Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

1961Nick

ABrass wrote: »

Indeed, however since at least some of not all the oil and gas firms are also part of cefic, the number 2 on the EU list, it's questionable how much spin is being applied here from the other direction.

This is lobbying 101, utterly basic stuff. A lot of lobbying is done via proxy. One of the reasons investigate journalists exist is because a lot of people just look at the superficial stuff and don't think any more than that. Like you and Ken.

You make it sound as if lobbying is something evil & only ever done by big oil & gas. That's clearly not the case & you'll find lobbying is a routine activity for everyone from big business to trade unions. You could even class visiting your MPs surgery as lobbying on a micro scale.

GreatApe

ABrass wrote: »

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2019/10/29/huge-battery-investments-drop-energy-storage-costs-threaten-natural-gas-industry/

Generally these sort of reports on battery trends have been overly conservative, although predictions for two years from now shouldn't have that much scope to accelerate.

Cheap batteries can reduce the need for CCGTs but they don't make CCGTs uneconomical

It looks like the capacity market will be the mechanism to keep the lights on
I suspect it will turn into a short term and medium term capacity market

The short term market will be supply guaranteed for 3 hours during specified times and months.
Probably 5.30pm to 8.30pm for the 100 coldest work weekdays. An auction for 5GW would cover this segment

The medium term market will be for guaranteed supply for 30 days during winter months and this will be a market of size about 45GW

The short term market can be won by batteries or even fleet BEVs
The medium term market can't be won by batteries as they can't guarantee supply for 30 days

Therefore batteries can reduce the need for about 10% of CCGTs the other 90% are Safe and will be made economic by the capacity market if nothing else

ABrass

You make it sound as if lobbying is something evil & only ever done by big oil & gas. That's clearly not the case & you'll find lobbying is a routine activity for everyone from big business to trade unions. You could even class visiting your MPs surgery as lobbying on a micro scale.

As a rule I'm not a fan. I'm less of a fan of sillyness, such as claiming that visiting your GP is lobbying, you're even further into sillyness there.

Now that you know the 'bias and spin' is possibly in your imagination, maybe it's worth another read.

1961Nick

ABrass wrote: »

As a rule I'm not a fan. I'm less of a fan of sillyness, such as claiming that visiting your GP is lobbying, you're even further into sillyness there.

Now that you know the 'bias and spin' is possibly in your imagination, maybe it's worth another read.

I said MP not GP!!

It doesn't matter about the scale ... it's an attempt to persuade a public official to do, or not do, something for your advantage.

ABrass

Hah, yes talking to your MP is indeed lobbying. ��

Having said that there is a huge difference between amateurs and professionals. In effectiveness and in what is asked for. But that's for another thread. Crack one open and I'd be happy to pick it up there.

GreatApe

What's wrong with business lobbying government
Government isn't perfect and gets !!!! wrong and business can advise

Even with things like genetically modified agriculture
The science says it's perfectly fine and billions of people eat it
Should business lobby for its acceptance. Yes of course
The alternative is business shuts up and policy is based on scared misinformed cheerleaders

Hexane

GreatApe wrote: »

Cheap batteries can reduce the need for CCGTs but they don't make CCGTs uneconomical

That's funny, because the study you quoted says that's exactly what they (will) do. And nothing in the rest of your post refutes that. So...

Hexane

1961Nick wrote: »

You make it sound as if lobbying is something evil & only ever done by big oil & gas. That's clearly not the case & you'll find lobbying is a routine activity for everyone from big business to trade unions. You could even class visiting your MPs surgery as lobbying on a micro scale.

All true, and in fact in a democracy, I would hope that a visit to my MP with sensible concerns, would be one of the things to have the most impact on decision-making, instead of the least. Actually I've never visited my MP in any capacity. I did once work as an unpaid volunteer getting someone elected who is now amongst the most important people in Parliament, but that's another thing and it was a very long time ago

Martyn1981

Rising sea levels pose threat to homes of 300m people – study

More than three times more people are at risk from rising sea levels than previously believed, research suggests.

Land that is currently home to 300 million people will flood at least once a year by 2050 unless carbon emissions are cut significantly and coastal defences strengthened, says the study, published in Nature Communications. This is far above the previous estimate of 80 million.

Perhaps millions of young and old should lobby their politicians by taking to the streets, asking for more action and displaying their views, even if they are counter to the interests of the big FF companies - but I suppose their 'lobbying' will be 'the wrong sort of lobbying' to some.

JKenH

In today’s Telegraph. A couple of snippets from a long article



Why electric vehicle battery production could be the saviour of UK automotive

He also points to some of the more logistical challenges involved in having battery plants and car manufacturing facilities apart. Batteries are heavy, which means they are difficult to move around, and the flammability of lithium-ion batteries means they are potentially hazardous to transport.

But as the March report warns, for car manufacturers producing at volume in the UK such as Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover and Toyota, there is no reason to suppose they “will naturally gravitate towards establishing all, or even any serious proportion, of their European battery manufacturing capacity in the UK”.

With a string of gigafactories still years away, Britain will have to look at other areas of the supply chain to support its car industry. One area of rapidly growing interest is the securing of raw materials that go into lithium-ion batteries.

A start-up in Cornwall thinks it has hit on a way of generating a British supply of lithium. Cornish Lithium wants to extract lithium from hot underwater brines that welled up in the county’s historic mine workings.

If all goes to plan, it will drill below ground, pipe the water to the surface and treat it in a processing plant. Earlier this year it won a grant from the Government through the Faraday Challenge to assess the feasibility of developing a domestic lithium supply.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/10/30/electric-vehicle-battery-production-could-saviour-uk-automotive/