By registering with our site you will have full instant access to:
268,000 posts on every subject imaginable contributed by 1000's of members worldwide.
25000 photos and videos mainly relating to the British Merchant Navy.
Members experienced in research to help you find out about friends and relatives who served.
The camaraderie of 1000's of ex Merchant Seamen who use the site for recreation & nostalgia.
Here we are all equal whether ex Deck Boy or Commodore of the Fleet.
A wealth of experience and expertise from all departments spanning 70+ years.
It is simple to register and membership is absolutely free.
N.B. If you are going to be requesting help from one of the forums with finding historical details of a relative
please include as much information as possible to help members assist you. We certainly need full names,
date and place of birth / death where possible plus any other details you have such as discharge book numbers etc.
Please post all questions onto the appropriate forum
-
29th November 2020, 11:55 AM
#1
UK National Grid
During the summer the Greens mad a big issue that the UK had gone 55 days without a coal fired power station supplying electricity. This was the future, get rid of old smelly coal, the future is wind power.
A local photographer, posted an image of Ratcliffe Power station, showing the vapour from the cooling towers being penetrated by sunlight, I thought it was an old picture as the station although operational has reported to not have supplied power to the grid or many months.
The picture was recent and on checking the grid status, the following is listed as supplying electricity:-
Wind 0.81GW
Solar 0.8 GW
CCGT 20.4GW
Nuclear 6.05 GW
Coal 0.5GW
Just under 4GW is imported from Franc and Holland
So much for green energy, need to buy a stock of candles and pariffin.
regards
Vic
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
30th November 2020, 05:12 AM
#2
Re: UK National Grid
WE have similar problem here in Oz.
The Greens think we should all sit under a Coconut tree weaving grass skirts.
Fact is both solar and wind are totally reliant on weather conditions, nothing that relies on such can be succsesfull, ask the old sailing ships often stuck for lack of wind.
In the mast developed countries, Singapore, Sweden and a few others they burn household rubbish to run power stations.
If the Greens were as smart as they claim they would realize this is two fold.
Most such rubbish is buried in land fills where it creates Methane as it decomposes, so burning is a far better option.
But without coal at present steel cannot be manufactured from Iron ore.
Without steel then you cannot make wind turbines or solar panels.
But the greens are very wise they claim, went to a high school up on a hill.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
30th November 2020, 10:01 AM
#3
Re: UK National Grid
Every time plans for an incinerator plant are unveiled here the Greens are up in arms and the plans are eventually cancelled.
Greens have no credible plans on how to generate power.
Vic
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
30th November 2020, 11:18 AM
#4
Re: UK National Grid
Originally Posted by
Victoria Moss
Wind and Hydro down here John 100% renewable now, even export our excess to you guys up there.
Alas they are not carbon free, as all the components, foundations, etc required manufacturing processes and will continue to do so, no such thing as carbon free power. Decisions are being made by people who are not on top of their brief, or if they are are ignoring the true facts for political gain and a moment of misguided glory. In the UK we have had at least three ministers of transport who could not drive, never owned a car and thought that every part of the country, especially in the countryside enjoyed the same transport infrastructure as London. Electric cars may all be very well as a political solution to satisfy a vociferous minority; a motoring organisation just completed a 130 mile journey in an all electric car, it took them 9 hours! Hate to think what time my 400 mile journey to Whitby would take, currently takes 6 -7 hours (with 2 stops) on one tank of fuel, train takes 14 hours with all the changes, and coach takes 14 -16 hours with all the 'comfort' stops and driver changes. Not everyone has the facility of a private charging point, and flat dwellers with no grounds or car parking are going to need bleddy long extension leads. It is currently illegal to run a power cable from your residence across a public pavement for any reason, unless suitably guarded, so the pavements will become an obstacle course for the blind and elderly, lawyers are going to have a field day, and you can bet your bottom dollar insurance companies will not want to know you.
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
1st December 2020, 05:14 AM
#5
Re: UK National Grid
That is the problem Ivan that none of 'those' will agree to.
I am of the opinion they consider us all to be incapable of finding all this out.
there is no such thing as a free lunch and every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Dig up the iron ore, turn it into steel, same with copper, takes a lot of energy with little real reward.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
1st December 2020, 05:42 AM
#6
Re: UK National Grid
Very few greens or their supporters know that here are 2 types of coal, thermal and coking. Thermal used for power (and fires when I was young) and coking used in nearly all metals. Australia mines and exports far more coking coal than thermal
Loading at an east coast terminal in oz, started loading and I could hear the first coal loading came rattling down the shute. That told me it was thermal coal not the ccoking we should be loading. Then the note changed and got the familiar slump of sfine soft coal landing. Queried the shipping officers who all denied that it could be possible as system always cleared after every loading. Talking to a shiploader later and found out that a blue had been made and covered up, thinking 100 ton of thermal would never be noticed in 100,000 tonnes of coking.
-
Post Thanks / Like
-
2nd December 2020, 05:07 AM
#7
Re: UK National Grid
Colin, the problem is the 'Greens' only see things one way, theirs and no one else.
Until some other form is developed there is no way to produce steel from iron ore except by using coking coal.
But there is still a use for thermal coal in many parts of the globe, despite what they may say China in the northern parts of the country are still using coal fired power stations.
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
-
Post Thanks / Like
Tags for this Thread
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules