Scotland’s biggest power source is renewables

WIND BEATS NUCLEAR, COAL, AND GAS!

Scotland’s renewable energy generators have moved into 1st place. Scotland produced more energy from renewables than any other source including nuclear power. This is another milestone on the road to 100% sustainable renewable energy generation in Scotland. It will be how we in England will respond to this obvious challenge.

BBC article:

Renewable power has overtaken nuclear to become the main source of electricity in Scotland, the latest figures have suggested.

Wind and hydro power produced 10.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in the first six months of this year, UK government statistics showed.

Meanwhile, National Grid figures showed nuclear power stations generated 7.8TWh over the same period.

Environmental campaigners said it was a “significant landmark”.

National Grid said 5.6TWh of electricity came from coal-fired power stations in the first half of this year, with a further 1.4TWh from gas-fired stations.

Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said the figures showed that the country was continuing to make “good progress” towards its target of generating the equivalent of 100% of Scotland’s electricity demand from renewable sources.

‘Vast potential’

He added: “The fact that energy from renewables has exceeded that from nuclear in the first half of 2014 highlights the vast potential of renewable generation to provide a safe, secure and cost-effective means of electricity generation for this country, together with appropriate levels of thermal generation.

“It is vital that appropriate support for renewables in Scotland is maintained following the introduction of electricity market reform in the UK.”

Niall Stuart, chief executive of the industry body Scottish Renewables, said there was still “plenty of potential” for more to come from renewable power, with offshore wind and marine energy still in the early stages of development.

Mr Stuart added: “This important milestone is good news for anyone who cares about Scotland’s economy, our energy security and our efforts to tackle climate change.

“Every unit of power generated from renewables means less carbon emitted from the burning of fossil fuels, decreases our reliance on imported energy and supports jobs and investment in communities across Scotland.”

He added: “The renewables industry has come a long way in a short space of time but there is still plenty of potential for further growth.

“Offshore wind and marine energy are still in the early stages of development but could make a big contribution to our future energy needs if they get the right support from government. That support includes the delivery of grid connections to the islands, home to the UK’s very best wind, wave and tidal sites.”

Sense of perspective

Lang Banks, director of the environmental group WWF Scotland, said: “Last month, while nuclear reactors were forced to shut because of cracks, Scotland’s renewables were quietly and cleanly helping to keep the lights on in homes across the country.

“Wind turbines in Scotland alone generated enough electricity to supply three millions homes in the UK – equivalent to 126% of the electricity needs of every home north of the border.”

But Paul Younger, professor of Energy Engineering at the University of Glasgow, said it was important to keep a sense of perspective.

He added: “It’s true that we’ve seen an increase in both the installed capacity and output of wind generation over the last year or so, but the 2013 closure of the coal-fired power station at Cockenzie and the downgrading of the gas-fired power station at Peterhead have had a much more dramatic effect on the percentage balance of generation sources.

“What we are seeing is a loss of capability in Scotland to generate on demand. Basically, nuclear generates steadily, 24/7 and we can increase generation from coal and gas as and when we need it. We desperately need not to lose sight of that.

“Otherwise, we will be relying on importing power from England, or else facing blackouts. That would bring a backlash against renewables which I do not want to see.”

Hydrogen powered

Hydrogen powered vehicles have been around awhile. The challenge for driving cars powered by hydrogen is storage. Storage and availability of refueling stations. How do you store enough hydrogen to drive a car 350 miles? Where can you refuel your hydrogen powered car?

I blogged about a new car by Honda that can do these long range drives.

Now Honda has also started using hydrogen to power short range equipment too. In their own factory!

Hydrogen Powered material handling equipment

Briggs Equipment installed a hydrogen powered truck system at Honda’s Swindon manufacturing facility. The fork truck built by Yale has been converted to rely entirely on renewable energy sources. The new system  generates hydrogen from solar power via electrolysis.  Now all the energy to drive the fork truck is clean and renewable with zero emissions.

The Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association has a nice article about this.

Hydrogen powered Fork Truck!

All Green! All Clean!

The World Industrial Reporter also has a nice article about the new hydrogen powered fork truck at Honda’s Swindon factory.

The photo above comes from this article. Here is a bit of that article:

Richard Close, Briggs Equipment CEO explained how the consortium has worked hard with Honda to produce commercial volumes of truly ‘green’ hydrogen to power the converted Yale trucks in operation at the Swindon plant.

“These hybrid trucks are the first to use lithium battery technology with a hydrogen fuel cell to replace standard lead-acid batteries, resulting in materials handling equipment that produces zero emissions at the point of use,” he said. “The project has proved what can be achieved. The challenge is now to extend this as widely as possible.”

There you are folks. No drilling. No fracking. No mess. Clean green renewable energy today. That is what we need across the planet to save our climate and us. To quote Oliver Twist “Can I have some more please?”

Fracking unsafe

Fracking is unsafe. This is a well known fact. There are many reports and studies that prove this.

There was a meeting in Canterbury on the 19th of November 2014. This meeting was attended by many local citizens. The panel of speakers were from both sides of the fracking issue.

One panel member was Mr Michael Hill. Mr Hill is an expert adviser to the EU Commission on Shale Gas. Mr Hill said quit clearly that “Fracking in Kent is unsafe.”

Here is the article from the Canterbury Times:

From left to right: Nick Riley, David Smythe and Michael Hill

Fracking is unsafe

The whole article here:

“Fracking in Kent is unsafe,” said Michael Hill, an Expert Adviser to the EU Commission on Shale Gas, to hundreds at a heated fracking debate last night.

Mr Hill, who was part of the Royal Society team that made 10 recommendations on fracking in 2012, was one of a 7-member panel at the debate which was organised by Canterbury Christ Church University’s Sociology department as part of their new Engaging Sociology series.

According to Mr Hill, the proximity of the drilling sites to water basins means shale fracking, which is designed to extract gas and oil from shale rock, in Kent is likely to be unsafe.

“A 30% rise in birth defects and 38% rise in cancer mortality has been documented in areas where fracking took place,” he said, pointing out that it’s usually possible to extract only around 4% of the gas in the ground.

“So the question that needs to be asked is: how many birth defects should we have to carry out the drilling? If you say none then you’ve just banned fracking.”

“We do not have the same level of regulation that exists in the US in the UK,” he added. “We have not learned from the mistakes they had in the US.”

One of the pro-fracking participants, Director of Carboniferous Limited Nick Riley, blamed the media for what he called “scaremongering”.

“You need to go on the Environment Agency’s website and look at the facts,” he said.

Ian Driver leaves the meeting for good reason.

The debate saw Ian Driver, Green Party Councillor at Thanet District Council and a prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Thanet South, walk off of the podium after accusing the Dean of the Sociology Faculty and the event’s chairwoman, Professor Janet Haddock-Fraser, of poor chairmanship.

“I’ve never seen such poor chairmanship,” he said. “You did not let us answer one question.”

Professor Haddock-Fraser explained that the questions were technical and asked Mr Driver to return to the stage but he refused.

Another important pro-fracking participant was Gerwyn Llewellyn Williams, chairman of Coastal Oil and Gas which holds fracking licenses for east Kent, who was booed by the crowd after explaining why it is important to go through with the plans.

“In South Wales we see libraries closing, schools are struggling, many people out of work, something has to be done,” he said.

He added: “Fracking has been done, is done and will be done in the UK.”

Other panel members include: Distinguished Fellow at The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Paul Stevens, Former Vice Chair of East Kent Against Fracking and campaigner, Julie Wassmer, and Emeritus Professor of Geophysics University of Glasgow, David Smythe.

The event was part of Christ Church University’s Engaging Sociology series which promotes debates on key issues that have an impact on society.

Article Ends…

Two points here that show the biased nature of the Fracking debate.

The first point involves the refusal of the chairwoman to allow audience questions to be answered by the panel.

From the above article again:

The debate saw Ian Driver, Green Party Councillor at Thanet District Council and a prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Thanet South, walk off of the podium after accusing the Dean of the Sociology Faculty and the event’s chairwoman, Professor Janet Haddock-Fraser, of poor chairmanship.

“I’ve never seen such poor chairmanship,” he said. “You did not let us answer one question.”

Professor Haddock-Fraser explained that the questions were technical and asked Mr Driver to return to the stage but he refused.

End of excerpt..

So because the audience is educated enough to ask a technical question about  fracking, the panel should not be allowed to answer? That makes no sense at all.

The audience are deeply concerned and against fracking due to the environmental damage caused. This usually is labeled by the media and pro-fracking pundits as emotional tree hugger syndrome or similar.

In fact the anti-fracking public are well educated and from a very diverse set of fields. Homeowners, engineers, laborers, and others come together to oppose fracking. We all oppose fracking for the same reasons.

Fracking damages the environment. Fracking pollutes ground water tables forever. Fracking is a method to extract more fossil fuels from the ground.

We must stop using fossil fuels or our planet’s climate will be rendered unfit for humans. We can not live on a planet where temperatures are spiraling out of control.

The second point concerns the ridiculous comments made by the oil and gas representative on the panel, Gerwyn Llewellyn Williams.

Gerwyn Llewellyn Williams, left, has some very stupid things to say.

Excerpt from the article:

Gerwyn Llewellyn Williams, chairman of Coastal Oil and Gas which holds fracking licenses for east Kent, who was booed by the crowd after explaining why it is important to go through with the plans.

“In South Wales we see libraries closing, schools are struggling, many people out of work, something has to be done,” he said.

Editor:

Wait just a minute Gerwyn. You think that if you can frack wherever you want without restriction you can help keep libraries open? Fund struggling schools? or increase employment? You are wrong.

The money promised is nothing short of a bribe to local cash strapped councils to look the other way. ‘Don’t worry about the environmental disaster, here is some cash.’

Gerwyn added: “Fracking has been done, is done and will be done in the UK.”

You do not have the right to tell the UK public what will happen in their own local communities. We have the right to deny you access to drill. We will exercise this right. You will not frack here.

FYI:  France has BANNED FRACKING FOREVER! They are not the only country to do this. The UK WILL do the same.

Future or Mirai

Future or Mirai is today! the past is yesterday. Now that we have that part explained, what does it all mean?

The Future is here!

This is an exciting time for humans and our global climate. For over a year now I have been blogging about the desperate need to reduce carbon output. We are a world dependent on dirty and damaging fossil fuels and disastrous nuclear energy. Energy giants of the world are a monopoly that seek to continue the use of oil and gas. There is another way, and there has been for over 100years.

Hydrogen

Many previous blogs on this site have covered the production, storage, and use of Hydrogen. Hydrogen is the new energy medium. You can generate it from many sources including water. Hydrogen is stored in portable cylinders, underground chambers, and national gas grids. Hydrogen is used to turn carbon dioxide into methane. Hydrogen is transported via pipelines, trucks, or ships. Hydrogen when burned or consumed in a fuel cell has only one byproduct, Water!

Save the Planet

Please help save our home

Hydrogen will save the planet from the ultimate destruction of global climate change. Does your country have renewable energy like solar or wind? Great! Use hydrogen as a storage medium to save the excess production of electricity. Here in the UK our national grid is paying wind farm operators to NOT produce energy. Solar energy is only available during the day so storage is a must for use during the night.

Now Toyota has unveiled their new Miria. This will be the first production fuel cell vehicle in the world. And it is a game changer. Oil and gas oligarchies be ware! your time is over! Free energy form the sun and wind will now be used to generate hydrogen for use in cars. Now we do not need oil or gas. To the  investment bankers reading this; the time is now for divesting from oil and gas companies. Divest while you still can.

For the rest of us the time to celebrate is now, well now in the USA and mid 2015 in Europe.

Look for Mirai in the US soon. I’m going to buy a fleet and make them taxis

Polar ice melting faster

From an article in Deutsche Welle:

For 20 years satellites have been monitoring earth’s biggest ice shields on Greenland and in the Antarctic, using different technologies from radar to gravity measurements. In the past, the uncoordinated publication of individual one-off measurements led to confusion, especially with regard to the state of the Antarctic ice. A new study, supported by NASA and European Space Agency ESA combines the data from different satellite missions.

If the Greenland ice sheet were to melt completely, sea levels could rise by seven meters

“Thanks to the accuracy of our data set, we are now able to say with confidence that Antarctica has lost ice for the whole of the past 20 years. In addition to the relative proportions of ice that have been lost in the northern and southern hemispheres, we can also see there’s been a definitive acceleration of ice loss in last 20 years. So together Antarctica and Greenland are now contributing three times as much ice to sea levels as they were 20 years ago,” says the Professor of Earth Observation.

Global Warming is melting ice faster

From Natural Resources Defense Council:

Average temperatures in the Arctic region are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere in the world. Arctic ice is getting thinner, melting and rupturing. For example, the largest single block of ice in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, had been around for 3,000 years before it started cracking in 2000. Within two years it had split all the way through and is now breaking into pieces.

Since 1979, the size of the summer polar ice cap has shrunk more than 20 percent. (Illustration from NASA)

The polar ice cap as a whole is shrinking. Images from NASA satellites show that the area of permanent ice cover is contracting at a rate of 9 percent each decade. If this trend continues, summers in the Arctic could become ice-free by the end of the century.

There is no time to waste. We can act now to fix our climate

From Brave New Climate:

Top 10 ways to kick the CO2 habit

Solving climate change is a huge international challenge. Only a concerted global effort, involving the governments of all nations, will be enough to avert dangerous consequences. But that said, the individual actions of everyday people are still crucial. Large and complex issues, like climate change, are usually best tackled by breaking down the problem into manageable bits.

For carbon emissions, this means reducing the CO₂ contribution of each and every one of the six and a half billion people on the planet. But what can you, as an individual person or family, do that will most make a difference to the big picture? Here are my top ten action items, which are both simple to achieve and have a real effect. They are ranked by how much impact they make to ‘kicking the CO₂ habit’.

From the Union of Concerned Scientists:

In order to effectively address global warming, we must significantly reduce the amount of heat-trapping emissions we are putting into the atmosphere.

The good news is that we have the technology and practical solutions at hand to accomplish it.

As individuals, we can help by taking action to reduce our personal carbon emissions. But to fully address the threat of global warming, we must demand action from our elected leaders to support and implement a comprehensive set of climate solutions.

A Comprehensive Set of Smart Solutions to Reduce Emissions

• Expand the use of renewable energy and transform our energy system to one that is cleaner and less dependent on coal and other fossil fuels.
• Increase vehicle fuel efficiency and support other solutions that reduce oil use.
• Place limits on the amount of carbon that polluters are allowed to emit.
• Build a clean energy economy by investing in efficient energy technologies, industries, and approaches.
• Reduce tropical deforestation and its associated global warming emissions.
• Implement effective national and regional climate policies.

Resurrection of renewable energy

The truth about climate change is being resurrected. No matter how hard the greedy oil merchants try, the truth keeps coming back to haunt them.

The IPCC report on the devastating effects of climate change are real. We have to face p to the basic facts that Change Is Required Now.

IPCC renewables report

Climate deniers see the Truth resurrected

Many have said there is no climate change. Others have said that climate change is normal and not caused by man.

Now the truth is being resurrected again. Every time greedy oil merchants and nuclear proponents say that it is not true they are wrong.

The blog is 5 months old

I have been blogging for 5 months now. During this time many have see the truth about what is happening to our planet. Many have expressed how they feel about this subject in my comments. What is required now is some movement on the subject.

We need to work together to stop the corporate greed that is destroying our planet. The representative in your country needs to know how you feel.

If you live in the UK then you can write to your MP now.

If you live in the USA then you can write to your member of Congress or Senate.

If you live in the Peoples Republic of China, you can write to your Party Congress.

Building the energy future we need Today

I have posted many blogs in the past about building a renewable energy future today. Today I will show you some of the many places where you can help to support the cause.

Your support is needed to help create our renewable energy future. There is a company called Good Energy here in the UK that is working on renewable energy today.

Good Energy Solar Farm And Wild Flower Meadow

You can help support Good Energy in several ways. Buying your energy from this company can help them gain the money they need to carry on further projects. If your run a business then they can help there too.

Always help support efforts to create new renewable energy projects near you. Here is a link to the Good Energy public consultation schedule. Go to these meetings and support your right to a green and pleasant future.

 The Future is Hydrogen Powered

Right now we have the parts of a renewable energy system. We can put the pieces of the renewable energy puzzle together and make a brighter and cleaner future for all of us.

Building the renewable energy future we need today is as simple as taking the right peices of the puzzle and placing them together.

Solar Energy To Hydrogen

If this is the future, why do we delay and look to outdated ideas? This is where the problem lies.

Corruption and greed are keeping us tied to dirty and dangerous energy

The current power system we have is run by corrupt governments and corporations. This corruptness is used to keep old ideas that are killing us and our planet.

Kurt Cobain On Corruption

Nuclear energy is old and dangerous. Oil is destroying our climate and killing life on earth. Fracking is polluting our water and our land and killing us.

The Wind is free and clean.

The sun is free and clean.

Hydrogen when burned creates water! hydrogen when used to make electricity makes . . . water.

Lets start using our heads and get the corrupt corporations and governments out of the process. Let us take back control of the decisions that matter in energy production and use.

Write to your MP now!

Write to your local council

Write to your representative in Congress and the Senate.

Write to your party Member in Begiing.

Send this blog link to your friends and get them to join the movement!

How to Beat the Blackmailer

It is now clear that putin* is an energy blackmailer. putin* has tried to blackmail the Ukraine into submission. putin* is now trying to blackmail the EU into submission as well.

It is clear that putin* will hold a gun to the head of the EU and Ukraine.

Blackmailer with a GUN

putin* thinks that he can get away with murder. He holds the gas and oil that the EU and Ukraine need to survive.

Renewable energy would take away all putin’s power.

The blackmailer putin* can be neutered by taking away his power. When we the people own the renewable energy systems that drive our economies we own the power.

Using solar power, wind energy, hydro-electric, hydrogen fuel, and the power of the sun, we can neuter putin*. When we take control of the energy we have true democracy. In a democracy there are no bullies like putin*. Bullies who blackmail others are evil and must be put in a corner to chill out.

Desertec is part of the solution – fuel equality from fuel poverty

A Blackmailer wold have a hard time holding all these different power generators.

Desertec Design for our renewable future

The large red square in the lower left of this picture is all the area needed to power the whole world. We do not need the KGB bully putin*. We don’t need his oil or his gas.

When we the people take control of our energy systems we can design a renewable future for us all. We can create a world wide system that helps the people. The blackmailer will wither and die from a lack of power and control of energy.

Write to your MP now and tell them to support the Desertec non-profit energy program today. Join with Desertec today and help them change the world.

*Please note: I have left putin’s name in lower case as a way of showing my contempt for a KGB bully. putin uses his ill gotten oil power to oppress the Russian people and Blackmail the EU and Ukraine. putin is nothing but a petty punk.

Overwhelming climate change

BBC Today: See the Video

There is overwhelming evidence that humans are experiencing the effects of climate change, says a new report.

Unless serious action is taken, this is likely to get worse, with growing risks of floods, food shortages, and threats to human health, warns the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),

BBC News outlines the report’s key points – in 60 seconds.

The human influence on climate change is clear

BBC Article:

The atmosphere and oceans are warming, the snow cover is shrinking, the Arctic sea-ice is melting, sea levels are rising, the oceans are acidifying, some extreme weather events are on the rise, ecosystems and natural habitats will be upset. Climate change threatens food security and world economies.

We need rapid and substantial cuts in carbon emissions and a move away from burning fossil fuels if we are to limit global climate change below two degrees and mitigate these impacts.

Global Warming Can Be Stopped

National Geographic:

In order to stabilize the climate, the transition from fossil fuels like coal and oil needs to occur within decades, according to the final report this year from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

All the Technology is here NOW! Lets make the change Today!

Mexico To Replace Coal Plant: With Solar Farm

In La Paz, where pollution from a dirty thermoelectric plant creates noxious air impacting resident’s lifestyles and well being, the solar plant is a welcomed clean development. The $100 million project, which includes 132,000 solar panel-modules, is the first Mexican private enterprise of such a size to get a development bank loan and an agreement to sell its electricity to the grid. According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank, gave the project a $25 million credit line and also helped set up another $50 million in loans from the Mexican development bank Nacional Financiera (Nafin).

Texas wind is challenging gas power as the new top producer:

Wind power set a new record in Texas last Friday, heralding wind’s growing competitiveness with natural gas.

As CleanTechnica reports, instantaneous output from wind hit an all-time high of 10,296 megawatts for Texas’ main grid operator — the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) — at 8:48pm on March 26, 2014. Wind energy generation fluctuates over time, so instantaneous output marks the peaks of the fluctuations rather than the average amount of output that can be expected. As ERCOT’s press release pointed out, at the moment of Friday’s peak, wind energy was contributing almost 29 percent of the 35,768 megawatts being used at the time.

UK needs to step it Up!

Write to your MP now and request a change in policy

Enter your postcode – stop Fracking

From wrongmove site:

Stop fracking now. It is unlawful for fracking companies to drill under your home without your permission. Search your postcode and join the legal block today to protect your home and community from fracking.

Just click here and enter your post code. The rest is easy!

You can stop fracking under your home now!

Every person who signs up to this postcode list will help reduce the space where fracking can occur. There have been many protests around the world about fracking. Here in the UK people have actually glued themselves to fracking sites to block frackers. This is the quickest way I have Found to express your displeasure about fracking. Of course you can always write to your MP!

During my explorations of the vast data on the net regarding fracking, I found this excellent resource. fracktracker may help you to further your cause in the USA. UK readers can help this website to start mapping in the UK too. They need the raw data about where fracking is happening in the UK. Can you help?

You know that France Banned Fracking forever!

I wrote about the insanity of David Cameron allowing Total, the French oil giant, to frack in the UK. Total has been barred from ever fracking in France. Why you ask? Simple, French people care enough about their environment and the produce they create on the land to stop fracking forever.

Lets do the same here! Sign up to the postcode list on wrongmove.

Tell them to frack off!

We can add the UK to a growing list of places around the world that have already BANNED Fracking.

Artists against fracking – we need your now! Join a list of artists against fracking.

Send this blog link to your friends and get them to join in the FUN!