%
Water 1.8%
Looks like we’ve got a long way to go, if they want to get rid of coal, looking at those figures, 73 % of our energy, is reliant, on imported fuels. The only collieries, I can think off, are Thoresby, Kellingley, Hatfield, which just shows how much coal we must import, same goes for gas, makes you wonder what would happen if these supplies, were suddenly cut off. I know Drax is slowly moving over to biomass, but still, most of that is imported. Anyway, it looks like Collet’s etc, are going to be busy, for a good while yet.
Hope everyone has had a good Christmas, and a happy new year to you all, when it comes.
Imported coal works out more expensive than home produced, Blame Thatcher and Scargill for being stubborn.
Our ecconomy could have a huge boost if we restarted coal production. There would be more jobs than there are workers.
Dan Punchard:
Don’t forget all the opencast sites here in Derbyshire and up in the north east and South Wales.
I’m with you Phil,it will be a while yet, before coal is finished with…
Can’t think of any opencasts, in Derbyshire anymore Dan, there used to be quite a few didn’t there, remember, Shand’s at Rowsley, many a happy hr, taking repaired plant parts to their sites around South Wales, etc, V16 Detroit down to Blackwood Hodge, Northampton, pick up tested one for site. Shepherd Hills, they were another, British Strip Mining, like Phil says, the number of jobs, coal used to support, was immense.
Have they started to build,that nuclear station yet,at Hinckley,if so,hope most of the engineering is produced in this country, when Sizewell was built, that supported thousands of jobs for years.
Dr Dave:
I think wind and nuclear are the energy providers for the future. Hinkley C and more windmills!
And what do we do when the wind isn’t blowing? Sit in the dark and freeze??
If you visit the N E T A website you can view an up to the minute data table of what electricity is being generated from whatever source. As at 13.10 today Coal 39.5 %, Nuclear 22.8 % Wind 12.1%, Gas 11.6 %, imported from France 5.2 %. Bits and pieces making the rest. Because most of the country is on holiday today it’s a low demand day, so not much gas being used as it’s currently more expensive to burn than coal. Surprisingly coal is now the cheapest fossil fuel to burn, but also the dirtiest.
limeyphil:
Imported coal works out more expensive than home produced, Blame Thatcher and Scargill for being stubborn.
Our ecconomy could have a huge boost if we restarted coal production. There would be more jobs than there are workers.
If the market is demanding UK coal which you say is cheaper than imported, why are we not re opening all our pits in places like South Wales and The Midlands? Aside from environmental considerations, I’d love to see UK coal being mined again, but at the moment it’s not happening t a great degree and surely that’s due to cost.
There is still a hell of a lot of the stuff down there’s he potential for job creation, even with modern method is great.
I’d have thought the amount of coal the Chinese were burning each day would have increased the costs of imported coal to such a degree we would be again mining our own.
I think its down to our old friends the EU regulating the use of coal as a fuel source.
They are closing down coal powered stations left right and centre, sad as I was at Fiddlers Ferry a week or two ago picking up a flt and it employs a lot of people added to that the service industries this generates.
Up here in the land of sheep n haggis, we have the right idea. We have BUCKET loads of wind, and bucket loads of water.
So, they use the wind for generation 24x7. At off-peak times (e.g. middle of the night), when the power it generates is being wasted (as it can’t be stored), it’s diverted and used to pump water UP hills, into massive man-made reservoirs. At peak times, when the wind generation can’t meet the requirements… that water is then chucked back down the hill through massive pipes, turning huge turbines.
We currently have 2 of these, capable of generating >700MW… and another 2 currently in planning/construction, capable of up to another 1200MW.
It’s really quite clever… “pumped-storage hydroelectric”, Google it.
There’s a 45 min documentary about it available from NLS, here: ssa.nls.uk/film/2790
Chris1207:
Up here in the land of sheep n haggis, we have the right idea. We have BUCKET loads of wind, and bucket loads of water.
So, they use the wind for generation 24x7. At off-peak times (e.g. middle of the night), when the power it generates is being wasted (as it can’t be stored), it’s diverted and used to pump water UP hills, into massive man-made reservoirs. At peak times, when the wind generation can’t meet the requirements… that water is then chucked back down the hill through massive pipes, turning huge turbines.
We currently have 2 of these, capable of generating >700MW… and another 2 currently in planning/construction, capable of up to another 1200MW.
It’s really quite clever… “pumped-storage hydroelectric”, Google it.
There’s a 45 min documentary about it available from NLS, here: ssa.nls.uk/film/2790
I have seen that in action at the Dinorwig power station in North Wales, my Mum used to live in a cottage on the next hill
When it is operating and you walk over the hill/mountain you can feel the whole hill vibrating very strange sensation.
You can get a tour around the tunnels on a mini bus.
limeyphil:
Imported coal works out more expensive than home produced, Blame Thatcher and Scargill for being stubborn.
Our ecconomy could have a huge boost if we restarted coal production. There would be more jobs than there are workers.
If the market is demanding UK coal which you say is cheaper than imported, why are we not re opening all our pits in places like South Wales and The Midlands? Aside from environmental considerations, I’d love to see UK coal being mined again, but at the moment it’s not happening t a great degree and surely that’s due to cost.
There is still a hell of a lot of the stuff down there’s he potential for job creation, even with modern method is great.
I’d have thought the amount of coal the Chinese were burning each day would have increased the costs of imported coal to such a degree we would be again mining our own.
perkibre:
Anyone see BBC Breakfast News this morning, were they visited the National Grid’s control centre, I was surprised to see the board in the background, with the power generation figures, which showed what was being generated by each source,
I am not anti nuclear as such but do have the obvious concerns of what to do with the waste product.
It seems strange to me that the “spent” fuel is radio active.
If it is still radio active surely that means that it still has some energy left, although of a different kind.
Perhaps investment should be made into finding uses for the spent fuel.
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