UK National Grid

[vic mcclymont]

Looking at th UK National Grid status as of 09:30.
Totall demand is 35gw, and of that 61% is supplied gas power stations and th wind turbines are only producing 4%. Which proves you cannot rely on the wind to solve our energy crisis.
Vic

[James Curry]

Tidal power. The tide comes in twice a day and goes out twice a day, is 4 tides a day in the Dover straits?

[Keith Tindell]

A tidal gift in the Solent area, where the tide has to squeeze into the narrow channel at Hurst Castle. I have posed this question on previous occasions, and i can see the draw back with the weed being filtered from the generators, and would require frequent cleaning, meaning manpower of course. I am not an engineer, but it must be feasible. kt

[vic mcclymont]

Dinard in France has been using tidal generators since the 1960's.
Vic

[Les Woodard]

Not an engineer just a hairy arsed retiree but has anyone thought of going back to the old water wheel but instead of grinding corn. Get it to rotate a turbine as there are plenty of places this could be adapted surely. Same here in Oz. So many sceptics with negative thoughts and living on an island means we have so much tidal action going on but no bugger seems interested in using it. Can tell you that with all the negative comments about renewables is really giving me the tom tits for sure. Why not just use that grey matter to come up with positive ideas that may or may not work but it opens up the channel to other ideas that will work. A bit like the seaman that left the door open by mistake and the crew whingeing about how much water is in the accomodation instead of just closing the fecking door.

[James Curry]

Water power , you can have water wheels, but also the old Archimedes screw can be used for power generation.
Hydro electric is nothing new. Were there is a will there is a way, but governments and lobbyists do not want an easy soloution because the brown envelopes may stop coming. Let's go wild for nuclear power and spend billions on a ticking time bomb.
Yes I know you would need an awful lot of Water wheels and Archimedes screws about the place. Some local communities are already operating such systems as a backup. There is a tidal power station in Northern Ireland , Strangford lough it is only a test station and producedsenough power for 1500 homes (Google)

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Les.
I've have been racking what little brain I have for years just to try and use the wind power on site for our house. I have used up all the wife's. LoL.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Here in Oz wind turbines will do well as for each one installed the gov gives the operator some $500,000 according to one report.
Yes there are many other ways to generate power but the only ones used are the ones the gov gives a tick to.
No matter how good a system you can devise it will not work unless you can get someone to lobby hard enough for you.

There is now a new turbine which just set a world record for the amount it produced in one day.
Will it get a go, all depends on the gov of the day.

Toyota are now advertising their new car, runs on hydrogen.
If they are into that then it must be a winner.

[Les Woodard]

Just reminds me of that old story of a person who invented a reusable match only to have the match manufacturer purchase it of him so that they did not go out of business. Think that has happened with quiet a few inventions over the years

[j.sabourn]

Non puncture car tyres was another one the tyre company’s bought out the inventor JS