Carbon Pricing Methodology
By Paul Homewood
According to government figures, the levelised cost of CCGT is £114/MWh, which includes a Carbon Cost of £60/MWh. But the latter has nothing to do with pollution costs, or even the Social Cost of Carbon.
The government explains:
Justin Rowlatt’s Renewables Disinformation
By Paul Homewood
h/t Paul Kolk
Justin Rowlatt caught misleading the public again!
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That’s what Reform UK claims, and says it’s why it plans to scrap all subsidies for renewable energy projects.
The calculation isn’t as straightforward as you might think, though.
The cost of a unit of power from a new solar or wind project is lower than the cost from a new gas generator, according to government figures
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But there are other factors that need to be taken into account.
Renewable power is intermittent. The electricity system needs a source of backup power for when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing – gas power stations or batteries, for example.
Calculating how much that will cost will depend on all sorts of factors including the future price of gas and the cost of electricity storage facilities.
That’s not all. We all experienced how energy prices spiked after Russia invaded Ukraine. That represents a serious cost to the economy too, says the Office of Budget Responsibility
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Renewables prices are more predictable and therefore would make the country more resilient against price shocks.
So, while renewables are relatively cheap and getting cheaper it is hard to say for certain whether an electricity system with a high level of renewables will lead to higher or lower bills than one that relies more on gas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-69122757/page/2
I have two comments:
Latest CfD Subsidies
By Paul Homewood
https://dp.lowcarboncontracts.uk/dataset/actual-cfd-generation-and-avoided-ghg-emissions
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The cost of subsidies paid out under the Contracts for Difference scheme have rapidly risen so far this year, on the back of lower market prices and extra wind power generation.
Subsidies were notably high during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, when market prices fell through the floor.
The market price during April and may this year fell to £56/MWh, and is now close to 2019 levels, having stabilised following the price shocks brought by the Ukraine war.
On current trends, we can expect the total subsidy for this year to exceed £3 billion.
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It is worth recalling that the Administrative Strike Prices in force for this year’s CfD auction are at 2023 prices:
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Offshore Wind: £100.66/MWh
Onshore Wind: £88.26/MWh
Solar Power: £84.12/MWh
BBC Worried About Kenyan Farmer’s Climate Scepticism
By Paul Homewood
h/t Ray Sanders
It is hard to describe just how low the BBC has sunk.
Climate change deniers have found a new champion in Kenyan farmer Jusper Machogu. On social media, he has become known as a flagbearer for fossil fuels in Africa, but there is more to his campaign than meets the eye.
At first glance, the 29-year-old Mr Machogu is just a young farmer with a knack for social media.
On X, formerly Twitter, he regularly posts videos of himself weeding his land, planting garlic, or picking avocados – offering viewers a window into life in rural Kisii, south-west Kenya.
While farming content may get him clicks, likes, and retweets, it is Mr Machogu’s denial of man-made climate change that has helped supercharge his online profile.
Since he began posting debunked theories about climate change, he has received thousands of dollars in donations – some of which came from individuals in Western countries linked to fossil-fuel interests.
Mr Machogu insists this has not influenced his views, saying they are genuinely held.
Scientists have proven that the Earth is heating up because of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels – like oil, gas, or coal.
But Mr Machogu disagrees.
“Climate change is mostly natural. A warmer climate is good for life,” Mr Machogu wrongly claimed in a tweet posted in February, along with the hashtag #ClimateScam (which he has used hundreds of times).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c133r4gyx1no
The BBC’s disinformation expert then goes on to write an extremely long “hit-piece”, itself full of BBC disinformation. I would not even bother reading it – it’s the sort of juvenile rubbish a Sixth Former would write. In particular it investigates the tiny amount of money Mr Machogu has managed to raise.
The whole point of the article is of course to condemn any Africans who have the temerity to want to use fossil fuels.
Machogu has responded forcefully with a series of Twitter posts:
Daily Temperature Highs
By Paul Homewood
Each day the Met Office publish the weather extremes for the day before.
Yesterday’s top temperature in the UK was at Heathrow (surprise, surprise!!).
Heathrow is a Class 3 station, which indicates just how bad the Class 4s and 5s are!.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/observations/weather-extremes
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This week I have been keeping track of the highs each day – none have occurred at Class1 and 2 stations. On Wednesday, Plymouth Kinterbury set the record but this station is so new it has not even been classified yet, although photos show it must be Class 5:
By Paul Homewood
More money down the drain!
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UK Infrastructure Bank and British Gas-owner Centrica are the primary funders for Highview Power’s proposed liquid air energy storage plant next to the former Carrington Power Station off Manchester Road.
This would be the first commercial-scale liquid air energy storage plant in the UK, according to Highview. Constructing the facility will support more than 700 jobs both directly and in the supply chain, the company added.
The cryogenic energy storage plans have already received approval from Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
“My vision is for Greater Manchester to be a leader in the green transition – and Highview Power’s decision to build one of the world’s largest long-duration energy storage facilities at Carrington is a huge boost for the region,” Burnham said.
“This new plant will deliver renewable energy to homes and businesses across our region and bring world-leading technology, jobs, skills, and investment to Greater Manchester.”
With the £300m secured, work is set to start “imminently” on the plant, according to a press release. When operational in early 2026, the facility should be able to store 300MWh of energy and distribute 50MWs per hour every for six hours.
There’s Big Money In Flight Turbulence!!
By Paul Homewood
There’s big money in air turbulence!
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2023GL103814
Professor Paul Williams, who has written several studies claiming that air turbulence is getting worse because of climate change, was rather put out when his work was exposed as shoddy, junk science by Paul Burgess on GB News the other week.
Burgess simply presented the actual data from the FAA, which quite clearly showed there had been no increase in flight turbulence incidents since 1989, despite what Williams’ computer models said. According to Williams, GB News should not have even invited Burgess on the show, and certainly not given viewers the actual facts. He even labelled the latter as far-right and a supporter of the BNP!
Some might say he complaineth too much!
It turns out though that there is an awful lot of grant money hanging on Williams’ theories and models, for both himself and Reading University!
The world is using more oil, coal and gas than ever before and will use more. Net Zero is dead
By Paul Homewood
h/t Philip Bratby
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A recent flurry of forecasts offers us a range of different views on what’s happening to the global demand for, and use of, crude oil. One thing seems to be clear, however: the chances of net zero carbon emissions in the near term – ie, by 2050 – are basically zero.
The year so far has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in this realm of uncertainty, with projections and forecasts more volatile than the market itself. Crude prices have remained relatively strong despite various occurrences across Europe and the Middle East that would have resulted in major upsets in decades past.
One major point of consensus related to global oil demand growth is the expectation that it will continue to be robust, driven by a combination of factors including economic recovery, increased travel, and surging industrial activity in non-OECD nations.
Tooting’s Great Storm Of 1914
By Paul Homewood
110 years ago today, much of SW London was hit by what was called The Great Storm.
By Paul Homewood
h/t Patsy Lacey
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So-called ‘green’ fuel refineries have used loopholes in federal regulation to become massive polluters, according to a new report.
The 275 Biofuel and ethanol manufacturers in the US released 12 million tons of toxic materials into the air in 2022 compared to 15 million emitted by oil refineries, the report detailed.
Further, these plants released more of four kinds of toxic chemicals that can cause vomiting, diarrhea and shortness of breath in the short term, and have been linked to cancer in the long term.
Their report reviewed 2022 data that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released from 191 ethanol plants, 71 biodiesel plants and 13 renewable diesel plants.
Not only were the ‘green’ manufacturers emissions nearly on par with oil and gas, they also released more of particularly potent toxins than the petroleum manufacturers – including hexane, acetaldehyde, acrolein and formaldehyde than traditional oil and gas refineries.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 