Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Cardew

EVandPV said:

https://youtu.be/iJunxkln578

As a matter of interest are we allowed to post links that tout for subscriptions?

QrizB

Cardew said:

As a matter of interest are we allowed to post links that tout for subscriptions?

I don't think there's any ban on it? If there was, we couldn't post links to major newspapers, for example.

michaels

Govt announces £5k grant for heat pump installs

Heat pumps: Should I get one and how much will it cost me? - BBC News

Isn't this less generous than the RHI payments it replaces?

EVandPV

michaels said:

Govt announces £5k grant for heat pump installs

Heat pumps: Should I get one and how much will it cost me? - BBC News

Isn't this less generous than the RHI payments it replaces?

I believe it is, and no legal ban on gas boilers now too, just a "target" to stop using them by 2035. 🤦

shinytop

michaels said:

Govt announces £5k grant for heat pump installs

Heat pumps: Should I get one and how much will it cost me? - BBC News

Isn't this less generous than the RHI payments it replaces?

RHI loosely depends on usage but yes, RHI is likely to be between £7k and a bit over £11k .  But you pay up front whereas I assume the grant pays the homeowner or installer up front. 
 
I hope it's better organised than the Green Homes scheme.

Martyn1981

Fair criticism here I think about biomass. Ideally the practice is carbon neutral if the sources are sustainably managed, and transport emissions are minimised, but those are big if's.

I will be nice to see confirmation of sustainability, and efforts to clean up the transportation issues if possible. I have heard 'great' things about hemp, and the possibility of a 6-12month carbon cycle as two crops can be harvested pa in the UK, but I think the scale of generation at Drax might dwarf potential UK biomass production.

Apparently Ukraine has a staggering potential for sustainable biomass production which could support Europe, or perhaps power their own generators then sell the leccy as export when needed?

I think that bioenergy, and particularly biomass has a long way to go, so it's good to see that it's under constant(ish) revue.

Drax dropped from index of green energy firms amid biomass doubts

Drax has been booted from an investment index of clean energy companies as doubts over the sustainability of its wood-burning power plant begin to mount within the financial sector.

The company claims that burning biomass to generate electricity is “carbon neutral” because the emissions from incinerating wood pellets are offset by the carbon dioxide absorbed when the trees they are made from grow.

By using new technology to capture the carbon emissions from the biomass power plant, the company could effectively create “negative carbon emissions”, according to Drax.

A government spokesperson declined to comment.

A Drax spokesperson said its biomass “meets the highest sustainability standards” and that the “science underpinning carbon accounting for bioenergy” was “crystal clear”.

The spokesperson added: “The world’s leading authority on climate science, the UN’s IPCC, is absolutely clear that sustainable biomass is crucial to achieving global climate targets, both as a provider of renewable power and through its potential to deliver negative emissions with BECCS.”

Cardew

I listened to several 'pundits' on TV and radio last night. The common theme was that a retrofit heat pump installation costs £7,500 so with the £5,000 grant, the difference of £2500 is roughly what a new gas boiler costs to fit. Also running costs will be cheaper with a heat pump than Gas CH.

Well there are plenty of posters on this forum, and elsewhere, who have fitted heat pumps and iirc I have not seen any reports of installations costing below £10,000; with £15,000 to £18,000 being given in some cases.

Mention was made of the requirement to raise insulation standards to qualify for the £5k grant, although no detail was given or suggestions how some older dwellings will  reach this standard.

 There have been trials and user reports that suggest a system COP of 3.0(3kWh output for 1kWh input) is achievable but many have a lower figure. Currently electricity costs - even on a capped tariff - 5-6 times that of gas. Whilst it is probable that those charges will be skewed in favour of electricity by market forces or government intervention, will it come down to below electricity costing less than three times the cost of gas??

To achive efficiency low water temperatures are used so larger radiators are required.  Little mention is made of the requirement to have a heat pump running very long periods during the day - 24/7 in some cases. The days of having gas CH off during the day and having it switch on 30 minutes before returning from work/school will be over!

Finally a lady on the BBC this morning - a director of a major oil company - said it was essential that Britain achieve our target of zero carbon emissions to set an example to the rest of the world who would follow. When asked about China's own forcast of increasing coal production, she explained that China had one of the lowest per-capita incomes in the world and their stance was justified. True; but hardly following Britain's example. 

gefnew

Beer going net zero.
Climate change: Wales to get UK's first hydrogen-powered brewery - BBC News

michaels

Net zero announcement: UK sets out plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions - BBC News

Grr - all the usual suspects, SMR, blue hydrogen, CCS, no mention of meat or aviation and of course a reduction in the support for heat pumps that was announced last night....

'Blah Blah Blah' as someone might say.

Martyn1981

michaels said:

Net zero announcement: UK sets out plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions - BBC News

Grr - all the usual suspects, SMR, blue hydrogen, CCS, no mention of meat or aviation and of course a reduction in the support for heat pumps that was announced last night....

'Blah Blah Blah' as someone might say.

Wow!

I think you've nailed the summary. Lots of talk and a bit of investment in questionable solutions, which carries the risk of delays and distractions.

Ok, let's not leave it on a complete negative, there were some crumbs about EV chargers, though the 'mandating' of clean vehicles per year is probably too late, as the market has already spoken. And the article talks about the climate crisis as a fact, which will hopefully help to end the faux debate.

That's about as much as I can do to find pluses.