Folly of LibCon government’s huge commitment to wind powered electricity demonstrated
| Sources of Electricity supplied on average to the National Grid in the 24 hours to 13.30 on 20th December 2010* | |||
| Generating Fuel | Megawatt hours delivered | Percentage of total electricity delivered | Percentage of nominal capacity used |
| Gas | 412,221 | 36.0 | 60 |
| Coal | 496,067 | 43.3 | 67 |
| Nuclear | 198,653 | 17.3 | 78 |
| Wind | 2,512 | 0.2 | 4 |
| Hydro and pumped storage | 19,990 | 1.7 | 50 |
| Interconnector (from France) | 16,379 | 1.4 | Not applicable |
| * Source: Elexon for National Grid | |||
This pattern closely mirrors that of the coldest week of last winter January 9-14th when wind’s contribution to the grid fell well under 0.1% or less than 2% of its nominal capacity.
Over the next 20 years the government proposes to subsidise the building of total nominal wind capacity of 32,000 Megawatts (around 12,000 turbines) at a cost approaching £50 billion to “replace” shut-down coal and the older gas stations. To the £50 billion for actual construction of wind-turbines has to be added about double this amount to cover the cost over 20 years of the feed-in tariffs to be paid indefinitely by the electricity consumers (domestic and industrial) as their additional contribution to the LibCon government’s “green” energy policy announced this week.
To keep up to date with the sources of energy contributing to the National grid, see the link to Elexon’s website at the foot of the post in the list below “Wind Energy’s Contribution to UK Electricity Supply”.
For an alternative nuclear-based “Secure Energy Strategy”, see a summary or in full on the National Grid’s website in the list under “Response by Prosyma Research Ltd”.
