The New Energy Strategy April 2022

[scotview]

The new energy strategy has been "published". A couple of observations.

Surprised nothing major mentioned about grid scale battery storage.

Vehicle to grid/home not given prominence, this seems to be a talking shop.

All seems to be long term stuff, will anything be done pre election 2024 for the punters' energy costs ?

Fast approval & build Nuclear, and EDF might be a big winner. UK technical excellence eh ?

Oh, almost forgot, the Grid to be run by civil servants.

Any comments, observations most welcome.

[88V8]

Surprised nothing major mentioned about grid scale battery storage.

Oh, almost forgot, the Grid to be run by civil servants.

Until we catch up with grid-scale batteries, we should not be installing any significant new renewables.

Especially onshore wind... did you hear the chattering classes bleating about that yesterday, and sneering at the 'nimbys' (me) who don't want the silly things...
One more objective commentator observed that 'developers' are keen to site these things where there is a good - ie, cheap - grid connection, regardless whether it's somewhere that the wind blows.

I wonder if the bleaters would be so keen if they were offered a car that only works 30% of the time**.

Yes, re-nationalisation of the grid. And there was me thinking it was a Conservative govt.

V8

*statistics on load factors are hard to find amidst all the puffery, but from what I can see onshore wind produces power on average around 30% of the time. Offshore, double that.

[murraypaul]

I wonder if the bleaters would be so keen if they were offered a car that only works 30% of the time

I don't really understand the comparison.
I'd be keen on a car that ran without using any fuel 30% of the time, and worked normally the rest of the time.

[88V8]

I wonder if the bleaters would be so keen if they were offered a car that only works 30% of the time

I don't really understand the comparison.
I'd be keen on a car that ran without using any fuel 30% of the time, and worked normally the rest of the time.

If we're to tolerate blots on the landscape, I expect them to be useful more than 30% of the time.
The other 70% they are, as my mum used to say, nor use nor ornament.

V8

[88V8]

...will anything be done pre election 2024 for the punters' energy costs ?

Well..... Telegraph... 'Cheaper electricity will encourage households to charge their cars overnight and use their washing machines outside peak periods under plans to keep bills down during the drive for net zero. Ministers hope “time-of-use” tariffs enabling people to pay less for electricity when demand is low will be more widely adopted as part of a major overhaul of the energy system in coming years.'

Economy Seven rebooted... storage heaters anyone?
Although 'Ministers hope' is a bit wibbly wobbly, suppliers could be 'persuaded' to make E7/E10 more attractive, this would show savings for some households and could happen next year or sooner.

With the decline of storage heaters, E7ish has rather fallen into desuetude with only 14% or so of users on such tariffs, but as more EVs appear it is surely set for a renaissance.

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