Essay by Eric Worrall
Unless there’s another snap like January 2024?
The last coal-fired power station in the UK is to close
2 days ago
Alex Smith
BBC News, NottinghamThe closure of Britain’s last coal-fired power station has been described by officials as a “very important milestone” in energy production.
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire will close early next week, with demolition of the site set to take place after decommissioning, which will take two years.
The site – a landmark in the East Midlands – has been producing energy since 1967, enough to make more than one billion cups of tea every day.
Mike Lewis, CEO of site owner Uniper, told the BBC the closure was a key step in the “global route to decarbonisation”.
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Mr Lewis, who confirmed plans for a clean energy technology park on the site, said the closure was a “very important milestone on the global route to decarbonisation”.
When asked what the future is with clean energy and no blackouts, he said “absolutely”, adding that solutions are currently being worked on.
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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgn4gg5y2yo
Back in January this year, Ratcliffe was “ramped up” to deal with the cold snap and renewed shortfall;
The last coal-fired power station in the UK increases power during cold weather
January 15, 2024 • 6:26 p.m
Britain is leaning on its last remaining coal-fired power plants to boost electricity supplies as Arctic blasts hit the country.
Coal contributed the most power generation on Monday since November, according to Energy Dashboard figures.
Britain’s last active coal plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, helped generate 3.4pc of all electricity produced in the UK at the start of the week, higher than the average level throughout the year.
It could be in for its busiest week in at least a year, having contributed 2.3pc to power generation last week which was one of the highest levels in the past 12 months.
It comes as temperatures in the UK drop and could drop to -10 Celsius in the coming days. It is expected to lead to higher demand for electricity.
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Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/01/15/ftse-100-markets-latest-news-house-price-rise-live-updates/
Of course, no one in Britain should worry about winter blackouts – British Secretary of State for Net Zero Energy Security Ed Miliband apparently plans to heat homes in the winter using solar farms and rooftop solar energy.
The UK government approved three major solar farms, promising a ‘solar revolution’ on rooftops
The Department of Energy Security and Net-Zero (DESNZ) has granted planning permission for the construction of three major solar farms in the east of England, in an effort to decarbonise the UK’s electricity system by 2030.
Today (July 15), Energy Security and Net-Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has given construction permission for Low Carbon’s Gate Burton Energy Park in Lincolnshire, Sunnica Energy Farm on the Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border, and Mallard Pass Solar Farm, which spans both both of them. East Coast Mainline in Lincolnshire and Rutland.
Sunnica and Gate Burton will have a capacity of 500 megawatts (MW), while Mallard Pass will have a capacity of 350MW.
Together, the total capacity is about two-thirds of the 1.9 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy installed on rooftops and ground last year, according to Solar Media.
The government will soon unveil plans to boost rooftop solar, as well as support large projects installed on the ground.
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Read more: https://www.edie.net/uk-government-approves-three-major-solar-farms-promises-rooftop-solar-revolution/
Britain gets an average of about 62 sunny days a year (1500 hours), but of course you have to be unlucky with the windless cold that occurs when the sun is low, as was the case last January. In any case, global warming is set to wipe out the cold in Britain. Any minute now.
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