Not a Goose But a Duck

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There have been many naysayers against the efficacy of renewable energy sources ever since we decided that it might just be necessary in the long run to switch away from fossil fuels in order to stem the tide of climate change and the ultimate screwing over of our one and only planet. In fact, far from - Trump's words [wind power] being '...the most expensive form of energy...' - wind power can contribute, in stormy weather such as we get most autumns and winters these days, up to three-quarters of our electricity demand. Unfortunately, the downside is a distribution network unable to cope with the sheer amount of potential electricity generated at such times, when in fact, the wholesale price of electricity can and does become negative. As we still have a relatively modest power storage infrastructure, the producers have choices that need to made when that happens.

In a telling little piece in this weekend's Financial Times, Malcolm Moore quotes Finton Devenney, a senior energy analyst, as saying that '...the actual wind generation from the storm [Amy, recently passed] may be far lower than the forecasts. He said that wind farms may switch off if high winds threaten to damage turbines [fair comment], if their subsidies are endangered by negative prices [!] and if the grid itself cannot manage the surge in generation [understandable]...' Moore further says that '...[due to the excess generation and negative pricing] it can be cheaper for power plants to pay others [my italics] to use electricity than to switch off their generators. Households tend not to see the dips, which are smoothed out by retail tariffs [again, my italics], but large industrial users can sometimes be paid to use more electricity when the grid has an excess [yet again, my italics]...' If you ask me, this is the very definition of the economic lunacy that prevails today. We subsidise producers with our money then pay big business our money to use more energy, whilst caning the ordinary citizen again and again with higher energy bills because of a stupid, so-called private electricity retail market. Madness, utter, mind-boggling madness... 

Comments

  1. Anonymous6 October 2025 at 05:36

    You call it madness, I call it capitalism mate. We NEED to nationalize at least the NATIONAL Grid!!
    JHS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sideways6 October 2025 at 08:02

      That ain't capitalism - it's plain fraud...

      Delete
    2. sideways6 October 2025 at 08:04

      ...and it's the so-called 'retail' arm that is the dodgy bit...

      Delete

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