New Diesel & Petrol Ban

[Noel]

View attachment 189316
The last 28 days above are quite typical. Alternation periods of wind and calm. Currently gas and imports make up the shortfalls.
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Over the last year (as above).

So - The more renewable we generate the less expensive gas we need to buy.

We could generate more wind power but that gives us the problem of what to do with the excess when we get more than we need.

Lots of things are being tried. Pumping water up hill, compressing air, heating sand, batteries, hydrogen.

The problem is that the energy to store is immense and we need to be able to hold about 3 weeks worth. We used to store piles of coal but no more, we used to store gas in gasometers till the IRA intervened. I doubt we will arrive at a one size fits all solution, but we will find a solution. I am very confident of that as there is so much money to be made by those who back the right horse or horses.

I thought the gasometers were no longer needed once N Sea gas became more available? Granted one in the Warrington attacks was destroyed as far as I recall.

 

[Jake]

Would you consider it an authoritarian belief that led to a policy that no manufacturer will be permitted to sell a car with an internal combustion engine after a certain date?

No. It isn't.

 

[Thingybob]

I am just waiting, patience is a virtue. We have just switched off our very last coal fired electric generating plant that provided a really decent chunk of the UKs electrical needs. It’s gone, never to return. So, we now rely heavily on wind (c30% and increasing) and solar (4% and increasing) that wonderful natural resource that never ends…..apart from on days when it doesn’t blow and when the sun doesn’t shine! Of course, since we are running at over 85% of generating capacity, if the wind doesn’t blow it won’t be an issue to make up the extra generating capacity required….with???.??
Now what happens if the grid cannot provide the power demand? Well it’s not the case that the lights just dim a bit, the whole network shuts down and needs a restart. The lights go out, and that takes time.

Now granny and grandad who have converted or live in a house with either air or ground source, bought an electric car will fully understand why they are freezing to death and can’t get an emergency vehicle to take them to hospital, as they too are all now electric and can’t drive to hospital with a heart attack or having fallen as their car is also electric. I forgot, they won’t have the winter fuel allowance so they won’t have the heating on anyway!

Hence we don't need the coal fired plant so switch it off oaps won't be using as much electricity so it's not needed

 

[paulrbarnard]

Has no one seen the obvious cause and effect here? They have had to shut down the coal power station because pensioners can no longer afford to pay for electricity.

 

[NickDReed]

No. It isn't.

Does a policy mandated by a government that limits or removes the freedom of individuals not seem authoritarian?

 

[Spectric]

Authoritarian is where a governing body dictates to people that they must do this and you have no say in the matter. Removing peoples freedom to choose is taking the authoritarian stance even when the excuse given is that we know better than you and it is in your best interest.

 

[Jake]

Does a policy mandated by a government that limits or removes the freedom of individuals not seem authoritarian?

This is like debating 12 year old civics. The whole idea of an organised society imposes limits on freedom of individuals. That's impossible to avoid unless you think the cannibals and sadistic mass murderers previously used as an example should be completely free to do as they like. They are individuals too.

This has nothing at all to do with the political science definition of authoritarianism.

 

[Jake]

Authoritarian is where a governing body dictates to people that they must do this and you have no say in the matter. Removing peoples freedom to choose is taking the authoritarian stance even when the excuse given is that we know better than you and it is in your best interest.

Not you as well. It is not authoritarian for a democratically elected government to implement a policy for which it has a mandate even if that restricts peoples' freedom to choose. We know better than cannibals and mass murderers, right? We think we know better and that it is in their (and our) best interest not to be able to eat and sadistically kill some of the rest of us. They obviously disagree but there is a democratic consensus that they should not be able to exercise their freedom of choice.