The UK's energy severe transmission problem is best highlighted by the payment to Scottish wind farms in the last six months not to produce energy for nearly two fifths of their potential generation;
that's being paid to switch of the wind turbines because for just under 40% of the time they could be generating there was no capacity in the transmission system to move that energy to where it was needed;
and you wonder why energy costs remain persistently high?
#energy #politics
h/t FT
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us One word - batteries.
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
It's going to get worse too.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/09/trump-energy-iea-paris-00500387
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/09/trump-team-pushes-for-ouster-of-top-iea-official-cw-00495441
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/UK-Restricts-North-Sea-Oil-Production-Despite-Pressure-From-Trump.html
Enron manipulated energy supply to create profitable brownouts in California. Energy deregulation is a very bad public policy because of the public corruption it incentivizes.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal
Every energy supplier manipulates supply to keep prices artificially high for profits in a monopoly, or artificially low to drive out competitors to create a monopoly.
1/
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us Just Turn off all fossil generated energy.
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us why curtail the windmills and not the fossil-burners?
2/
GOP billionaires adore their predatory pricing practices & fascist geopolitical storm making.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Unchecked-Economic-Freedom-And-The-Real-History-Of-The-Standard-Oil-Company-Part-1.html
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2005/feb/05/enron.usnews
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/business/oil-prices.html
https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101884358/20-years-after-enron-and-rolling-blackouts-what-have-we-learned
https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/us-oilfield-firms-slash-prices-mega-mergers-shrink-customer-base-2024-07-24/
https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2015/05/saudi-arabia-and-the-shifting-geoeconomics-of-oil?lang=en
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/5346938-saudi-arabia-opec-oil-market/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000%E2%80%932001_California_electricity_crisis
It's getting harder to keep oil, as renewables grow
Less extortion from oil oligarchs & petrostate despots as operational costs fall for green energy.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/22/antonio-guterres-climate-breakthrough-clean-energy-fossil-fuels
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/around-90-renewables-cheaper-than-fossil-fuels-worldwide-irena-says-2025-07-22/
@ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Lack of capacity in the transmission network.
Lots of wind generation in Scotland, lots of demand in England, tiny wire between the two.
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us ah, so they need more transmission lines. I hope they’re actually adding them rather than fighting about who should pay for them or whatever nonsense
@ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Lack of capacity in the transmission network.
Lots of wind generation in Scotland, lots of demand in England, tiny wire between the two.
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us ah, so they need more transmission lines. I hope they’re actually adding them rather than fighting about who should pay for them or whatever nonsense
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us ah, so they need more transmission lines. I hope they’re actually adding them rather than fighting about who should pay for them or whatever nonsense
@ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Dream on.
Still at the bickering phase.
Nobody wants pylons going through the beautiful countryside, and putting cables underneath the sea is much more expensive
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us ah, so they need more transmission lines. I hope they’re actually adding them rather than fighting about who should pay for them or whatever nonsense
@ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Dream on.
Still at the bickering phase.
Nobody wants pylons going through the beautiful countryside, and putting cables underneath the sea is much more expensive
@ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Dream on.
Still at the bickering phase.
Nobody wants pylons going through the beautiful countryside, and putting cables underneath the sea is much more expensive
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us they need these https://choishine.com/Giants.html
@ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Dream on.
Still at the bickering phase.
Nobody wants pylons going through the beautiful countryside, and putting cables underneath the sea is much more expensive
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us they need these https://choishine.com/Giants.html
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us they need these https://choishine.com/Giants.html
@robpumphrey@mastodonapp.uk @ShadSterling@mastodon.social @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us they need these https://choishine.com/Giants.html
Emeritus Prof Christopher May
