Ey up! They're burning coal tonight!

[David]

I assume someone has a favourable deal because it must cost more than gas generation.

Cheers

Dave R

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, its cheaper.

But they are limited to only a few thousand hours a year.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Coal could be burned more efficiently and the sulphur and other gasses could be collected, but it seems still nobody bothers. Brian

[Andy Burns]

Ratcliffe power station did spend the money on sulphur and NOx scrubbers, but the govt decided that all coal must die in the UK, meanwhile Germany opened a new coal power station 6 months ago.

[The Natural Philosopher]

TBH Germany still had vile filthy cheap lignite to burn whilst we have nothing but expensive coal. Its no big deal to phase out coal, but unfortunately, ex of fracking, UK gas is on the wane, so we need nuclear badly.

[tony sayer]

Wasn't that burning Lignite a worse polluter than coal?.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Of course. Germans are fundamentally stupid.They see windmills and solar panels and congratulate themselves on 'being green' and 'nuclear free'. The fact is they have more nuclear power than the UK, far more coal and are by country,by individual and by Megawatt hour the greatest emitters of CO2 in Europe.

Their politicians must know this.

But they don't care. They cannot really be serious about CXO2 after all.

[Dave Liquorice]

Yes, but don't let a fact or two get in the way of being "green".

Did have surely? Didn't I read the other day that their last operational nuke closes next year? Hence the building of new coal station and using their existing coal stations even more.

[Andy Burns]

three to close by end next year, last three to close by end of the year after.

[The Natural Philosopher]

They must have closed a couple when I wasn't looking. Well a merry climate change and a happy Brexit to them, after all. Smug bastards.

[Max Demian]

Do they have many tsunamis in Germany?

[The Natural Philosopher]

No, but they are lousy with Greens. And proportional representation gives them disproportionate power, exactly as the limp Dims had in coalition here.

One of the reasons I voted to keep FPTP.

[Tim Streater]

None since the Storegga Slide, I'm guessing.

[Andy Burns]

did it suddenly turn cold at 4pm today, odd looking peak that gas had to pick-up?

[The Natural Philosopher]

No: The sun went down

[Andy Burns]

Just looks like a weird point of inflection, that's all.

[The Natural Philosopher]

the data sources are not guaranteed perfect, but at this time of year the fall off in solar and the need to switch on lights and heat can cause very rapid non renewable demand slew rates.

[David]

Wandering past again and the OCGT is clocking up some time.

Puzzling as there seems to be plenty of headroom on CCGT.

Cheers

Dave R

[The Natural Philosopher]

CCGT sets take along time to come up to full efficiency compared with OCGT , and it seems that the grid is paying for what used to be called 'spinning reserve' which is just some rotating mass on the grid powered by the grid or generating very little.

[David]

Interesting.

I note that CCGT is doing virtually bugger all tonight but that coal is showing a small amount.

Probably just turning it over and running it for a bit to circulate the oil and charge the starter battery.

Cheers

Dave R