the main problem with any "green" energy scheme in the UK ( because hydroelectric generators work very well in the Scandinavian countries where the geography suits them ) is that they produce small amounts of power at considerable cost and unreliable intervals.

There is a huge network of subsidies and payments, basically an exercise in reasoning from conclusions to make some sort of sense from nonsense. If the cost/benefit equation were assessed impratially they would all be turned off tomorrow and we would never build another one.

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Whilst not pretty, windmills in the sea must be a better option than spoiling Welsh hillsides with them. Although it does apear that the only useful thing they produce is a subsidy for someone!
Nuclear has to be the best answer, with research into disposing of the waste in a way that makes it non radio active, rather than just dumping or hiding it somewhere.

Aren't there several working quarries drained by Milwr, the electricity generated could go to pumping these out :devil:

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Nuclear has to be the best answer, with research into disposing of the waste in a way that makes it non radio active, rather than just dumping or hiding it somewhere.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks so, wind and solar are ok on a small scale, for individual dwellings but large scale............no, its a sop to the yoghurt weavers, the average wind generator consumes about 5,000 tons of concrete (and we all know how carbon neutral that isn't) in its mounting base alone! and as for solar well P.V. is ok but I don't think we get enough decent sunshine here too look at large scale water heating to drive generators!

If you look at the major nuclear disasters that have happened I think you'll find that they have been down to operator error, illegal experiments and poor siting. Taken as a whole, the nuclear energy industry is safe, more miners are killed in China for example, and the cost of winning oil from under the ground is getting more and more expensive/dangerous!

I do have a solution to disposing of said waste - its a bit radical, but, you see we have a mahoosive chain reaction going on at the center of our universe (yup the sun) and LOTS of festering missiles dotted about the place....................do I have to spell the rest out?

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Sadly, there are too many people and when the energy means of facilitating their nice lives becomes scarce, their lives will become less nice.

You can be as much of a food pervert as you like and drive a VW and wear brown shoes, but the bottom line is that it's going to get a lot more nasty and the government's energy plan is probably going to accellerate the process.

Build lots of nuclear power stations now, or accept blackouts in the near future.

Personally, I'd also tell the fourth reich to sod off as well.

Tony Blair committed this country into building hundreds of thousands of windmills. Within the next 10 - 20 years you will not be able to move because of them. The era of cheap electricity has been and gone. The consumer has to pay for building them through higher bills AND pay again for the electricity.

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There is a lot of sense being talked here, and even George Monbiot sees nuclear power as the only sensible way forward.

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Generate a mini black hole using the LHC, then dump all nuclear waste into that.

Britain could have been at the centre of world wide nuclear waste reprocessing a while ago.

If I recall rightly, University of Birmingham is/was a big centre of the tech.

People need to stop being so afraid of it and capitalise on other's fear of it, IMO.

Britain needs to do "something" instead of financial jiggery pokery in order to sustain these gravy trains.

However, I suspect the future involves EDF doing everything (and making the money) and the EU micromanaging every other glimmer of hope.

Something else we can thank Tony Blair for, dithering over nuclear power because it wouldn't be popular so we're now in the situation where we've had to get the French in because we've lost too much of the home-grown expertise. Meanwhile, we try to use tech that's really only much good on a small local scale to plug the yawning gap approaching....

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A network of small local Light Water Reactors Perhaps?

Should have kept on with the AGCR and damn the torpedoes. World leading technology - and not as reliant on auxiliaries etc. etc to circulate the coolant.

Grahami

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Its a little known fact that a Trafalgar class sub can produce 2Mw of power, and its a PWR core, so not an insurmountable task in itself.

Mind you as always Mother Russia has beaten us once again:

http://englishrussia.com/2009/03/17/russian-mobile-nuclear-power-plants/ 

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Does nobody think using the coal reserves we have in the UK,instead of importing foreign coal come into the equation at all,i know most government parties dont,but thats the reason we have no logical energy policy.

Well to me and the man on the "Clapham Omibus" it would make sense, but, the Poindexters in Whitehall different matter entirely!

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I always thought we already had a Black Hole?
Isn't that the other name for Blaneau Ffestiniog? :oops:

I always thought we already had a Black Hole?
Isn't that the other name for Blaneau Ffestiniog? :oops:

No - that is a delicate shade of blue grey hole.

Its a little known fact that a Trafalgar class sub can produce 2Mw of power,

Think that's a bit on the low side. 😉

Something else we can thank Tony Blair for, dithering over nuclear power because it wouldn't be popular so we're now in the situation where we've had to get the French in because we've lost too much of the home-grown expertise. Meanwhile, we try to use tech that's really only much good on a small local scale to plug the yawning gap approaching....

One of the reason we are so dependent on the French for nuclear projects is that Gordon Brown's brother is employed (on a very good pay package) by EDF.
For some reason Mr Brown decided that EDF were the best option for new nuclear power plants in the UK

The UK has no expertise (allegedly) but Rolls Royce can produce the Core H pressurised water reactors that are world class.....

Upto 75% of electricity generated disappears in transmission loss but nobody likes to discuss that. What we should be doing is building smaller, more localised power stations. By minimising transmission loss we could greatly reduce the generation requirement

Something else nobody likes to admit, the UK has enough known coal reserves to generate electricity (at current consumption) for at least a century.

Energy policy in the UK hasn't been decided by logic or common sense, its been decided by bribery and back handers.

Energy policy in the UK hasn't been decided by logic or common sense, its been decided by bribery and back handers.

Just like our transport policy then!

Come to that, most governments' policies over the decades. :guns: