OT - More on generation (sigh) but what is the alternative to coal?

[Andy Burns]

Ah yes, I did say it was jumbled!

[js.b1]

...

Currently using >20% more energy to heat NOW, than when it was -7oC overnight & sub-zero during the day. Nearly as much in fact as the

-17oC night and -11oC day in 2011. I have a suspicion it is a combination of an icy cold wind and brickwork formerly like glass with frozen rain now melting, so shedding both water & heat.

Entire sides of houses were like thick glass when the rain came in and froze on contact. Wind is a real enemy of many UK houses, re stripping heat out of them particularly if bricks/mortar already wet. Overcast skies mean little solar gain.

[The Natural Philosopher]

yep. windchill works on houses too.

Fortunately here while it's -7C or so, it's almost dead calm, and sunny, and with the woodburner in the bedroom and two dogs and a cat climbing on the bed we were cosy as hell last night...

[jgharston]

Yes, but there it's clearly geographically differentiated. You don't find different flavour electricity in different suburbs of Tokyo. It's the equivalent to the Wier Committee ending up with Scotland and non-Scotland having different electricity standards.

JGH

[Tony Bryer]

But it that because the focus has been on huge dams. After a visit to Rochester, NY, where I saw several small hydro plants along the river I suggested here that such a thing might be possible in the UK at places like Teddington Lock and it may yet happen

[djc]

Still had them in my 60's childhood, and we lived in sight of the power station at Brimsdown

[charles]

[Dave Liquorice]

My current lecky tarrif runs out on 31st March. Got the letter from the supplier the other day, reminding me and that I'll be automagically switched to another tarrif as per the contract. No problem with that, except the new tarrif involves a price rise of

47%!

A brief wander around the switching sites and *all* the options show

*negative* savings of =A3150 or more. B-(

Who are OVO? Are they the ones with the contract term to give you the rate on the day of transfer rather than what they "quote" you? OVO are offering 0.26p/unit cheaper than the next best (My current supplier) and =A350 less standing charge. Not sure the agro of switching supplier is worth the =A370 I'll save bearing in mind the slightly more expensive tarrif is fixed until Apr '13. I think the OVO offering is variable...

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Andy Champ escribió:

[The Natural Philosopher]

Er no. There are LOTS of little hydro installations in the UK.

After a visit to

It is not worth trying to extract energy out of a low head. There is so little there at all in the first place.

The same sized installation will generate far far more if its at te foot of a waterfall etc.

A lot of small sites with reasonable falls are actually exploited in the UK - I think there are around 20 plus hydro installs. Wiki sez:

Back Barrow Hydro 0.325 MW Beeston, Nottinghamshire 1.66 MW, currently the largest Run of River Hydroelectric plant in England. Belper North Mill 350kW Biddulph Park 3kW Borrowash Mill, 0.179 MW Brignall Mill 3kW Burton Mill, 0.068 MW Cotton Valley Sewage Works 15kW Cuckney School, Nottinghamshire 7kW Delank Quarry 0.3 MW Earthbalance Centre 7kW Gants Mill Somerset 12kW Glen Lyn Gorge 0.3 MW Guildford Mill 40kW Hamlyn Mill 7kW Houghton Mill 16kW Itteringham Mill 4kW Kielder Water 12 MW, England's largest hydroelectric plant. Lynmouth Hydro 0.305 MW Marlingford Mill 12kW Marsh Mill 6kW Masson Mill, River Derwent, Derbyshire 260kW Milford Mill 180kW Old Walls Hydro, Dartmoor, 0.076 MW Oswestry, Llanfordda, 0.363 MW Oldcotes Mill 3kW Ponts Mill Hydro Scheme 0.2 MW River Dart Country Park, Dartmoor, 0.048 MW Sonning Mill 16kW St. Blazey, 0.2 MW Sturston Mill 1.5kW Talamh Life Centre 4kW Tellisford Mill, Somerset, part of the Mendip Power Group 75kW Trecarrell Mill Hydro Scheme, 0.03 MW Trelubbas Hydro Scheme, 0.175 MW

Now that is England

Scotland is too hard to cut and paste but there are lots of little hydro schemes..and a few not so little ones

has a few as well.

[Andy Champ]

And the Thames, further upstream

Unwrapped

[Dave Liquorice]

Wiki has missed Nenthead Hydro

402kW

In fact going back up in the sait I think the wiki has missed a lot but how many are actually grid connected I don't know.

[Mike Tomlinson]

In article , The Natural Philosopher writes

Until the Russians put the screws on.

[The Natural Philosopher]

well exactly.

something like a 100% price hike in gas makes all nuclear look the best bet - just use a bit of hydro and waste burning to balance then. And modulate the nukes or simply throw the excess heat away..or use the scrap electricity to smelt aluminium at night or synthesise diesel fuel.

Its not cheap, but it would be cheaper than the gas.

[The Other Mike]

They don't issue system warnings without good reason. They don't do 'public' training exercises. Ever.

[The Other Mike]

Approximately 3600MW of 'generation' was lost at around 10am, a time when there was around 46GW of demand. Before anyone jumps to conclusions this was not not 3600MW at a single location.

[Mark]

Their relying on apaphy hoping they can get away with fleecing you.

I'm skeptical with price comparison sites. I've never made the claimed savings and their results never agree with my own calculations.

AFAIK OVO only offer a fixed rate (or "green" tariff) for new customers.

[Mark]

>>> "Experts have long warned of the potential for power shortages because

>>> suggests around 50% comes from abroad.

Population growth is a big problem but I'm not aware of anywhere that finances people to have an "unlimited number of children".

[The Natural Philosopher]

sustainable shagging?

[Bill Wright]

The UK.

Child benefit should stop after two children per family. This to be brought in after nine months' warning.

Anyone remarrying should get child benefit for one further child only.

No benefits of any kind for immigrants until they've paid income tax for five years.

All immigrants to be asked for a £5,000 bond to cover their NHS costs, repayable after five years of work. If they can't pay it they can't come in.

Unemployment benefit to stop after 12 months, unless the recipient does three days voluntary work per week.

Bill