4 ms·

An interesting little "gotcha" to this (unless I'm mistaken, please correct if so) is that imported energy is not taken into account. The UK recently ran 2 week

An interesting little "gotcha" to this (unless I'm mistaken, please correct if so) is that imported energy is not taken into account. The UK recently ran 2 weeks "without using coal" [1], but this completely ignored any imported energy which did [2]. So, this is great - provided we don't simply pass the buck (like by sending all of our plastics to Asia). Edit: Provide citations [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48473259 https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48473259 [2] https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/britain-coal-record-mb1079/ https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/britain-coal-record-mb10... (11.8% imported)

mattlondon 7y ago
A lot of the imported energy in the UK is from France, which is something like 75% zero-carbon nuclear generation http://www.mygridgb.co.uk/where-do-british-imports-come-from/ http://www.mygridgb.co.uk/where-do-british-imports-come-from...
ptah 7y ago
citation needed
- OJFord 7y ago
  Maybe you're right, but your comment is less helpful or interesting to other readers than GP's however few citations it has. > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive. > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - ptah 7y ago
    ok, should i say something like: i would like to see evidence of this outrageous statement?
    - Veen 7y ago
      You could provide evidence that the statement is outrageous or mistaken. Technically, the burden is on the parent to explain themselves, but that's always true and readers are capable of assessing the comment and its (lack of) evidence without a content-free two-word demand from you. See Rob Aley's comment above for a better approach.
    - nothrabannosir 7y ago
      Yes, because it surfaces the opinion that the claim was outrageous, which it wasn’t. Subsidising fossil fuels in a time of overwhelming evidence for the need to curtail carbon emissions is outrageous. Suggesting a political talking point might have a gotcha, with a request for correction, isn’t. Unless of course you have evidence to the contrary, yourself. In which case: could you please provide that? This is what’s annoying about the endemic “citation needed” pox on HN. This is not an encyclopaedia, it’s a discussion forum. If you have something to share: share it. If not, please don’t pretend other people have to do your homework.
    - 2T1Qka0rEiPr 7y ago
      Added some citations. My comment also included "please correct me if I'm wrong", so I'm really not sure what part of my statement was outrageous?
RobAley 7y ago
At 2.15pm today, the UK was importing ~11% via it's euro interconnects (biggest 3.8% from the Netherlands). It of course varies depending on demand and weather, and sometimes we export back to the continent. According to [1], the UK imported ~6% in total in 2018 : [1] https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-electricity-generation-2018-falls-to-lowest-since-1994 https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-electricity-generati...
- 2T1Qka0rEiPr 7y ago
  Awesome - thanks for the link
Nursie 7y ago
It's not just imported energy that's the issue, it's imported goods. If continue to effectively outsource all our manufacturing elsewhere, and then count that as a win on CO2 emissions, we haven't really achieved anything.

mattlondon 7y ago

A lot of the imported energy in the UK is from France, which is something like 75% zero-carbon nuclear generation http://www.mygridgb.co.uk/where-do-british-imports-come-from/ http://www.mygridgb.co.uk/where-do-british-imports-come-from...

ptah 7y ago

citation needed

OJFord 7y ago
Maybe you're right, but your comment is less helpful or interesting to other readers than GP's however few citations it has. > Be kind. Don't be snarky. Comments should get more thoughtful and substantive, not less, as a topic gets more divisive. > Please don't post shallow dismissals, especially of other people's work. A good critical comment teaches us something. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- ptah 7y ago
  ok, should i say something like: i would like to see evidence of this outrageous statement?
  - Veen 7y ago
    You could provide evidence that the statement is outrageous or mistaken. Technically, the burden is on the parent to explain themselves, but that's always true and readers are capable of assessing the comment and its (lack of) evidence without a content-free two-word demand from you. See Rob Aley's comment above for a better approach.
  - nothrabannosir 7y ago
    Yes, because it surfaces the opinion that the claim was outrageous, which it wasn’t. Subsidising fossil fuels in a time of overwhelming evidence for the need to curtail carbon emissions is outrageous. Suggesting a political talking point might have a gotcha, with a request for correction, isn’t. Unless of course you have evidence to the contrary, yourself. In which case: could you please provide that? This is what’s annoying about the endemic “citation needed” pox on HN. This is not an encyclopaedia, it’s a discussion forum. If you have something to share: share it. If not, please don’t pretend other people have to do your homework.
  - 2T1Qka0rEiPr 7y ago
    Added some citations. My comment also included "please correct me if I'm wrong", so I'm really not sure what part of my statement was outrageous?

RobAley 7y ago

At 2.15pm today, the UK was importing ~11% via it's euro interconnects (biggest 3.8% from the Netherlands). It of course varies depending on demand and weather, and sometimes we export back to the continent. According to [1], the UK imported ~6% in total in 2018 : [1] https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-electricity-generation-2018-falls-to-lowest-since-1994 https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-electricity-generati...

2T1Qka0rEiPr 7y ago
Awesome - thanks for the link

Nursie 7y ago

It's not just imported energy that's the issue, it's imported goods. If continue to effectively outsource all our manufacturing elsewhere, and then count that as a win on CO2 emissions, we haven't really achieved anything.