Realistic claims for solar pv

We did - apart from sizewell 'B'

Yes you do.

You already do that with most technology, particularly with mobile phones and computers and the renewable power generation.

Just as true of the renewables.

Well, we did have that capability but G Brown was too afraid of the anti-nuclear lobby, and instead of ordering replacements back in 2007 he sold off our UK capability to Toshiba, who have now reneged on their agreement to build a new plant on Anglesey.

And Rolls Royce still do have the skills because they design and build all the reactors used in our nuclear subs.

That?s overstated. Some would vote for the changes needed in that situation.

Nukes.

Also tractors, combine harvesters and orange carpet remember, all 'socially useful'.

The More4 series Deutscheland86 is well worth watching on more 4 if anyone has missed it. It may be drama, but I suspect it is quite close to the truth.

In last fridays episode, one of the party 'leaders' has suddenly noticed that background radiation as measured by his thermionic-valve equipped meter is four times higher that normal, after hearing reports on foreign news stations of high readings. He tries to stop a colleague from eating fresh strawberries, and wants to know what stocks of iodine are held and if they can be handed out.

More bigwigs then arrive and pour scorn on his meter, suggesting that he gets a better soviet one, pointing out that the last thing they need is a panic and everything is 'normal'.

Then later in the program someone rushes in to the meeting to say Gorbachov is on the TV announcing that Chernobyl is in meltdown.....

Solar water heating works quite well in the UK, even on cloudy days, but the initial costs put most people off.

If they considered the way electricity prices are heading in the next 30 years they might reconsider, but people are rather bad at working out inflation over that period, even if it was only 3%.

Expensive, though. And knickable.

We had a solar powered "speed" sign on an approach road at work which worked well all the year round. But it had a bloody great panel, at least four feet square.

Plus up to £150 standing charge :-(

Then they should have used the stick approach and not the carrot. Instead of bribing people and slapping the cost of the bribe onto other peoples electric bills they should have assessed every property for suitability (location, age of property, orientation etc) and put all all those properties UP by one council tax band. Those that fitted solar PV (no grants, no FITS) or other effiociency measures would then have their house rebanded one or two council tax bands lower.

Which you would be paying anyway assuming you want CH...

So why can't we design and build new ones? Have all the staff emigrated?

We don't have the technical ability and experience to design new power stations ourselves anymore - decades of green pressure and government fear of the public response ensured that we didn't continue development and so new recruits did not specialise in the areas needed.

We do have the ability to design small-scale units (such as submarine reactors) and could, with the will, time and the money, replace the lost expertise.

While the long term goal should be to replace our expertise, in the short term we can use outside companies to design and build - with as much as possible done in the UK.

What government could have done is finance new-build instead of looking to the Chinese to do it and having a high strike price, which simply exports the profits to China for the life of the plant.

SteveW

What is the link to Brexit? Our nuclear industry perished while were in the EUSSR.

So why is nobody doing it?

Retired mostly

That wont fix the problem of over regulation designed to strangle nuclear power.

The problem is that nuclear power actually solves problems: politics is about looking like you are *trying* to solve problems.

If the problems were solved - who needs the politicians?

And you really blame that on green nimbies?

All so easy, isn't it?

They are, and have been doing so for quite some time:

1. 8 million pounds (4900 tonnes) of glass into 2819 canisters"