Having tied their own hands with the Climate Change Act, UK politicians are now locked in arguments about how best to implement unworkable energy policies. Intermittency of electricity supply is baked into the legislation.
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A Conservative minister has said “in the short run” the UK cannot afford net zero, reports Sky News.
Speaking at an event run by the Institute of Economic Affairs at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker told a packed room of party members that cutting net zero commitments this year would save households more than £1,500 amid the ongoing energy crisis.
“It’s time to have a sensible conversation about net zero,” Mr Baker urged.
He said that the government remains committed to net zero in the long term, but “the big problem that we’ve got is that renewables are intermittent”.
“The reality is that renewables are great when they are available, but they still require a lot of subsidies going in.
“So what we need is a gas to nuclear strategy. We are going to need gas as a transition fuel.”
But fellow Tory MP and panellist Bim Afolami disagreed with Mr Baker’s remarks, saying “we can afford net zero and we need to”.
He told the audience that “we need more nuclear” and “yes, we need gas as a transitional fuel as well”, adding: “But crucially, we need wind and solar.”
Mr Afolami continued: “We have some of the windiest coastlines in the world. Let’s use it. And most importantly, when there’s a war in Ukraine or anywhere else, we are not dependent on anyone else.”
Full report here.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Offshore Wind cannot be protected from domestic or foreign enemies and it cannot be protected from nature. Plan adequate backup that can come online quickly. Double the cost or prepare to be without power for extended time periods, consider years to repair or replace offshore wind if attacked by any natural or human enemy. Any minor conflict could trigger an attack. Warships sent to protect offshore wind would quickly become targets, the enemy fully expecting the energy generation to be protected.
UK’s enemies are likely praying for new offshore targets.
Mr Afolami continued: “We have some of the windiest coastlines in the world. Let’s use it. And most importantly, when there’s a war in Ukraine or anywhere else, we are not dependent on anyone else.”
Just dependent on offshore targets.
There are questions about who bombed the pipeline in the Black Sea.
UK would never know who bombed the their offshore wind, enemies would place blame on other enemies, trying to start or worsen conflicts and/or wars.
[…] Steve Baker says UK cannot afford net zero pledge ‘in the short run’ | Tallbloke’s Talksho… […]
‘…. tied their own hands with the Climate Change Act’ says it all … . did the populace agree and help seal the knot ? U turns ? THese ( and pardon me for going into the vernacular,) Arsholes have NO IDEA what happens in the Raw of Nature and away from City Life. Come out here into the Country(side) and see / witness the rawness of too much or not enough wind. Remember the story of the Heron and the Stork! And now we have a new Penguin …. seen his clothes?
Theres a bigger Power demand as I write so wind is only providing 20% whilst over the weekend there was a LOW power demand enabling it to CLAIM 50% – for a wee whiley!
Articles about energy storage (meaning for electricity) give the game away. The options they discuss are invariably puny and of no use at national grid scale.
They can hide behind the so-called energy transition excuse, but that’s time-limited, then the threadbare nature of wind and solar power generation will be fully exposed, and the public will discover some unpleasant truths, likely on cold winter evenings.
More net zero pie in the sky…
Former minister launches call for evidence for Net Zero Review
Mon, Oct 3, 2022
People up and down the country will have the chance to give their views on how the UK can eliminate carbon emissions in a way that grows the economy, under plans announced by Chris Skidmore MP.
This is the first stage of the rapid three-month review by the former Energy Minister, examining how the country’s legally-binding net zero 2050 target can be met while also maximising growth, increasing energy security and in a way that is affordable for consumers and businesses.
https://specificationonline.co.uk/articles/2022-10-03/dclg/former-minister-launches-call-for-evidence-for-net-zero-review
Many politicians favor the green energy scams because they and their associates are heavily invested in the scams. It would be more difficult to get rich investing in low cost, reliable, abundant coal and/or nuclear energy.
Nuclear does not need frequent refueling and the coal can be stored near the power plants, these energy sources are easier to protect from human or natural disasters. Wind and Solar fields, long transmission lines and long pipelines are difficult to protect.
Some are even burning wood pellets, not considering the energy required to provide the wood pellets, nature turned wood into fossil fuels for us to use, nature expended energy to grow and process materials into fossil fuels, that work was done for us long ago, now humans create and use a very poor substitute at huge cost to the environment. They create more CO2 emissions than using coal and still can claim carbon credits.
This was shown on TV tonight…
BBC Panorama: The Green Energy Scandal Exposed
The wood-burning Drax power station in Yorkshire provides 12 per cent of the UK’s renewable energy. It has already received £6 billion in green energy subsidies from the government. But are the wood pellets the power station burns really as sustainable as the company claims? Reporter Joe Crowley investigates where the wood comes from and uncovers an environmental scandal. He reveals how Drax is chopping down trees and taking logs from some of the world’s most precious forests.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cw6z
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They followed logging trucks and took photos of the wood pellet operations, using drones too. No chance of the felled trees being replaced by new growth any time soon.
Net zero is a very stupid idea that can never be afforded.
Can’t afford to make fertilizer either…
Europe’s fertilizer crunch is deepening with more than two-thirds of production capacity halted by soaring gas costs, threatening farmers and consumers far beyond the region’s borders.
As Europe becomes a net importer of fertilizer, the fallout from the supply crunch will spread. The region will start competing for scarce supplies with poorer nations, especially in Africa, where food insecurity is exacerbated by persistent droughts and conflict.
https://joannenova.com.au/2022/09/just-like-that-european-fertilizer-production-down-70/
04 OCT, 2022
The government has announced that the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant will be built on the West Burton power station [site] in Nottinghamshire.
Selected as the home for Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) the energy plant aims to be built by 2040.
. . .
The government is providing £220M of funding for the first phase of STEP, which will see the UK Atomic Energy Authority produce a concept design by 2024.
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/nottinghamshire-site-chosen-for-uks-first-prototype-fusion-energy-plant-04-10-2022/
Why is it that Net Zero seems to be all about electricity generation? Boringly I again introduce my 7 hundredth American airliner being refueled at Heathrow and my thousandth Spanish diesel artic arriving at Dover? Oh and the tractor ploughing the field behind my house. How is Lord Gummer the idiot going to deal with their ‘carbon’? Plant some trees? Give me a shout when the CCC starts to discuss such.
Blackout Britain: ‘Significant Risk’ of Gas Shortages This Winter
4 Oct 2022
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/10/04/blackout-britain-significant-risk-of-gas-shortages-this-winter/
The supposed future with no gas looks a long way off.