Adventures in an all electric vehicle.

[GRW]

Isn't the UK already a massive bet importer of electricity, purchased & cabled in from other nations - not least France?
(Who have Reactors just across the channel & closer to London & SE than some of our own Nuclear?).

So - the country with the Generation Capacity Surplus - gets to export & make money to pay for their infrastructure.... from the procrastinating (& skint plus we sold off [gave away] our Public Utilities to the Private Sector)?

Aren't we doing well

 

[daleyd]

Isn't the UK already a massive bet importer of electricity, purchased & cabled in from other nations - not least France?
(Who have Reactors just across the channel & closer to London & SE than some of our own Nuclear?).

So - the country with the Generation Capacity Surplus - gets to export & make money to pay for their infrastructure.... from the procrastinating (& skint plus we sold off [gave away] our Public Utilities to the Private Sector)?

Aren't we doing well

Annually I don’t think it’s a huge amount, and last year we were actually a net exporter as lots of the French plants were shut for various reasons.

 

[GRW]

Annually I don’t think it’s a huge amount, and last year we were actually a net exporter as lots of the French plants were shut for various reasons.

Overall, we are a Nett importer of Energy (also oil & gas) though yes?
AFAIK the UK is at or over its generating capacity, the networks lack the infrastructure in many areas to utilise and carry/deliver that capacity (let alone all the extra EV charge point feeds & increasing demand and is way behind the curve in increasing generation capability (& losing ground, not gaining it).
That trend surely indicates that the UK has to be getting increasingly dependent on buying-in (if it can carry & distribute that energy).
To top it off, our Govt is forcing on the reduction of ICE & transfer to EV, thereby compounding the situation.

That's surely got to set off alarm bells, and raise serious questions about the competency of out Administration?

(I reckon if you gave half of our elected & non-elected representatives & decision-makers a box of crayons & a colouring book each, they'd try eating the crayons).

 

[daleyd]

Overall, we are a Nett importer of Energy (also oil & gas) though yes?
AFAIK the UK is at or over its generating capacity, the networks lack the infrastructure in many areas to utilise and carry/deliver that capacity (let alone all the extra EV charge point feeds & increasing demand and is way behind the curve in increasing generation capability (& losing ground, not gaining it).
That trend surely indicates that the UK has to be getting increasingly dependent on buying-in (if it can carry & distribute that energy).
To top it off, our Govt is forcing on the reduction of ICE & transfer to EV, thereby compounding the situation.

That's surely got to set off alarm bells, and raise serious questions about the competency of out Administration?

(I reckon if you gave half of our elected & non-elected representatives & decision-makers a box of crayons & a colouring book each, they'd try eating the crayons).

Yes, not disputing the fact we are a net importer (aside from last year) - but just saying that’s it’s not huge amounts. And also, if you don’t take the glass half empty view it’s probably not a bad idea, seeing as almost every other other European country has interconnectors of some kind. You can see how it helps in sharing the load, at times we send plenty of energy out to places like Ireland, Norway etc and vice versa

 

[GRW]

Yes, not disputing the fact we are a net importer (aside from last year) - but just saying that’s it’s not huge amounts. And also, if you don’t take the glass half empty view it’s probably not a bad idea, seeing as almost every other other European country has interconnectors of some kind. You can see how it helps in sharing the load, at times we send plenty of energy out to places like Ireland, Norway etc and vice versa

I'm not saying the ability to import/export/share is bad!
I'm saying having a privatised open market electricity supply for the nation, where its got a shortfall already, & demand growing far greater & faster than generation capacity....
... is moronic.

As an EV owner so dependent upon electricity for more than most (and that's very high anyway)..... I'd have thought the poor state & rubbish management of the nation's energy would be something you'd feel needed a drastic shot in the arm - not brushing it under the carpet.

 

[Erie Fred]

I'm not saying the ability to import/export/share is bad!
I'm saying having a privatised open market electricity supply for the nation, where its got a shortfall already, & demand growing far greater & faster than generation capacity....
... is moronic.

As an EV owner so dependent upon electricity for more than most (and that's very high anyway)..... I'd have thought the poor state & rubbish management of the nation's energy would be something you'd feel needed a drastic shot in the arm - not brushing it under the carpet.

Meh...."We will fix it all with software"......

 

[GRW]

Meh...."We will fix it all with software"......

Idiot 1: "Let's put a very expensive row of EV Fast Chargers in the Service Stations"

Idiot 2: "great idea - let's spend a ton of Taxpayers money on it right away"
.
.
.
.
(Months later)....

Idiot 2: "Well, we've installed those Chargers- went great. All done. One teensy-weensy glitch though"

Idiot 1: "What glitch?"

Idiot 2: "It seems the power company don't have the spare capacity to run them. Oh yes - and the cabling & distribution of the Station will have to be upgraded. Oh, and the local area network, Main Transformer & sub-station are at capacity, so..... we can't actually USE these Chargers for the forseeable future - maybe not for years".

Idiot 1: Ach, don't concern yourself 2 - our remit was to install Chargers - and we achieved that. It's a success!"

 

[premmington]

Idiot 1: "Let's put a very expensive row of EV Fast Chargers in the Service Stations"

Idiot 2: "great idea - let's spend a ton of Taxpayers money on it right away"
.
.
.
.
(Months later)....

Idiot 2: "Well, we've installed those Chargers- went great. All done. One teensy-weensy glitch though"

Idiot 1: "What glitch?"

Idiot 2: "It seems the power company don't have the spare capacity to run them. Oh yes - and the cabling & distribution of the Station will have to be upgraded. Oh, and the local area network, Main Transformer & sub-station are at capacity, so..... we can't actually USE these Chargers for the forseeable future - maybe not for years".

Idiot 1: Ach, don't concern yourself 2 - our remit was to install Chargers - and we achieved that. It's a success!"

"our remit was to install Chargers - and we achieved that. It's a success!"

I heard this called "greenwashing" a few days ago.

 

[daleyd]

I'm not saying the ability to import/export/share is bad!
I'm saying having a privatised open market electricity supply for the nation, where its got a shortfall already, & demand growing far greater & faster than generation capacity....
... is moronic.

As an EV owner so dependent upon electricity for more than most (and that's very high anyway)..... I'd have thought the poor state & rubbish management of the nation's energy would be something you'd feel needed a drastic shot in the arm - not brushing it under the carpet.

I don’t have a broom or carpet, so I won’t be brushing anything. The fact is we have been a net importer for decades, at least 40 odd years.

We import a % of electricity from other sources, and we also export a % - in both cases it’s not huge numbers (in % terms it’s single digits) and in the end it doesn’t really matter what I or anyone else think about it, we have to have some trust with the people dealing with it (not politician level, but at the professional level, ie the engineers making the real decisions)

You can either be red faced and angry at everything or you can accept that hopefully somewhere there are some people making decisions that know what they are doing. And if not, well then so be it.

My blood pressure isn’t worth the stress of getting permanently wound up about stuff that I’ve no control over.

 

[Erie Fred]

Annually I don’t think it’s a huge amount, and last year we were actually a net exporter as lots of the French plants were shut for various reasons.

The fact is we have been a net importer for decades, at least 40 odd years.

Hhhmmm.....

 

[GRW]

I don’t have a broom or carpet, so I won’t be brushing anything. The fact is we have been a net importer for decades, at least 40 odd years.

We import a % of electricity from other sources, and we also export a % - in both cases it’s not huge numbers (in % terms it’s single digits) and in the end it doesn’t really matter what I or anyone else think about it, we have to have some trust with the people dealing with it (not politician level, but at the professional level, ie the engineers making the real decisions)

You can either be red faced and angry at everything or you can accept that hopefully somewhere there are some people making decisions that know what they are doing. And if not, well then so be it.

My blood pressure isn’t worth the stress of getting permanently wound up about stuff that I’ve no control over.

I don't either.
If it wasn't for real it'd be highly amusing - it's like some comedy sketch.
However, I have no issue with calling a spade a spade, & poking at our useless administrators.
The fact that successive Govt's have failed to arrest & reverse a shortfall (& with no signs of anything but falling further behind) over 4-Decades..... well if that isn't a barometer for the dismal failure in our country's Administration...

You really couldn't make it up. However, seeing as these Muppets are Teflon & seemingly totally unaccountable....

 

[GRW]

"our remit was to install Chargers - and we achieved that. It's a success!"

I heard this called "greenwashing" a few days ago.

I thought "Greenwashing" was the creative use of methods to promote & sell a product or service, as having Green Credentials that in reality - the product/service doesn't actually have?

The charger fiasco is more "Grossineptitude" (to deliver refuelling for vehicles that certainly can be described as a "Greenwashed" Product)

 

[daleyd]

Hhhmmm.....

Last year was the first year in 44 years we were a net exporter of electricity. So both statements are accurate

 

[premmington]

I don’t have a broom or carpet, so I won’t be brushing anything. The fact is we have been a net importer for decades, at least 40 odd years.

We import a % of electricity from other sources, and we also export a % - in both cases it’s not huge numbers (in % terms it’s single digits) and in the end it doesn’t really matter what I or anyone else think about it, we have to have some trust with the people dealing with it (not politician level, but at the professional level, ie the engineers making the real decisions)

You can either be red faced and angry at everything or you can accept that hopefully somewhere there are some people making decisions that know what they are doing. And if not, well then so be it.

My blood pressure isn’t worth the stress of getting permanently wound up about stuff that I’ve no control over.

"My blood pressure isn’t worth the stress of getting permanently wound up about stuff that I’ve no control over."

This is why I have stopped voting...

 

[minimutly]

I don’t really know a huge amount it, and I’m not supporting renewables really - but the bits I have read suggest that the “standby premium” is already factored in.

There was a huge uptake in renewables when the gas price was much lower so presumably that price was OK?

It’s the same for any other non gas energy source, not just wind (nuclear,hydro etc). They all get higher prices despite their operating costs being static. No one complained or cared when gas prices were low.

The price is factored in now, but if you increase the number of generators you will increase the cost...
The huge increase you refer to was due to FITs, in itself a massive subsidy paid for by customers. Interestingly the Labour Party have been making noises about doing away with this to reduce bills - they introduced it.

 

[GRW]

"My blood pressure isn’t worth the stress of getting permanently wound up about stuff that I’ve no control over."

This is why I have stopped voting...

Me too. When the choices are all incompetent, self-serving Parasites wearing different colour Rosettes..... then Voting becomes a pointless exercise in futility.
(Without Proportional Representation, where I live there is only a 2-horse race anyway, with litte to differentiate between them, plus we have the Welsh Assembly to muddy the waters & extract vast sums for themselves)

 

[minimutly]

Me too. When the choices are all incompetent, self-serving Parasites wearing different colour Rosettes..... then Voting becomes a pointless exercise in futility.
(Without Proportional Representation, where I live there is only a 2-horse race anyway, with litte to differentiate between them, plus we have the Welsh Assembly to muddy the waters & extract vast sums for themselves)

I’ve said before - if you don’t think you’re being well represented, get on with getting elected yourself - put up or shut up..

 

[daleyd]

The price is factored in now, but if you increase the number of generators you will increase the cost...
The huge increase you refer to was due to FITs, in itself a massive subsidy paid for by customers. Interestingly the Labour Party have been making noises about doing away with this to reduce bills - they introduced it.

FIT was small scale (5MW and below?) only so not applicable to large scale wind farms etc?

I’ve no doubt they had some quite handsome incentives to begin with, but I think they’ve become competitive on their own merits recently.

 

[GRW]

I’ve said before - if you don’t think you’re being well represented, get on with getting elected yourself - put up or shut up..

I live in the real world MM. The chances and hope of an individual with any decency, integrity & a genuine desire to work for the betterment of the electorate - surviving in that nest of vipers - is nil.

I might be daft, but putting oneself through that? Hell no.

I'm still allowed freedom of expression, & these fora are for just that.

So, I'm thinking I won't be shutting up any time soon

 

[voipio]

Having driven past numerous wind farms in recent times that don't seem to be generating anything, in spite of reasonably windy conditions, it leaves me wondering what the heck is going on. There's one wind farm, just off the A44, that hasn't generated a single watt to the grid since it was built!