Electric cars and the grid..... it has begun.

[daleyd]

Yes because their last government neglected the reactors!

Largely blamed on warm rivers, planned maintenance and the discovery of corrosion issues iirc, not really neglect as such. They are trying to extend the life of their reactors which has probably contributed but that’s because they are trying to squeeze everything they can out of them due to eye watering new build costs and edf being in crippling debt.

 

[mike os]

eye watering new build costs and edf being in crippling debt.

So eye watering profits and eye watering debts … I wonder where the money went?

 

[fizzy]

This makes me want to waterboard myself.

I know a chap runs an oil aga 24/7 ridiculous

Why? Mine is great. Humidity down to 40%. Dry all our clothes in front of it. Cooker always on. Nice steady heat. Save putting the boiler on which uses far more.
Mental to use one in summer but I have an electric cooker for that. Mine runs for about 9 months of the year. Need it where we live.

1000L of oil lasts me 28 weeks.

 

[maroon]

So eye watering profits and eye watering debts … I wonder where the money went?

When you ask the recipient's of it where it went, they're not going to say.
The old get a bonus and go broke swindle.

 

[knighty]

But they have probably conned the Whitehall ejerts to pay them more for not producing than they could get on the open market… ?

they're only paid to reduce production because the grid local to them cant cope with all the generation

it's cheaper to pay them than to rush expanding the grid, it's a short term problem, won't be around forever,

 

[fizzy]

they're only paid to reduce production because the grid local to them cant cope with all the generation

it's cheaper to pay them than to rush expanding the grid, it's a short term problem, won't be around forever,

Whoopee more electric pylons everywhere!

 

[knighty]

If we had 20x as many wind and solar farms we could still have a 1 to 2 week period in Winter with zero electricity. What do you do then?

so you're saying it's pitch black dark and there's no air movement at all, for all of Europe, 24 hours a day for 2 weeks every winter?

 

[willie.macleod]

The three turbines closest to me:

They look like they are doing ok. We don't get anything like two week lulls in the wind in the winter here and we don't need as much energy in the summer either so no problems there.

 

[fizzy]

so you're saying it's pitch black dark and there's no air movement at all, for all of Europe, 24 hours a day for 2 weeks every winter?

Wind lulls vary - can can be just a day or 2 - sometimes 10 days or more - and can happen several times a year. Often there will be an area of high pressure sitting over most of Europe.
In Winter Solar farms are lucky to give 10% of the summer capacity.

 

[addjunkie]

No way he said, why said I, Electric Aga said he. Somewhere between 220 and 270kWh per week it needs, and he still has a boiler going, so doesn't heat his whole house. It sounded like he had no choice in the matter and would happily junk it if he could.

Hopefully the high prices will curtail a lot of this stupidity. It's much easier to save power than it is to generate it

we have an electric arga. Very nice thing, my Mrs loves it. Its one of the posh ones you can switch on and off from your phone. But it sure is an expensive thing to run. Weve noticed quite a drop in our usage since the ninja thing gets used so much now.

But must agree we do need as a nation to be reducing consumption. Why do-we need lit up signage, halogen lights burning on empty sheds, most basic energy saving isnt rocket science. Our local pub, land lady moaning about bills, but she has 4 outside lights burning 24-7 madness.

 

[daleyd]

So eye watering profits and eye watering debts … I wonder where the money went?

Edf and eye watering profits? I think you may be confusing them for someone else. As a uk entity I think they made money, but the overall company are in some pretty dire financial straights - mainly due to problems in their nuclear division, new build delays, cost overruns (Hinckley, Flammanville), unplanned shutdowns of existing reactors etc

They actually had record losses in first half of 2022 - smashing atoms can prove quite costly by the looks of things, who’d have thunk it.

 

[addjunkie]

They actually had record losses in first half of 2022 - smashing atoms can prove quite costly by the looks of things, who’d have thunk it.

smashing the atoms isnt the costly bit. Its keeping those smashed atoms in the right place is the costly bit.

 

[GRW]

Why? Mine is great. Humidity down to 40%. Dry all our clothes in front of it. Cooker always on. Nice steady heat. Save putting the boiler on which uses far more.
Mental to use one in summer but I have an electric cooker for that. Mine runs for about 9 months of the year. Need it where we live.

1000L of oil lasts me 28 weeks.

My wee semi-det has a Worcester old-style (not Combi) oil boiler I had installed in about 1999. I reckon we get through <1000L annually for all hot water & heating.
I've resisted and attempts by sellers to "upgrade" it to a "more efficient" blah blah modern condensing electronic whizz-whizz-bang (not least cos of the "bang" bit).
Boiler Service guy I've known for 35-years says the new ones do use (a bit) less oil - but that I'll be replacing expensive parts and suffering a lot more failures, and it'll be fecked in a few short years.... so I'll be keeping mine for as long as its possible.

As for the "leccy" stuff, I'm pretty much in agreement with your comments. Given the vast impact of materials, manufacturing, resources, transport, construction etc etc of turbines and even more so of Battery Banks (which let's face it can only store Energy that's produced by something else big & expensive) - I can't help but view them as a (very profitable for the vendors) white elephant more than a sustainable "Green", economical, planet-saving Solution.
(I reckon the reality is that none of the kit can/will operate long enough to recoup its own Mfr & Commisioning, Maintenance & of course environmental impact cost - but they'll make money!)

 

[daleyd]

smashing the atoms isnt the costly bit. Its keeping those smashed atoms in the right place is the costly bit.

It’s all interlinked, you can’t really do one without the other - and if you don’t keep them in the right place it gets even more costly (cough, Chernobyl…) so take your pick.

 

[brewdexta]

Fortunately, the new combined Solar PV and Solar hot water panels will save the day

 

[Bullet2012]

Fortunately, the new combined Solar PV and Solar hot water panels will save the day
View attachment 374915

Hope you are going to share some of that

 

[daleyd]

Hope you are going to share some of that

Am I the only one thinking that there’s potential for some hydro/tidal power in there as well?

 

[GRW]

Am I the only one thinking that there’s potential for some hydro/tidal power in there as well?

You'll not be allowed to, because you might disturb the migration pattern of the lesser spotted stickleback or some such.

 

[brewdexta]

I see Grant Schapp has confirmed Sizewell C. I heard that Matt Hancock and peer Michelle Mone will be employed to make sure it stays on budget, no kick backs, sub standard components etc........

 

[GRW]

I see Grant Schapp has confirmed Sizewell C. I heard that Matt Hancock and peer Michelle Mone will be employed to make sure it stays on budget, no kick backs, sub standard components etc........

Awarded to EDF