Reply to: Norway Wants to Be Europe’s Battery

[vetran]

Could we survive if you just tried to buy goods with 'made in Britain' labels?

Our shiny new nuclear power station will have a 'made in china' label.

We could if we hadn't pushed the manufacturing to low cost countries who are building smelly coal fired power stations every week and have no concept of employee rights. Charging a green tariff on imports similar to one paid by UK firms (reducing the tariff as the supplier become greener) and instituting a minimum employee standard would help considerably.

A gradual move towards that would have meant more investment in UK manufacturing over the last 40 years or improved Green attitudes and employer responsibility in overseas suppliers. Its a win win.

Our lack of vision and buying cheap have hobbled us.

Blog - A Truly British Family - Consumer champions of manufacturing & farming

[scooterscot]

we could lead by tariffs if we wanted.Only buy products produced by clean energy and good employment practices.

Could we survive if you just tried to buy goods with 'made in Britain' labels?

Our shiny new nuclear power station will have a 'made in china' label.

[vetran]

We lead be example, not default.

we could lead by tariffs if we wanted.Only buy products produced by clean energy and good employment practices.

[Sysman]

we just need to build lots of dams and hydro electric storage, of course the devastation of wildlife would upset the populace.

The newly privatised water companies sold a load of dams off in the nineties.

A fair few of them are now housing estates.

Standpipes. What standpipes?

[d000hg]

Does not matter what happens in Europe, China and India will think nothing of burning coal until it runs out.

Probably, but having an infrastructure which is less coal-dependent could be nice when that happens - not only for keeping our lights on but in terms of selling that expertise to those countries. Being the country the world comes to for renewable tech could revive the UK's standing in the world order!

[scooterscot]

Does not matter what happens in Europe, China and India will think nothing of burning coal until it runs out.

We lead be example, not default.

[TykeMerc]

Does not matter what happens in Europe, China and India will think nothing of burning coal until it runs out.

That's true, in "Global Warming/Climate Change" terms if you believe the CO2 arguments.

However if (not unlike Norway has done) we could provide a significant proportion of our electrical power requirements without fuel costs with lots of hydro.

If wind and/or wave generation ever become seriously viable having multiple hydro storage facilities would be an absolute must because of the erratic nature of the generation, at least Norway has the foresight and guts to use their resources wisely.

[minestrone]

What about climate change? And the prosperity of future generations?

Does not matter what happens in Europe, China and India will think nothing of burning coal until it runs out.

[d000hg]

Wow that's a bit harsh isn't it? Nature has been a source of inspiration for the human race remember the Wright brothers?

Conservation has its place. But every square meter has something interesting in it, so by that argument we'd never do anything.

A species that has such a vast territory is not really viable in terms of conservation. You can hardly declare the whole of Scotland off limits because some birds are determined to fly over every inch of it.

We could concrete the ground so that golden plovers, grey plovers, godwits, oystercatchers, lapwings, curlews, whimbrels, redshanks, woodcocks, snipes, jack snipes, dotterils, sanderlings, knots, skylarks and many, many more ground nesting birds get the message and p off.

Yeah great argument. But that would serve no purpose whereas putting turbines in uninhabited expanses does.

[JRCT]

So fill 1/4 with windmills and let the birds have the rest.

Or paint them pink, or use it as an object lesson in biology when all the stupid birds die out.

We could also put some signs up so that the eagles know which part of their vast territory has these turbines, so they know to stay clear.

We could concrete the ground so that golden plovers, grey plovers, godwits, oystercatchers, lapwings, curlews, whimbrels, redshanks, woodcocks, snipes, jack snipes, dotterils, sanderlings, knots, skylarks and many, many more ground nesting birds get the message and p off.

Interestingly, the RSPB have suggested in the past that the best colour to enable birds to see these turbines would be purple. But, of course that would look hideous.

[The Spartan]

So fill 1/4 with windmills and let the birds have the rest.

Or paint them pink, or use it as an object lesson in biology when all the stupid birds die out.

Wow that's a bit harsh isn't it? Nature has been a source of inspiration for the human race remember the Wright brothers?

[d000hg]

If it was 'a few' then you might have an arguement. But it's not. That IS the point.

So fill 1/4 with windmills and let the birds have the rest.

Or paint them pink, or use it as an object lesson in biology when all the stupid birds die out.

[JRCT]

OK, then the wildlife can have acid rain instead. Which is more damaging, a few birds getting minced or the whole ecology changing because none of the indigenous plants can survive any more?

If it was 'a few' then you might have an arguement. But it's not. That IS the point.

[zemoxyl]

Pumped storage has been around for decades.

Satisfy your pumping power needs with wind generated and your operating power requirements are (almost) free.

Perpetual motion.

I think we have 4 of these already in GB and plenty of room/scope for more than enough to become a year round exporter.

Thank goodness for that! Somebody (here) has worked it out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...power_stations

[scooterscot]

We should just build new nuclear power stations and have guaranteed power for the next 60 years.

No pissing about, no carving up the countryside so cities full of oiks can watch Eastenders.

What about climate change? And the prosperity of future generations?