"Green Jobs"

[Protagoras]

That assumes there'd be a surplus of energy once all the data centres have gobbled it up

Given the fiasco of energy policy in the UK, construction of high-demand data centres will no doubt be allowed at locations remote from sources of generation.

A perfect follow-up to the nonsense of decommissioning generators close to demand, letting firms build generators anywhere and then paying them to switch off because their capacity can't be shipped to where the demand is.

What a great opportunity to game a system and build generation in a bonkers places sure in the knowledge that it won't run much and one will be handsomely rewarded! It's quite hard to find any other market where one get's paid opportunity cost like this.

https://wastedwind.energy/2025-10-22 has the numbers.

[ladymuck]

Energy storage.

If only we had it.

That assumes there'd be a surplus of energy once all the data centres have gobbled it up

[NotAllThere]

Such revelations would be beyond the comprehension of those in government, but I'm sure there's a solution.

Energy storage.

If only we had it.

[Protagoras]

I wonder if anyone's mentioned to him that solar farms don't work at night. .

Such revelations would be beyond the comprehension of those in government, but I'm sure there's a solution.

How about 'green' workers can work the night shift shining torches on solar panels?

[DoctorStrangelove]

Surely you're not losing faith in the Great Prophet Bacon Sandwich Man, blessings be upon him?

Just askin' for a friend, like. .

I wonder if anyone's mentioned to him that solar farms don't work at night. .

[Protagoras]

I'm an old cynic, but I can't see where the demand for 400,000 additional 'green jobs' in the next 5 years will come from.

Even with government grants (read - we'll be taxed to create subsidies) is this target realistic?

And what's a 'green' job anyway? For example, a chap / chapess replacing a gas boiler with an electric one isn't really a 'green' job to my way of thinking. If this becomes attractive to people it will be because of further market distortions arising from 'policy costs' that drive up gas prices excessively. It's not really 'green' to replace something that works simply because it's become too expensive to operate.

But with policy support, maybe that's the thing to get into for younger people with a tech inclination. Perhaps that's the contract market for the future.

Of course there'a always the risk that a future government would remove policy and subsidy costs from energy markets, enabling proper market functioning and price transparency.