A global good news story.

[otherclive]

It’s been predicted for a couple of years but globally in the first half of 2025 renewables provided more electricity than coal. Uptake in less develop areas such as Africa and the sub continent is growing rapidly. China’s long term strategic view is showing a positive benefit not only for that country but globally. Regrettably Europe and the US have slid backwards. Britain at least no longer uses coal, moving some years ago to cleaner gas to provide electricity, and this is reducing too.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2rz08en2po

 

[Buckman]

It’s been predicted for a couple of years but globally in the first half of 2025 renewables provided more electricity than coal. Uptake in less develop areas such as Africa and the sub continent is growing rapidly. China’s long term strategic view is showing a positive benefit not only for that country but globally. Regrettably Europe and the US have slid backwards. Britain at least no longer uses coal, moving some years ago to cleaner gas to provide electricity, and this is reducing too.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2rz08en2po

Not sure where they got their information as many Africa countries plus China rely on coal for energy whether used in a power station or not. Some how I have my doubts?

 

[RogerL]

Not sure where they got their information as many Africa countries plus China rely on coal for energy whether used in a power station or not. Some how I have my doubts?

China is moving on, it's coal-burning period was only ever intended to be short-term.

 

[otherclive]

Although China is building new coal power stations they are cleaner and capable of ramping up more quickly to meet demand increases. But provincial governments build them often to boost local jobs. Now they are increasingly finding that with overcapacity their utilisation is reducing.

 

[otherclive]

Not sure where they got their information as many Africa countries plus China rely on coal for energy whether used in a power station or not. Some how I have my doubts?

The report doesn’t dispute that coal is still burned for electricity production but its usage is being reduced due to renewables. It never claimed that African countries do not burn coal, but their usage of renewables especially solar is giving them cheaper cleaner energy sources.

 

[Buckman]

The report doesn’t dispute that coal is still burned for electricity production but its usage is being reduced due to renewables. It never claimed that African countries do not burn coal, but their usage of renewables especially solar is giving them cheaper cleaner energy sources.

However very misleading report as renewables is still way down the list if you take into account use of fossil fuel and nuclear power. So not a big deal that renewables are outstripping the use of coal, but at the same damaging the local environment. At the moment we are fighting a campaign to prevent a solar farm from being established down the road from us. Hopefully we will have some success and make it very hard for them as they have to use narrow rural lanes.

 

[otherclive]

However very misleading report as renewables is still way down the list if you take into account use of fossil fuel and nuclear power. So not a big deal that renewables are outstripping the use of coal, but at the same damaging the local environment. At the moment we are fighting a campaign to prevent a solar farm from being established down the road from us. Hopefully we will have some success and make it very hard for them as they have to use narrow rural lanes.

Difficult to predict how your campaign will go, as in Wiltshire there are a lot of solar farms in rural areas. But the developers have worked with the planners and come up with workable solutions for the construction phase. After that access requirements are minimal. One thing I read is that if a county council refuses planning consent on certain categories of project, and that decision is appealed to the Government Planning Inspectors and they overrule the council, then if that happens too many times the council can loose its authority to decide on future development applications. Then such applications go between the developer and the Government Planning Inspectors.

 

[Beardy]

At the moment we are fighting a campaign to prevent a solar farm from being established down the road from us.

Would you prefer them to build a gas fired powerstation down the road from you?

 

[GUMPY]

Would you prefer them to build a gas fired powerstation down the road from you?

I expect a Coal or Nuclear power station would be the preferred option 🫣

 

[Buckman]

Difficult to predict how your campaign will go, as in Wiltshire there are a lot of solar farms in rural areas. But the developers have worked with the planners and come up with workable solutions for the construction phase. After that access requirements are minimal. One thing I read is that if a county council refuses planning consent on certain categories of project, and that decision is appealed to the Government Planning Inspectors and they overrule the council, then if that happens too many times the council can loose its authority to decide on future development applications. Then such applications go between the developer and the Government Planning Inspectors.

The roads around us are narrow and if there is a tractor coming from the opposite direction, you need to squeeze as tightly as possible to the verge without scratching the car. Either that or it is reversing if possible. In some areas coming off the main roads, only one car can pass through. The fight has been ongoing for about 2 years with traffic being used as the main objection. The proposal is for the solar farm right next to a "protected" woodland area.

 

[Buckman]

In my opinion solar and wind farms should be removed as they are a blight on the environment. Why can't they install these wind farms in cities as plenty of hot air to keep the blades turning or why not install solar panels in town parks as there a re plenty of them and they are only used for people walking in them.

 

[otherclive]

The roads around us are narrow and if there is a tractor coming from the opposite direction, you need to squeeze as tightly as possible to the verge without scratching the car. Either that or it is reversing if possible. In some areas coming off the main roads, only one car can pass through. The fight has been ongoing for about 2 years with traffic being used as the main objection. The proposal is for the solar farm right next to a "protected" woodland area.

Be interesting to see the outcome. We have tractors,HGVs farm machinery cruising Wiltshire roads too. Can’t understand how a solar farm would affect an adjacent area of native woodland. We live virtually next door to a WWT woodland reserve, surrounded by houses and bounded by a trunk road currently being upgraded to dual carriageway. Three years ago the wood was closed for two years to allow felling of a large number of diseased ash. Special arrangements were made for access of works machinery and for removing the timber. Now one year on bird life has resumed and the woods are once again accessible. Nature if given a chance is robust.

 

[Buckman]

Be interesting to see the outcome. We have tractors,HGVs farm machinery cruising Wiltshire roads too. Can’t understand how a solar farm would affect an adjacent area of native woodland. We live virtually next door to a WWT woodland reserve, surrounded by houses and bounded by a trunk road currently being upgraded to dual carriageway. Three years ago the wood was closed for two years to allow felling of a large number of diseased ash. Special arrangements were made for access of works machinery and for removing the timber. Now one year on bird life has resumed and the woods are once again accessible. Nature if given a chance is robust.

I think with this particular area it has historical connections dating back to Charles II fleeing Cromwell and a battle in the area? It has been awhile since I read up why there are objections which so far have been upheld.

 

[otherclive]

I think with this particular area it has historical connections dating back to Charles II fleeing Cromwell and a battle in the area? It has been awhile since I read up why there are objections which so far have been upheld.

Ours too has a medieval ditch, is classed as ancient woodland and is SSI but regrettably no royal connections. 🤴

 

[Beardy]

Why can't they install these wind farms in cities as plenty of hot air to keep the blades turning or why not install solar panels in town parks as there a re plenty of them and they are only used for people walking in them.

They'd probably get objections from the city and town dwelling NIMBYs, and there are more of them than there are rural NIMBYs.

 

[Mel]

Let’s put solar panels on top of all the Amazon ( insert name of large distributors of your choice here) warehouses first. Then carve up green space.
Mel

 

[GUMPY]

Let’s put solar panels on top of all the Amazon ( insert name of large distributors of your choice here) warehouses first. Then carve up green space.
Mel

A lot already have them, What's needed is car parks to be covered in them like in Spain, double bonus keeps the cars cool in the shade.
The problem however is the infrastructure you need feed in points for all the generation.

There has been a case down here with a wind farm where the NIMBYs were objecting to an underground cable to the old power station because of two years disruption during install and the fact that 4 parking spaces would be lost in the beach car park. The wind farm is going to be 25 miles out to sea so will bother no one.
They lost and it's going ahead.

Also on all new houses with suitable roofs, solar and battery should be mandatory.

 

[otherclive]

A lot already have them, What's needed is car parks to be covered in them like in Spain, double bonus keeps the cars cool in the shade.
The problem however is the infrastructure you need feed in points for all the generation.

There has been a case down here with a wind farm where the NIMBYs were objecting to an underground cable to the old power station because of two years disruption during install and the fact that 4 parking spaces would be lost in the beach car park. The wind farm is going to be 25 miles out to sea so will bother no one.
They lost and it's going ahead.

Also on all new houses with suitable roofs, solar and battery should be mandatory.

We have a new solar farm looking for approval and the cable will be routed underground for about 12 miles to the most suitable network point. It goes through rural areas, nil villages. Yes the objectors have been out again and include the cable in their objections. If the good folks of Leicester had objected to a new water supply pipeline from Lady Bower Dams in Derbyshire to Cropston Reservoir near Leicester, that city would have run dry. The pipeline took two years and even passing through historic Bradgate Park the remediation work was so good that within a short while no one would know that a major water pipeline had been laid. Mind you in those days (1960s) Nimbys had not been trained in the art of automatic objection.

 

[Dustydog]

Same old story . Wait for the freezing winter when everyone else holds the U.K. to ransom.
Why is Germany still recommissioning coal fired power stations? Very clever our European friends😉

 

[otherclive]

Same old story . Wait for the freezing winter when everyone else holds the U.K. to ransom.
Why is Germany still recommissioning coal fired power stations? Very clever our European friends😉

Not sure who has held us to ransom, but your comment on Germany and coal fired powers nation is significantly at odds with what most sources have reported.

Germany to shut down seven more coal power plant units as country exits winter

www.cleanenergywire.org

 

[Dustydog]

Not sure who has held us to ransom, but your comment on Germany and coal fired powers nation is significantly at odds with what most sources have reported.

Germany to shut down seven more coal power plant units as country exits winter

www.cleanenergywire.org

Ok it changes by the day.
But not that long ago more were being recommissioned. Moveable feasts😉

 

[RogerL]

We have a new solar farm looking for approval and the cable will be routed underground for about 12 miles to the most suitable network point. It goes through rural areas, nil villages. Yes the objectors have been out again and include the cable in their objections. If the good folks of Leicester had objected to a new water supply pipeline from Lady Bower Dams in Derbyshire to Cropston Reservoir near Leicester, that city would have run dry. The pipeline took two years and even passing through historic Bradgate Park the remediation work was so good that within a short while no one would know that a major water pipeline had been laid. Mind you in those days (1960s) Nimbys had not been trained in the art of automatic objection.

I changed my mind about NIMBYism in the '70s when I lived in Peterhead - I'd objected to bringing the pipeline ashore from the Forties oil field at Cruden Bay but it went ahead anyway - I later saw the restoration, or more precisely couldn't tell where the disturbance had been.

 

[GUMPY]

Why is Germany still recommissioning coal fired power stations?

They were doing because they are quick to do and they need power on a temporary basis.
The Atomkraft Nein Danke mob forced them to close all their nuclear power stations so they have nothing to fall back on.

 

[Dustydog]

They were doing because they are quick to do and they need power on a temporary basis.
The Atomkraft Nein Danke mob forced them to close all their nuclear power stations so they have nothing to fall back on.

In fairness since things have calmed down a bit they are now closing some down. But if another crisis arises they can reopen.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

No objections to renewables but why on earth do they concentrate so much on solar?
They've already covered hundreds of acres of good farm land in them.
They won't insist that all new-builds have them on the roof!
Now with reduced daylight hours they have vastly reduced output.
Realistically the only guaranteed source of energy that keeps running 24/7 is tidal but we're not seeing any mention of that.