Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

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  • Martyn1981
    Martyn1981 Posts: 14,764 Forumite
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    Brand_X wrote: »
    If you want to be eco-friendly, forget about faffy solar and wind power, they're just a money-making scam. Mother nature's best friends are fossil fuels, wood, hydro power, and nuclear - and in the future, nuclear waste, which can be re-used.

    Carbon - once the particulates have been filtered out - is good for the environment, so the only reason you should conserve fuel is to save money.

    Are there hats?

    Mart.
    Mart. Cardiff. 5.58 kWp PV systems (3.58 ESE & 2.0 WNW). Two A2A units for cleaner heating.

    For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.
  • Brand_X
    Brand_X Posts: 57 Forumite
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    Martyn1981 wrote: »
    Are there hats?

    Mart.

    I like John Oliver, but he's wrong, and so is Bill Nye the Science Guy. Bear in mind that Bill Nye is not a scientist, let alone a specialist in climatology; he's an engineer and a "science educator" - ie, a man who presents shows about science on television. When it comes to climatology, he is a layman just like you or me.

    Professor Bob Carter on "The Faux 97% Consensus" (an issue also explained by Donna Laframboise) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NinRn5faU4
  • theboylard
    theboylard Posts: 1,207 Forumite
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    This story should also be in the "solar...in the news" thread!

    Smart energy, solar and the internet http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35722324

    This'll upset a few folk ;)
    4kWp, SSE, SolarEdge P300 optimisers & SE3500 Inverter, in occasionally sunny Corby, Northants.
    Now with added Sunsynk 5kw hybrid ecco inverter & 15kWh Fogstar batteries. Oh Octopus Energy too.
  • kevin6666
    kevin6666 Posts: 84 Forumite
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    Old news now but the Spanish legal system has ruled/upheld the retrospective FIT cuts.

    Australia also looks to have put them in their place as well although it sounds like their FIT scheme had that built in from the go.
    http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/solar-homes-facing-meter-bill-shock-delays-as-premium-tariffs-end-98999

    Wondering if it could be a case of not IF but WHEN UK FIT gets retrospectively challenged. Hard to believe that over the next 20 years it wont.
  • legoman62
    legoman62 Posts: 4,549 Forumite
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    kevin6666 wrote: »
    Old news now but the Spanish legal system has ruled/upheld the retrospective FIT cuts.

    Australia also looks to have put them in their place as well although it sounds like their FIT scheme had that built in from the go.
    http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/solar-homes-facing-meter-bill-shock-delays-as-premium-tariffs-end-98999

    Wondering if it could be a case of not IF but WHEN UK FIT gets retrospectively challenged. Hard to believe that over the next 20 years it wont.

    We'll have to keep our fingers crossed it doesn't happen here then.......won't we:think:
    16 Sanyo Hit 250s.4kWp SMA 3.8kWp inverter. SW roof. 28° pitch. Minimal shade. Nov 2011 install. Hybrid car. Ripple Kirk Hill. N.E Lincs Coast.
  • zeupater
    zeupater Posts: 5,355 Forumite
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    edited 5 March 2016 at 11:01PM
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    kevin6666 wrote: »
    Old news now but the Spanish legal system has ruled/upheld the retrospective FIT cuts.

    Australia also looks to have put them in their place as well although it sounds like their FIT scheme had that built in from the go.
    http://reneweconomy.com.au/2016/solar-homes-facing-meter-bill-shock-delays-as-premium-tariffs-end-98999

    Wondering if it could be a case of not IF but WHEN UK FIT gets retrospectively challenged. Hard to believe that over the next 20 years it wont.
    ... a little bit of a self contradictory article when you think about it - it's also obvious that there's either a pretty poor grasp of logic or the subject matter being reported ... whichever, I'll not be losing too much sleep over what may or may not be happening on the other side of the planet, I'll leave that to those who are actually affected to hold their own politicians to account, just as we would here if a retrospective contract change was on the cards. With going on a million UK households currently having pv (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/solar-photovoltaics-deployment) there's possibly in the region of 2 million discontented ballot-box crosses hanging around the neck of any political party which would propose such a change, potentially resulting in a ~10% detrimental poll swing which would certainly lead them to consider such a move very carefully.

    HTH
    Z
    "We are what we repeatedly do, excellence then is not an act, but a habit. " ...... Aristotle
    B)
  • Martyn1981
    Martyn1981 Posts: 14,764 Forumite
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    edited 6 March 2016 at 8:31AM
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    kevin6666 wrote: »
    Wondering if it could be a case of not IF but WHEN UK FIT gets retrospectively challenged. Hard to believe that over the next 20 years it wont.

    Careful what you wish for. As a nuclear supporter you'd best keep your fingers crossed that the government doesn't do any such thing.

    Following recent government moves on PV farms and on-shore wind farms, confidence (and investment) in renewables has already collapsed in the UK, a move such as your suggesting would almost certainly scare off the investors in Hinkley C, since they need the (already comparatively high compared with wind and solar) 35yr subsidy, or they won't build it.

    I'm also guessing that the payment of around £200m pa to the oldest PV systems owned by UK households, is less of a concern than the £1.25bn pa subsidy that is to go to [STRIKE]China/France[/STRIKE] Hinkley C.

    Mart.
    Mart. Cardiff. 5.58 kWp PV systems (3.58 ESE & 2.0 WNW). Two A2A units for cleaner heating.

    For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.
  • Martyn1981
    Martyn1981 Posts: 14,764 Forumite
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    Storage in the USA (like Australia) seems to have started to pop. Hopefully we'll see the 'PV like' reductions in price that have been suggested by BNEF and others.

    U.S. energy storage market more than triples in 2015
    The U.S. Energy storage market had a breakout year in 2015, as documented in the latest annual edition of GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association’s (ESA) Energy Storage Monitor. The market grew 243% by capacity with 221 MW installed over the course of 2015, and the fourth quarter was particularly intense, with 112 MW installed - more than in all of 2013 and 2014.
    This are meager levels compared to what is expected over the next four years. GTM Research projects that the energy storage market will grow eight-fold by 2020 to 1.7 GW annually, and for investments to increase more than five-fold to US$2.5 billion.

    Mart.
    Mart. Cardiff. 5.58 kWp PV systems (3.58 ESE & 2.0 WNW). Two A2A units for cleaner heating.

    For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.
  • kevin6666
    kevin6666 Posts: 84 Forumite
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    Martyn1981 wrote: »
    Careful what you wish for. As a nuclear supporter you'd best keep your fingers crossed that the government doesn't do any such thing.

    Following recent government moves on PV farms and on-shore wind farms, confidence (and investment) in renewables has already collapsed in the UK, a move such as your suggesting would almost certainly scare off the investors in Hinkley C, since they need the (already comparatively high compared with wind and solar) 35yr subsidy, or they won't build it.

    I'm also guessing that the payment of around £200m pa to the oldest PV systems owned by UK households, is less of a concern than the £1.25bn pa subsidy that is to go to [STRIKE]China/France[/STRIKE] Hinkley C.

    Mart.
    £200m well short of the mark although it depends what you call 'old'.

    When wholesale electricity prices are at an all time low the economics of paying a massive price for low value electric (i.e. Solar Daytime) will probably mean it's inevitable. Some major European power companies (that own UKs) are reporting massive losses so even more likely.

    My view is actual ROI (Generation, Export & Import savings) info should be researched/sample checked and published for various FIT Tariff bands. I've said before that there is some systems that have already paid for themselves which personally I think is questionable from an ethical pov.

    Think if Dr Jones PV system has already paid for itself then would it be wrong to change his FIT rate to something more inline with the market and pass the savings either back to the bill payer or better still back to renewable investments (i.e. give current FIT the slight tweak it could do with to provide the UK with an ongoing domestic PV industry).
  • Martyn1981
    Martyn1981 Posts: 14,764 Forumite
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    kevin6666 wrote: »
    When wholesale electricity prices are at an all time low the economics of paying a massive price for low value electric (i.e. Solar Daytime) will probably mean it's inevitable. Some major European power companies (that own UKs) are reporting massive losses so even more likely.

    This of course also applies to nuclear generation at night, when the wholesale price of leccy is lower, lifting the subsidy element of the CfD higher.

    I fail (yet again) to understand your obsession with the PV subsidy, whilst being a nuclear supporter?

    With 6 years of support PV (including domestic scale) is now cheaper than the price nuclear is set to get in 10 years time. That nuclear price rides on the back of 60 years of subsidy support already.

    So what's the problem? The 15yr (CFD) and 20yr (FiT) PV subsidies are already lower than the incoming 35yr nuclear subsidy. So the renewables subsidies have worked, whilst the nuclear subsidies appear to have failed. How can you condone one that goes to vast scale foreign corporations, whilst moaning about the other one which goes to smaller businesses and households? Isn't it time to move on?

    Mart.
    Mart. Cardiff. 5.58 kWp PV systems (3.58 ESE & 2.0 WNW). Two A2A units for cleaner heating.

    For general PV advice please see the PV FAQ thread on the Green & Ethical Board.
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