Basically gas is used as a benchmark so when it’s insanely expensive, everything else gets to also be insanely expensive, no matter the cost of production.
Except, of course, anyone exporting solar to the grid.
Except, of course, anyone exporting solar to the grid.
Or getting paid for it, even if they don't have an export meter and could send it all to the immersion heater. Solar FITs were a wheeze for the middle classes. Whether that's better or worse than a wheeze for big business is debatable. But was still a scheme that just widened inequality.
Apologies I'd forgotten how inherently simple (if complex to build) steam turbines are. Expensive to make though and they need (expensive) fuel to make the steam.
Do power station size gas turbines have a gearbox between stages or in the power take off like or are they direct drive?
The FIT tariffs may look excessive now but solar panels were very very expensive and have become cheaper due to the scale of production. The feed in tariffs (particularly in Germany) gave people the confidence to install the panels, kick-starting the mass production, and bringing prices down faster than if there was no market intervention. Without the investment in FIT tariffs solar panels would still be fewer and more expensive. This is more or less how it was explained to me at a seminar earlier this summer.
The company that owns Hornsea Windfarms publishes accounts which show their average price this year is £219 per MWh. That is market price Not a cFD price. As the link shows the vast majority from UK waters.
The Times revealed this week, Orsted, who own Hornsea 2, have not taken up their contract, and are instead selling on the open market, something you will be unlikely to hear from the BBC.
All of the electricity generated by Hornsea 2 will be sold by its parent company, Orsted A/S, the Danish state owned company, formerly known as DONG.
Their Half Year Accounts show they have been selling all of their electricity generated at an average of £219/MWh this year, up from £82/MWh last year. In a full year, this price rise means a windfall profit of £4.5bn, most of which will accrue from UK operations.
So they didn't take up their contract and are taking advantage of our ****ed market. Wheres the problem?
Every power generator outside of the South East is taking advantage after getting charged by varying degrees for years.
As said, the problem isn't the profits, they are just a symptom. The problem is the market and the reforms it needs to reflect the modern world.
Wind turbines, no one is milling anything.
Grassland (sheep grazing) can continue quite happily around/under solar, with minimal loss of yield (a bit less direct sunlight, but also better water retention, and sunlight isn’t always a limiting factor anyway). The sheep grazing cuts maintenance costs for the solar too, as means you don’t need someone trimming back the growth.
Similarly and perhaps more relevant to East Anglia, geese are also totally fine. We've also looked at perching them on landfills too. And putting turbines along the northern edge of solar farms for extra productivity.
What The BBC Did Not Tell You About Hornsea 2
Because people's agenda matter I think it is important to point out that the author, Paul Homewood, is a climate change denier.
This is what he wrote in "Conservative Woman"
"In short, although it is slightly warmer than it used to be, the UK climate has actually changed very little over the years. In particular, there is no evidence that weather has become more extreme. Heatwaves have not become more severe, nor droughts"
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/climate-emergency-not-here/
He has criticised a whole range of people, not just the BBC, for publicising climate change. From the Brexit Party to David Attenborough.
“Rather depressingly, even the Brexit Party have fallen for the climate emergency nonsense"
And
“Inevitably rising sea levels are mentioned, and Attenborough makes the bold claim that rising seas are already displacing hundreds of thousands of people from already vulnerable coastal areas.
“I have certainly never seen this claim before, and it seems pure hyperbole to me"
Read his views on Hornsea Windfarm with this in mind.
This is a very well structured piece covering efficiency, renewables and the flaws in the UK power market.
Warning. It's long and written by someone who knows quite a lot about the industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/uk-energy-crisis-time-split-power-market-michael-liebreich/
On the positive side the utterly bonkers nimbysim regarding onshore (and offshore) wind and solar should hopefully disappear.
Really?
I'm hoping most intelligent people realise the anti windfarm links are nonsense, but also be aware Hornsea 2 only became fully operational a few days ago 😉
I read the other day that with the biggest new offshore wind turbines, just one rotation of the blades generates enough energy to run a typical UK home for 24 hours.
As a long time townie resident of Mid Herts my dismay about the proposed Welwyn solar farm is that is yet another incursion on the Green Belt. Sure, there is nothing “wild” about the area but it becomes necessary to travel ever further to get to a sense of not being surrounded by human activity.
