Essay by Eric Worrall
h/t michel – “… The plans come as low wind and solar power generation forced Britain to rely heavily on burning gas and wood pellets. …”
Ed Miliband pledges ‘most ambitious reforms to UK energy system in generations’
Energy secretary to set out plan to boost renewable energy supply, such as building canopies of solar panels on outdoor car parks
Guardian staff
Fri 13 Dec 2024 16.00 AEDTEd Miliband has pledged to bring in “the most ambitious reforms to the country’s energy system in generations” as he presses ahead with plans to accelerate the development of onshore windfarms in England.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/13/ed-miliband-pledges-most-ambitious-reforms-to-uk-energy-system-in-generations
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says the proposals will generate £40bn a year from the private sector.
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The plans come as low wind and solar power generation forced Britain to rely heavily on burning gas and wood pellets. As of Thursday, about 65% of Britain’s electricity was being generated from gas and biomass, with only 5.3% coming from wind.
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Miliband said: “A new era of clean electricity for our country offers a positive vision of Britain’s future with energy security, lower bills, good jobs and climate action. This can only happen with big, bold change and that is why the government is embarking on the most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations.
“The era of clean electricity is about harnessing the power of Britain’s natural resources so we can protect working people from the ravages of global energy markets.
“The clean power sprint is the national security, economic security, and social justice fight of our time – and this plan gives us the tools we need to win this fight for the British people.”
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/13/ed-miliband-pledges-most-ambitious-reforms-to-uk-energy-system-in-generations
Britain sites between 51° to 60° North. In winter, when people really need home heating, Britain receives around 7 hours (or less) of sunlight. Much of the time in winter the sky is overcast, sometimes whole months can go by when you barely see the sun. The wind is also unreliable in winter – some of the coldest winter nights have no wind at all.
All of this should be obvious to anyone who has lived in Britain. If even places like sunny Australia can’t get solar and wind energy to work well enough to replace coal and gas, a nation as far North as Britain has no hope.
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