Reply to: The trouble with renewables

[EternalOptimist]

Darmy , me old sausage munching squarehead, what material are those things made of ??
How can you call that renewable ? it doesnt grow on trees you know.

now, take one of these modern 'renewable' ones. all you need is a massive filthy hole in china, and a smoke belching coal fired power plant near Bejing.

[darmstadt]

Windmills, brilliant. Should put loads of them up, millions, everywhere, all over the place, extremely aesthetic. Splendid...

[doodab]

So you think nothing worthwhile ever comes about as a result of subsidy and government 'sponsorship'? I find that hard to believe.

Even loft insulation, which WILL save you money at full price, tends to be subsidies to get people to do it. I'm sure there are better examples.

The internet. Berkeley sockets in particular.

[Troll]

I was wondering last week if anyone had trouble keeping their house cool because of home insulation

Wonder no more me old mucker!

I had insulation stuffed into me cavities last November...oh err misses

Can report back that in addition to warmer in the Winter it is also cooler inside in the Summer

[administrator]

I was wondering last week if anyone had trouble keeping their house cool because of home insulation

There have been warnings about this:
BBC News - Green Deal 'could lead to deadly summer overheating'

Isn't the point that insulation keeps the heat on the hotter side, so in summer it will also act as insulation the same way a thermos keeps hot soup hot and cold milk cold?

If the sun beats down on the side of a house with windows then the house heats up. Heat rises. Loft insulation stops the heat from escaping.

[d000hg]

Isn't the point that insulation keeps the heat on the hotter side, so in summer it will also act as insulation the same way a thermos keeps hot soup hot and cold milk cold?

[EternalOptimist]

I was wondering last week if anyone had trouble keeping their house cool because of home insulation

[d000hg]

Where's the fun in that?

[EternalOptimist]

WEll if we can't get 100% clearly it's pointless to do it at all, let's just burn dolphins instead.

It has it's place, but let us not be stupid about it.

[d000hg]

UK electricity consumption 345 billion kWh

Portugal electricity consumption 48 billion kWh

WEll if we can't get 100% clearly it's pointless to do it at all, let's just burn dolphins instead.

[pjclarke]

One of the main factors was reduced demand. Why was demand down ? The product is too expensive.

Yeah no doubt increased energy costs were a factor in the 2.3% decrease in energy use, maybe they even were responsible for most of the 0.4% decrease that remains after the reduction due to in warm weather and fewer working days are controlled for.

Green subsidies are a negligible factor compared to the price volatility you get by relying on 'the market' for oil, gas and coal. Portugal is now less reliant on imports for its energy. Maybe this is why they made the investment ...?

[Troll]

The trouble with renewables is that we don't have enough of them, we don't have a smart grid and we are being left behind by the likes of Portugal, which briefly got 100% of its power from renewables in 2011 and achieved 70% for the first quarter of this year. It actually exported 6% of its generation to other countries and sold off a bunch of carbon credits having burned 29% less coal and 44% less gas.

Feckin Nimby Idiots.

Is 70 Percent Renewable Power Possible? Portugal Just Did It For 3 Months | ThinkProgress

UK electricity consumption 345 billion kWh

Portugal electricity consumption 48 billion kWh

[EternalOptimist]

So you think nothing worthwhile ever comes about as a result of subsidy and government 'sponsorship'? I find that hard to believe.

Even loft insulation, which WILL save you money at full price, tends to be subsidies to get people to do it. I'm sure there are better examples.

There is nothing wrong with priming the pump.

This industry was asking for 'Start up help' over twenty years ago.

If you are talking about subsidies in general, I am sure you would not like to go for a contract where the competition was undercutting you dramatically due to government subsidies.

[d000hg]

If this stuff really worked, the market would take care of it. It would not have to be forced down our throats.
But it doesnt so it doesnt.

So you think nothing worthwhile ever comes about as a result of subsidy and government 'sponsorship'? I find that hard to believe.

Even loft insulation, which WILL save you money at full price, tends to be subsidies to get people to do it. I'm sure there are better examples.

[EternalOptimist]

As usual, the Greenies ignore the facts. Read the article again. One of the main factors was reduced demand.

Why was demand down ?
The product is too expensive

Why is their electricty too expensive ?
because of massive subsidies to renewables


It would be possible to power the whole world on unicon f@rts if the subsidies were high enough.



If this stuff really worked, the market would take care of it. It would not have to be forced down our throats.
But it doesnt so it doesnt.