4 ms·

On Friday, December 9th at ~4:00pm GMT (Greenwich mean time): Nuclear: 5.25 GW Wind: 3.84 GW Combined Cycle Gas Turbines: 23.31 GW Solar (Estimated): 0

On Friday, December 9th at ~4:00pm GMT (Greenwich mean time): Nuclear: 5.25 GW Wind: 3.84 GW Combined Cycle Gas Turbines: 23.31 GW Solar (Estimated): 0.35GW Installed Wind Capacity (onshore + offshore): 25 GW [0] Installed Solar Capacity: 13.4 GW [1] Total installed Wind/Solar: 38.4 GW. Total produced: 4.11 GW Wind is currently producing 15% of its installed capacity. Solar is producing 2.6% of its installed capacity. Combined, the renewables are at almost 11% of their installed capacity. Gas turbines are making up the difference. Lots of you are cheerleaders for "renewables". They seem like a transitional technology to me. If hydrocarbons are ever going to be retired from use, nuclear sure does seem like the only option. It seems to me like humanity's only hope is a breakthrough in our understanding of the laws of nature. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_Kingd... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_the_United_Kingdom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_the_United_King... edit: formatting & added combined 11% total for wind/solar

jonatron 4y ago
There's a few things that help with periods of low wind: More long distance transmission / interconnects Vehicle-to-grid Grid scale battery storage Domestic and commercial battery storage (Powerwall etc) Seasonal thermal storage - large insulated tanks or ground source heat pumps These all exist, and there will be more new technology coming. It doesn't seem like an unsolvable problem.
- pydry 4y ago
  Also being 5x cheaper than nuclear power.
- Schroedingersat 4y ago
  You don't even need vehicle to grid. Just a discount for charging when there's curtailment. Most regions can get by with no storage using that one change.
rjsw 4y ago
There is a reason [1] why Solar is only generating a small fraction of installed capacity. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night
- taxicabjesus 4y ago
  I noted that it was 4pm. Just checked: sunset is at 3:51pm tomorrow. So that makes sense. Even so, the available solar energy in the UK in December is ~1/5 what it is in June: https://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/resources-1-2-seasonal-variation-solar-energy.html https://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/resources-1-2-seasonal-varia...

jonatron 4y ago

There's a few things that help with periods of low wind: More long distance transmission / interconnects Vehicle-to-grid Grid scale battery storage Domestic and commercial battery storage (Powerwall etc) Seasonal thermal storage - large insulated tanks or ground source heat pumps These all exist, and there will be more new technology coming. It doesn't seem like an unsolvable problem.

pydry 4y ago
Also being 5x cheaper than nuclear power.
Schroedingersat 4y ago
You don't even need vehicle to grid. Just a discount for charging when there's curtailment. Most regions can get by with no storage using that one change.

rjsw 4y ago

There is a reason [1] why Solar is only generating a small fraction of installed capacity. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night

taxicabjesus 4y ago
I noted that it was 4pm. Just checked: sunset is at 3:51pm tomorrow. So that makes sense. Even so, the available solar energy in the UK in December is ~1/5 what it is in June: https://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/resources-1-2-seasonal-variation-solar-energy.html https://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/resources-1-2-seasonal-varia...