Claire Perry Hails “Soaring Success Of Renewables”!
By Paul Homewood
Claire Perry has been up in Scotland, lauding the “success” of the renewable energy sector there:
- Renewable energy adding further security to our energy supplies and moving away from reliance on fossils fuels
- Minister meets Scottish energy pioneers who have moved away from dirty fuels of the industrial revolution into clean green energy
The growing success of the renewable industry in meeting the UK’s climate targets will be praised today by Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry in a keynote speech to the All-Energy conference in Glasgow today (3 May 2018).
The renewable industry in Scotland is delivering an impressive 25% of the UK’s total renewable generation capacity. The Minister will also point to the huge potential for Scottish enterprise in delivering clean growth as part if the government’s modern Industrial Strategy Clean Growth Grand Challenge – with 24,000 people already working in the Low Carbon sector.
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry will say:
From James Watt’s steam engine kicking off the industrial revolution and the opening of the first coal mine, through to offshore wind and marine energy powering homes and businesses in the present day, Scotland has always been at the cutting edge of progress.
The renewables industry has a central role in our modern Industrial Strategy with the global shift towards clean growth providing one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time.
Scotland is home to a future potential of over 4GW of offshore wind across 10 offshore wind farms, with the opportunity to power millions of homes. The world’s first floating offshore windfarm has been developed in Scotland, at Hywind in Aberdeenshire.
Renewable contributions to the UK energy supply have soared in recent months thanks to long term government investment with electricity from clean wind power increasing by 43% between December 2017 and February 2018.
Since 1990, the UK has cut its emissions by over 40% while growing the economy by more than two thirds.
Energy consumers are benefiting too as prices for producing clean energy such as offshore wind continue to drop. Moray East Windfarm in Scotland will deliver power at £57.50 per megawatt hour – a fall of more than half since 2015. The Beatrice offshore wind project is also one of Scotland’s largest private infrastructure projects and will be one of the world’s largest windfarms once it is completed.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-energy-minister-hails-soaring-success-of-scottish-renewables
Unsurprisingly, she does not tell us the real story:
Wind power output amounted to 16.8 TWh last year in Scotland, most of which is onshore. Subsidies for this, via the Renewable Obligation system cost £816 million.
This equates to £154 for every man, woman and child in Scotland, or would do if it was not for the fact that the bill is shared out amongst everybody in the UK.
On top of this come the costs for building hundreds of miles of transmission cables, to carry electricity from remote Highland areas to where it is actually needed. Total costs are unknown, but will most certainly run into billions. In 2011, for instance, the BBC reported that the cost of the Beauly Denny power line alone was £600 million.
Then there is the cost of constraint payments to wind farm owners, when there is too much wind power on the system.
Despite these massive costs and subsidies, generation in Scotland has actually been falling in recent years. In fact, generation is now at its lowest level since at least 2004, when BEIS records begin.
This is largely because of the closure of Longannet’s coal power station in 2016, with the direct loss of 300 jobs, and undoubtedly many more indirectly.
All in all, not much of a success story is it, Claire?
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Reblogged this on Wolsten and commented:
Somehow medieval windmills are the cutting edge of progress.
Yes, THOSE medievil winmills …. Why do the “nothing to see here, move along now….” types not wish to discover WHY NOT the medieval people discarded them – in Europe, from Greece to the Southern Shores of the N Sea: Why in recent times haven’t they improved upon them? Greeks were BIG in shipping, so Tech. shouldn’t have been a problem down there, Further North…..
Vestas was probably one of the 1st to introduce “turbines” to the UK in the late 60’s, but it seemed to be a pish against the wind jobbie. Did we not have so much wind then? Some Landowners had money -but maybe planning restrictions and gravy train were on the wrong rails ?
“Why in recent times haven’t they improved upon them? Greeks were BIG in shipping, so Tech. shouldn’t have been a problem down there, Further North…..”
Sometimes the wind don’t blow – or maybe you haven’t noticed?
“Improved”, yes the British engineers certainly improved on them unreliable wind, by burning coal to produce steam, revolutionised yours, mine, our way of life, regressing back to whirlygigs is idiocy on stilts or don’t you require steady electrical and reliably cheap and plentiful supply?
“…soaring success…”
Illiterates.
The correct phrase is “roaring success.”
According to Moonbat, oop at Oxford in her student days Perry wanted to ‘nationalise the banks and overthrow capitalism’.
Orf she went to ivy league Frankfurt Skool central – to secure some other fatuous bunch of letters after her name and then worked for, a – yes you’ve guessed it – a bank (or two).
Crony capitalism, statism call it what you will, the tories have been bought and paid for, the green blob, the green agenda backers work and feed her the words, Perry’s levers and mouth, if she (Claire Perry) told me that today was Sunday, I’d immediately check and verify her statement.
Mrs Theresa May, gave the Perry the job, as, minister for
climate changeerm Minister of State for Energy and Clean GrowthI think that evidently Mrs Maybot was extracting the urine, the country would be far better off without either her or Perry and for that matter, indeed, without the majority of the executive indeed the whole damned PCP…………. and think on this, whenever in all of this sordid green tosh they sell as ‘policy’ the whole sorry affair. When have, the benefit, protection and security and wellbeing of the nation – ever counted?
Sold down the river, Claire Perry just one in a long line of tinkers, meddlers, snake oil quacks, cowboys and peddlers selling green gewgaws and national deconstruction with it.
I thought she got her extra letters from Harvard, Business studies of all things? I guess she slept through most of it, she certainly didn’t learn anything.
how can yah teach a gal who knows everything about nothing?
Calire Perry would not understand any criticism. She does not understand what capacity means in terms of actual generation from these weather dependent unreliables.
Claire Perry: read geography at Oxford. Hardly qualifies her to speak with authority on energy generation. At least James Watt’s steam engine worked on demand when coal was shovelled into the boiler. Her unreliables (thank you Phillip) only work at the whim of the weather. Waste of money.
Too true Roland and the other aspect that seems to have slipped people’s minds these days is that we are forced to spend cash on pretty much TWO complete electricity generation systems because of the infamous unreliables.
I would bet money that the Watt steam engines of over 200 years ago were much more reliable than the unreliables of today. Back to the dark ages unless we get rid of the lunatics running the Westminster asylum.
I don’t want to get into an argument over C Perry,
BUT “.. industry in Scotland is delivering an impressive 25% of the UK’s total renewable generation cap..” I cannot recall WHEN there was a step change in reporting statistics: in the 70’s at least we were still discussing Economic data in actual figures – Hard facts ( ? ) actual £p and a thousand ( 1000) Million was just that – now everything is Billions and %’s – Now IF one is dealing with a hypothetical figure, then % is the way to go, BUT a Tangible figure when converted to % has lost it’s meaning and value: Example doubling Output speed from 1 to 2 is not a great feat, if you are walking or driving, – not a big deal, BUT to do that from 100 to 200 is something else. In other words the MSM & Politoco elite delude themselves and a lot of the Public with all this Mumbo Jumbo that ONLY LOOKS good – but beauty is ONLY Skin Deep – so what lies below the surface?
SO far as N Scotland is concerned, Much of the windmill production is by NON-Local workforce: Forest road-building machinery hire from far and away – Dumpers from E Anglia, Technicians form Germany, Specialist plant and Transport / Logistics from Far away, Maintenance form far away. Few locals have remained as permanent workers from the beginning to current time. …. And when UK Engineering Manufacturing has fallen – little Steel based heavy engineering etc., …. Then we will have spare capacity and what there is, is consumed by burgeoning population growth, n’est pas ?
“….cut its emissions by over 40% while growing the economy by more than two thirds…..” What does THAT mean EXACTLY ?
NOW does anyone know or can provide some Webcams with Windpower output and Power demand on the same site? I never seem to see windmills working when required – or it’s a wind issue….
Saighdear:
“ …cut its emissions …etc” . “ What does it mean?”
It means that whoever said it was suffering from Cognitive Dissonance.
” This equates for £154 for every man. woman and child in Scotland, or would do if it were not for the fact that it were shared amongst everybody in the UK. ”
What is the point you are trying to make here ?
Are there no subsidies in the rest of GB ( you should have used this geographic term ) or are these only paid by those outside Scotland ?
I was simply trying to put the “cost for Scotland” into some sort of perspective, as Ms Perry seems to thing wind power is a great thing for Scotland.
Of course, renewables are subsidised throughtout the UK, and the bill shared out across the UK.
When EVERY fossil powered plant is shut down, and NO fossil fuel generators sold, Ms. Perry may declare victory. Until then, pointing and laughing loudly at her complete stupidity is recommended.
We will be very cold and without transport.
We might be cold, but unless refineries are shut down, we shouldn’t lose transport.
Unless these ‘renewable’ advocates show figures fir total energy supply (not just electricity) they are con artists. How do they expect to replace oil and gas in the next 30 years? Unachievable by probably any means except perhaps by developing low cost nuclear, something abandoned thirty years ago. I think that minds will have to change and soon.
Ignorance, not recognising factual reality when it is presented to her in infantile terms, and stupidity for having no wish to correct this ignorance.
Richard Phillips
All I can say is, write to her. Tell her where she has gone wrong; how she is in the grip of the Blob; how she knows nothing about renewable output v nameplate capacity: I have, a few times. OK, I get the Green Spad formulaic response, but as I have to write via my MP he also gets to see the correspondence. Wear the buggers down I say.
I do this regularly, including a challenge to actually think about the issue against all the hand-wringing about fuel poverty, etc. So far, no sign that I’m getting through. Much more important to have solidarity with the anti-ivory campaign, it seems.
My MP, a so called conservative, does not accept my e-mails at all, extremely bad. But he has now lost my vote next time. He is utterly useless but then, he was a Primary School Teacher…and thick with it.
How much of Perry’s alleged 40% reduction in ’emissions’ since 1990 is due to the closure of heavy industries and the transition from coal to gas. Practically all of it I’d imagine. I doubt Perry’s unreliables amount to more than a rounding error after increased emissions from back-up generators are taken into account.
The 40% reduction of our emissions is probably correct,but only because China now emits our carbon dioxide for us. China has become the worlds’ manufacturer, and so our politicians can conveniently ignore the fact that we have transferred our emissions to a country which has been given the green ( or not so green) light to emit as much carbon dioxide as they want until 2030, as has India.
But the windmills look so pretty!
If you really want to mess things up, involve a politician!
Even from 20 or more miles away, the monsterous things are visible. Pretty? Pretty annoying maybe!
The description “soaring success” is ironic given the carnage these horrible things are doing to birds and bats.
And that’s even before you look at the harm done to poor people through skyrocketing electricity prices.
Murray East Windfarm in Scotland will deliver power at £57.50 per megawatt hour. Could you please put this into context. I presume this does not take into account subsidies. If this is the total wholesale price it would quite anachievement. It seems unlikely..
£57.50 is based on 2012 prices, currently it stands at £63.66/MWh
https://lowcarboncontracts.uk/cfds?field_cfd_technology_type=&field_cfd_applicant_name=&field_cfd_unique_id=&page=1
It also gets index linked each year for inflation, so could be over £70 by 2022, when it is due to start.
It is much lower than previous auctions, and does represent the total wholesale price. But the advantage of having a guaranteed price, with effectively also a guarantee to sell all of its output, is also a considerable benefit
Nigeria to become renewable energy “Superpower”
yes …. really
The World Economic Forum declares it so
so it will come to pass…. shame they didn’t get the Formula 1 team going.
Claire Perry is hell bent on turning the UK into something resembling Nigeria – with several worn out generators thrumming / rattling away on every residential street…
“…renewable energy “Superpower…”
I guess “the only way is up,” when you are one-from-bottom in the World’s Electricity-Supply Tables:
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/nigeria-ranks-second-worst-electricity-supply-nation-2017/
By the way, in this year the population of Nigeria will reach two-hundred million – it grows by one-hundred thousand a week, and is on an exponential curve.