In reply to wintertree:
> It annoys me because money is being taken from my pocket to fund wind on the promise that it will "bootstrap" the technology into something that can actually meaningfully contribute to our energy security.
It may not be the most effective way of achieving that bootstrap effect but it's probably better than doing nothing.
> To date all it is doing is making the ROI on conventional plant worse, making it harder for people to invest in, e.g. CCGT plant. It's also diverting money that could go into constructing modern fission plants.
The problem with next generation fission is not up front investment (at least no worse than any industry seeking investment in the midst of a deep depression), it's down the line risk given we still have no real certainty over the costs and responsibilities and facilities for decommissioning and disposal.
> I agree - and I suggest that there is no way on this earth that wind can be the primary source of energy for Britain going forwards. As such our priority should be in identifying that source and making it happen, not in squandering all the money on something that will only ever fritter away at the edges of our energy needs.
I agree and disagree. Clearly wind alone will never be enough but we seem to differ on the contribution we think it can make.
> Before anyone points me to Gridwatch to proudly proclaim that wind is currently providing 2.99% of our electricity, that corresponds to about 0.74% of our total energy requirements. Can you imagine having 135 times as many wind turbines, and some magic future energy storage system, and what that would do to the countryside, or cost?
Frankly, yes, I can imagine 100x as many turbines as there are today. I don't think it's a great idea, certainly not unless they were developed alongside adequate storage but perhaps 10x as many alongside pumped storage (perhaps lagoons), that I think would be worthwhile. As to what it would do to the countryside: Nothing we haven't done before in one form or another.
> I would happily pay 2x my current electricity bill if the surplus was going to investment in Thorium cycle fission reactors and a modern waste processing facility.
Very sensible.
jk