So much of our electricity now coming from green sources :-)

[Mr Bump]

Britain's electricity system 'greenest ever' over Easter - BBC News


Great Britain's electricity system was the greenest it had ever been at lunchtime on Easter Bank Holiday Monday, its operator has said.
Sunny and windy weather, coupled with low demand for power, led to a surge in renewable sources of energy, National Grid Electricity System Operator said.
It meant zero-carbon power sources made up almost 80% of Britain's power.
There was no coal generation on the grid and just 10% of power was from gas plants, the operator added.
The National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) said levels of carbon pollution per unit of electricity consumed dropped to just 39 grams of carbon dioxide - the lowest ever recorded for the grid - at 13:00 BST on Monday.
It said wind power made up 39% of the energy mix, with solar at 21% and nuclear accounting for 16%.
By comparison, on Tuesday, 24.8% of Britain's energy came from fossil fuels, most of which was gas (combined cycle), while 45.2% was renewable energy sources.
Fintan Slye, director at National Grid ESO, said: "This latest record is another example of how the grid continues to transform at an astonishing rate as we move away from fossil fuel generation and harness the growth of renewable power sources.
"It's an exciting time, and the progress we're seeing with these records underlines the significant strides we're taking towards our ambition of being able to operate the system carbon free by 2025."
It comes ahead of COP26, a UN international climate change summit, due to be held in Glasgow this November.

 

[Box Brownie]

I have found this site quite interesting re: source of power and amounts generated.

GB Fuel type power generation production

GridWatch | Live statistic of UK National Electricity grid by type of generation | Solar PV power Generation | Coal Stations output in Gigawatts | Wind Output Gigawatts | Nuclear energy output |Biomass power generation Output

gridwatch.co.uk

 

[Mr Bump]

wow yes very cool i love the OIL and COAL dial at a big fat ZERO

 

[JonathanRyan]

Yeah, since they decided nuclear was green we've never been so ecological.

 

[lindsay]

Also nice that the flow on the Interconnector with France is at -2%, so we are sending a little the other way for a change.

 

[Mr Bump]

Also nice that the flow on the Interconnector with France is at -2%, so we are sending a little the other way for a change.

The almost wonderful colours of light blue and yellow at this very moment making up a lovely 15% even on a chilly still day like this.
sad days ahead for the climate cowards and diesel deniers

 

[Mr Bump]

Also nice that the flow on the Interconnector with France is at -2%, so we are sending a little the other way for a change.

interesting thought that France have almost zero electricity from carbon fuels.
well done France
France derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.

 

[arclight]

Yeah, since they decided nuclear was green we've never been so ecological.

Never seem to mention how much gas we use and that is a fossil fuel that produces CO2 when burned.

 

[Tigger.ufo]

Never seem to mention how much gas we use and that is a fossil fuel that produces CO2 when burned.

Yes, 41% which is a massive amount, but doesn't suit the eco (keyboard) warriors ...

GB Fuel type power generation production

GridWatch | Live statistic of UK National Electricity grid by type of generation | Solar PV power Generation | Coal Stations output in Gigawatts | Wind Output Gigawatts | Nuclear energy output |Biomass power generation Output

gridwatch.co.uk

 

[RichardC27]

Yeah, since they decided nuclear was green we've never been so ecological.

Carbon neutral = environmentally friendly now. Even dredging the ocean floor for lithium to make batteries for electric cars is environmentally friendly apparently.

 

[Mr Bump]

Yes, 41% which is a massive amount, but doesn't suit the eco (keyboard) warriors ...

GB Fuel type power generation production

GridWatch | Live statistic of UK National Electricity grid by type of generation | Solar PV power Generation | Coal Stations output in Gigawatts | Wind Output Gigawatts | Nuclear energy output |Biomass power generation Output

gridwatch.co.uk

no not at all i am happy to talk about gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel we can use.
its not about eco keyboard warriors its about talking about the issue not being a "climate ostrich"

raising awareness.

Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy.

 

[Mr Bump]

Carbon neutral = environmentally friendly now. Even dredging the ocean floor for lithium to make batteries for electric cars is environmentally friendly apparently.

I have read about that as well and it is being talked about, however we are currently kicking the hell out of the ocean floor drilling for oil, so we need to find a balance.
currently burning oil based products is killing the world and the people/animals that occupy it, thats a fact.
moving to a low carbon world is the only way to move away from the earths suicide, mining the oceans floor, maybe that can be a part of the solution.

 

[RichardC27]

currently burning oil based products is killing the world and the people/animals that occupy it, thats a fact.

It's not. It's one factor of many in a climate that is constantly changing. The earth's climate has been a lot, lot hotter than it is now and things were fine. It's also been a lot colder than it is now, and guess what, things were fine.

Carbon levels in the Jurassic period were upwards of 1,400 PPM, over three times what they are today. Guess what, life thrived.

A study published this week showed catastrophic sea level rise (18 metres in around 500 years) around 14,600 years ago. Now that wasn't caused by our cave dwelling ancestors flying and burning fossil fuels was it? Have a read about milankovitch cycles, orbitial procession and all the other things that affect cliamte, season length and whether Earth has ice caps or not at both poles, which is actually a very unusual state of affairs in the planet's history.

The climate is not fixed and quite frankly we're like King Canute trying to stop the tide in trying to stop it warming. We just need to evolve and adapt, as plants and animals have throughout the earth's history. Some plants and animals will thrive, and others will die out. It has always been thus, and whilst I agree burning fossil fuels is having an effect, it is not the only thing that affects climate and it is not a bad thing for the planet that the climate is warming, it's just different.

There are so many things we need to address before a slightly warming climate, like deforestation, metal pollution, the awful damage being done to the sea by overfishing, intensive farming, overpopulation.. I really could go on. I cannot stand this obsession with trying to stop the climate changing, and the doom and gloom, we're all going to die narrative that comes with it.

 

[Mr Bump]

@RichardC27 I am just on about the world in general I am on about the people and animals living in populated areas.
Pollution caused by burning fossil fuels mainly pm25 from diesel is killing 1000s in our filthy towns and cities.
These are the first fossil fuels we need to eliminate from our society.

 

[RichardC27]

@RichardC27 I am just on about the world in general I am on about the people and animals living in populated areas.
Pollution caused by burning fossil fuels mainly pm25 from diesel is killing 1000s in our filthy towns and cities.
These are the first fossil fuels we need to eliminate from our society.

Diesel needs getting rid of I'll agree with you there, it's filthy stuff

 

[JonathanRyan]

interesting thought that France have almost zero electricity from carbon fuels.
well done France
France derives about 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.

Yeah nuclear is really tricky. As long as it doesn't, you know get out or anything, then it's perfectly safe. And as long as you only look at this generation and the next it doesn't cause any pollution at all. But of course neither of those are very sensible ways of looking at it.

Fun fact: I can see both France and a nuclear power station from my house (one of ours). Better than having a coal power station on the horizon. As long as it doesn't do anything silly like blow up. Further down the coast they have wind turbines and inland we have solar farms. I'd say local air quality is pretty good.

Maybe we should do something radical like use less power?

 

[RichardC27]

Maybe we should do something radical like use less power?

We are using less electricity than we used to due to increases in power efficiency. I read that as a country we have already cut our CO2 emissions by 50% from 1990 levels, which isn't bad.

 

[JonathanRyan]

We are using less electricity than we used to due to increases in power efficiency. I read that as a country we have already cut our CO2 emissions by 50% from 1990 levels, which isn't bad.

Hmmm. I'd like to see numbers and a time period on "less electricity than we used to".

The start that sticks in my head is that TVs that are always in stand by as opposed to off collectively use about a power station. It's tiny power, but there are a lot of them.

 

[Marc]

Hmmm. I'd like to see numbers and a time period on "less electricity than we used to".

The start that sticks in my head is that TVs that are always in stand by as opposed to off collectively use about a power station. It's tiny power, but there are a lot of them.

Not to mention all the devices being charged and wifi hubs being on 24/7

 

[RichardC27]

UK electricity consumption 2024| Statista

The annual electricity consumption in the UK has declined over the past decades and amounted to 266 terawatt-hours in 2023.

www.statista.com

Dropped by about 15% since a peak in 2005. TVs are also way, way more energy efficient than they used to be, Ditto lighting. Imagine the energy drop from the change from incandescent bulbs to halogen or even better, LED. Devices being charged use a tiny amount of power. If you charge your mobile phone overnight, every night, for a year, it uses about 80p worth of electricity over that year.

 

[JonathanRyan]

UK electricity consumption 2024| Statista

The annual electricity consumption in the UK has declined over the past decades and amounted to 266 terawatt-hours in 2023.

www.statista.com

Dropped by about 15% since a peak in 2005. TVs are also way, way more energy efficient than they used to be, Ditto lighting. Imagine the energy drop from the change from incandescent bulbs to halogen or even better, LED. Devices being charged use a tiny amount of power. If you charge your mobile phone overnight, every night, for a year, it uses about 80p worth of electricity over that year.

Thanks. That's interesting and way off from what I thought.

You're right of course that newer devices tend to be more efficient. But conversely there are far more devices than there used to be. It seems the overall effect is good news.

 

[RichardC27]

Thanks. That's interesting and way off from what I thought.

You're right of course that newer devices tend to be more efficient. But conversely there are far more devices than there used to be. It seems the overall effect is good news.

I guess we need the headroom though to allow for increased electric heating and the increase in electric cars (sadly). I'd imagine total electricity use will increase over the next couple of decades despite advances in efficiency.

 

[JonathanRyan]

I guess we need the headroom though to allow for increased electric heating and the increase in electric cars (sadly). I'd imagine total electricity use will increase over the next couple of decades despite advances in efficiency.

Yes. Also, without paying for the data, I can't see if this is only domestic electricity.

Server farms are relatively new things and take huge amounts of power. And we don't offshore *all* of them to countries that don't affect our stats

 

[Mostly Vintage Cameras]

I'm always amused and saddened that environmental issues are discussed in terms of transport and utilities. If CO2 emissions or wider environmental issues are what keep you up at night here are three things you can do that will make a huge difference to your "footprint".
Don't eat meat, ideally go Vegan.
Don't have a pet, esp a cat or dog.
Don't have any more children.
These things never seem to get mentioned however, except here where I've mentioned them here. There's no cost, no effort and no thought required. Win, win, win.

 

[JonathanRyan]

I'm always amused and saddened that environmental issues are discussed in terms of transport and utilities. If CO2 emissions or wider environmental issues are what keep you up at night here are three things you can do that will make a huge difference to your "footprint".
Don't eat meat, ideally go Vegan.
Don't have a pet, esp a cat or dog.
Don't have any more children.
These things never seem to get mentioned however, except here where I've mentioned them here. There's no cost, no effort and no thought required. Win, win, win.

Well I'd argue with the no cost..... Vegan brie costs 8 quid. But yeah, balance that with the no kids and I guess I'm up

 

[RichardC27]

I'm always amused and saddened that environmental issues are discussed in terms of transport and utilities. If CO2 emissions or wider environmental issues are what keep you up at night here are three things you can do that will make a huge difference to your "footprint".
Don't eat meat, ideally go Vegan.
Don't have a pet, esp a cat or dog.
Don't have any more children.
These things never seem to get mentioned however, except here where I've mentioned them here. There's no cost, no effort and no thought required. Win, win, win.

Wholeheartedy agree with this. Cannot stand people banging on about the environment and climate change with 2 SUVs on the drive, a couple of holidays a year, 3 kids and dog. Say what you like about Greta Thunburg and her doom and gloom but at least she practices what she preaches and I respect that.

I just don't feel climate change is anything like the issue it's made out to be. It's different, and yes sea level will rise and that's a problem for a lot of cities. But people used to live on land in what is now the North Sea, when Britain wasn't an island. But the climate warmed, ice melted and the sea level rose. Not a flight or car in sight. People say animals will go extinct because of climate change, and that's true. But I don't recall dodging Wooly Mammoths or Sabre Toothed Tigers on my last countryside walk either. The climate changed, they didn't adapt, they died out and other animals evolved to take their place.

Overpopulation is the biggest driver behind all of the environmental damage we are doing as a species. If there was 3 billion people in the world not 7.5 billion none of this would be anywhere near as much of a problem.

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

If any of you have Netflix there is an interesting Docu called Kiss The Ground ( or something like that) I points a very waggy finger at our Farming methods as a very large cause of high CO2 release which could be altered to a large reduction in co2 ,it's worth a look and seems to make sense !

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

Overpopulation is the biggest driver behind all of the environmental damage we are doing as a species. If there was 3 billion people in the world not 7.5 billion none of this would be anywhere near as much of a problem.

What we need is a Pandemic ! ( or is that too bad taste ?) I do agree with your statement by the way.