The impact of green energy.

Grammaretto
*Everything we do or use seems to be implicated in either damaging the environment^
Sorry for the partial quote , but my 6 year olds argued that rinsing the plastic cartons was wasting water but not rinsing them they would be smelly and spread disease.

Good on your gt nephew!

I know plenty of people involved in renewable energy here in Scotland where our targets are being reached I believe.
Heriot Watt University is at the forefront of innovation if your DGC are looking for a place to study.

We used to subscribe to the Ecologist magazine but found it too depressing. Everything we do or use seems to be implicated in either damaging the environment or making weapons of war.

Whitewavemark2

M0nica

Whitewave Can your son store enough electricity in his battery tosupply a small town for threemonfhs? This is what will
Be required for wind or solar to be included in baseload. Thebigger the battery, the bigger the danger of explosion and the bigger the explosion.

Never underestimate, technology. The ability to store electricity safely is not as far away as you appear to be implying.

Energy is much cheaper to store as a stable commodity, coal, gas or in the future hydrogen, energy density of any battery is pretty poor.
Since the advent of Lithium technology improvement has been very slow, a Tesla battery is just hundreds of torch batteries connected together, other technologies have not progressed - yet.

grandMattie

What bothers me is where the materials used to make these come from.

Same place as we get materials for cars, washing machines etc etc, which take far far more if the earths resources!

M0nica

Whitewave Can your son store enough electricity in his battery tosupply a small town for threemonfhs? This is what will
Be required for wind or solar to be included in baseload. Thebigger the battery, the bigger the danger of explosion and the bigger the explosion.

Never underestimate, technology. The ability to store electricity safely is not as far away as you appear to be implying.

What bothers me is where the materials used to make these come from.

Nuclear is no answer to the pressing need for reduction in CO2 production. It’s too slow and too expensive. The UK claimed to be going to build 8 new nuclear stations in 2010. How are we doing? One was started in 2016 and will start delivering electricity some time in the 2030s. That’s it.

M0nica

David49 I am in complete agreement . There was an error in the last line of my last post. For 'electricity' read 'nuclear'

They were discussing “Space Solar” beaming it back to earth on news today, apparently they have calculated that it only has half the carbon footprint of current solar.
Both Wind and Nuclear currently have half the carbon foot print so no advantage. Nuclear Fusion would be a big step forward but it seems as far off as ever despite many projects to make it work.

David49 I am in complete agreement . There was an error in the last line of my last post. For 'electricity' read 'nuclear'

M0nica

Whitewave Can your son store enough electricity in his battery tosupply a small town for threemonfhs? This is what will
Be required for wind or solar to be included in baseload. Thebigger the battery, the bigger the danger of explosion and the bigger the explosion.

No batteries are only going to spread the load extending the day not over a number of days, the base load needs to be supplied by nuclear, the French have been doing it for decades.

If we are ever going to have a green hydrogen fuel source electricity has got to be increased exponentially, that’s going to take a lot of commitment for a lot of years.

Sarnia When one of my sons was in 6th year he produced a project on windpower. The school contacted us as they felt it was a very viable project for energy production. They wanted to submit the details for a patent but t didn't have funds and neither did we. That was 35 years ago. That son went to Uni for engineering. Wave power has been very slow to be developed.

Whitewave Can your son store enough electricity in his battery tosupply a small town for threemonfhs? This is what will
Be required for wind or solar to be included in baseload. Thebigger the battery, the bigger the danger of explosion and the bigger the explosion.

valdavi

David, that's really bringing it down to "What's in it for me?" level but I wish everyone had your attitude & didn't just see "climate change" & read "Woke" & start clutching at a load of climate-change denier myths as a knee-jerk reaction.

Yep, I don’t mind being an eco warrior if the price is right only a fool “ Tilts at Windmills” pun intended.

Perhaps I am different I follow government policy, unlike many others who are determined to fight against it.

BlueBelle
^ Just be glad he’s got a job^

I congratulated him enthusiastically!

There's always someone with something negative to say. I'm sure a lot of the old turbine will be recycled., after all, we can recycled all sorts of things now.

My son stores electricity generated by his solar panels in a battery

David, that's really bringing it down to "What's in it for me?" level but I wish everyone had your attitude & didn't just see "climate change" & read "Woke" & start clutching at a load of climate-change denier myths as a knee-jerk reaction.

For the firsit twenty years of his retirement DH was involvedin the installation of offshore wind turbines.But he had no illusions about the contribution they could make to our energy needs

like solar they are dependent on sun and wind and these cannot be turned on and off like gas or biomass. When we need power most they are leasr available. Battery storage like nuclear fussion is always just over the horizon. Until then we need gas and much more nuclear energy.

Babylon

There's a very interesting app called Inconvenient Facts. Everything has links to sources. I do fear that man is getting above himself thinking he can 'save the planet'. Science is never settled; I learned that when training to be a teacher.
CO2 is the gas of life and the vast majority comes from ocean release.
It's also worrying that there was an article on the think tank website of Chatham House stating that 50% of countries have admitted to some form of geo engineering. I think that man doth tinker too much. It's not going to end well. We have had warming periods throughout the ages without apocalyptic endings.

I dont rule out any opinion, however the majority opinion is man made Climate Change, so I will go with the flow for now and take advantage of any promotion schemes offered. We are paying a lot out in green taxes hope I can get some back.

The big wind turbine makers are already committed to recycling blades. And getting into action orsted.co.uk/insights/from-the-front-line-of-climate-action/meeting-the-global-challenge-of-blade-recycling-with-a-scalable-solution

@Babylon Natural CO2 emissions are roughly in balance. It’s fossil fuel burning that is increasing the CO2 in the atmosphere. You’re just spouting standard anti-climate change misinformation.

There's a very interesting app called Inconvenient Facts. Everything has links to sources. I do fear that man is getting above himself thinking he can 'save the planet'. Science is never settled; I learned that when training to be a teacher.
CO2 is the gas of life and the vast majority comes from ocean release.
It's also worrying that there was an article on the think tank website of Chatham House stating that 50% of countries have admitted to some form of geo engineering. I think that man doth tinker too much. It's not going to end well. We have had warming periods throughout the ages without apocalyptic endings.

25Avalon

Actually in a way it’s back to the past when we harnessed and used wind and water for free sustainable energy. It’s now modern tech but there are a few concerns such as building pylons to transfer the power, and the destruction of birds which fly into them. Most concerning is the green tariffs which skew the whole picture. When wind turbines are turned off because there is enough power in the system the energy company receives compensation and can then sell the nonexistent electricity on. There is corruption everywhere sadly.
I did read the government are considering allowing householders to have 30ft turbines in their back gardens. We looked at having a turbine a few years back but it wouldn’t work on our property.

It's 30 METRES not 30 feet that Miliband is keen the government supports. Agree with everything else you've written There's also of growth of battery storage facilities marring the landscape. The lack and therefore cost of vital cable (and more importantly where/how the metals are sourced and the noxious fumes/environmental damage caused in the manufacture). It remains on wide scale development such as is happening in Scotland there ain't much clean about green and we're being sold an expensive nightmare not a dream.

Small wind turbines, even if 10m tall are very inefficient unless in ideal conditions, it’s the large turbines that are slow speed that generate worthwhile power, especially offshore with higher wind speed

Mollygo My grandson has worked on the windfarms since he was 17 and worked in various other countries. It’s actually quite a cut throat business just like the oil and gas industry and blooming hard, cold, heavy work. They deserve what they get
Just be glad he’s got a job

Actually in a way it’s back to the past when we harnessed and used wind and water for free sustainable energy. It’s now modern tech but there are a few concerns such as building pylons to transfer the power, and the destruction of birds which fly into them. Most concerning is the green tariffs which skew the whole picture. When wind turbines are turned off because there is enough power in the system the energy company receives compensation and can then sell the nonexistent electricity on. There is corruption everywhere sadly.
I did read the government are considering allowing householders to have 30ft turbines in their back gardens. We looked at having a turbine a few years back but it wouldn’t work on our property.