Brown Says North Sea Oil And Gas Have Peaked.

[huw]

anyone know any companies that produce wind turbines?

Here's one that I found interesting a few years ago, when I was looking into these things (no longer have a suitable site).

[sossij]

telegraph.co.uk

Me thinks this plan has a slight flaw but I can't work out what it is yet.

Political spin also springs to mind but I'm sure Brown wouldn't dream of making a populist statement to try and convince the electorate he knows what he's doing without checking his facts.

If anyone can spot the flaw can you let me know.

Sad to say, the only choice is a massive program of nuclear power. I'm all for renewables but they can reliably supply only a fraction of our energy needs. I wish it weren't so, but it is.

And we need to get building about 10 years ago, or prefereably 30+ yrs ago like the French

[Minos]

Sad to say, the only choice is a massive program of nuclear power. I'm all for renewables but they can reliably supply only a fraction of our energy needs. I wish it weren't so, but it is.

And we need to get building about 10 years ago, or prefereably 30+ yrs ago like the French

Let's just invade France and take theirs.

[SickofRenting]

Let's just invade France and take theirs.

Just turn France into one massive wind farm to supply the UK

Edit: France begins with a capital F

Edited June 26, 2008 by SickofRenting

[sossij]

Just turn France into one massive wind farm to supply the UK

Edit: France begins with a capital F

As will the UK fairly soon...

[Minos]

As will the UK fairly soon...

and ends in ED.

[domo]

So if they didn't regulate it, do you reckon it would be a better system today?

Did you just take my statement, reword it and send it back to me as a question?

[eightiesgirly]

Sad to say, the only choice is a massive program of nuclear power. I'm all for renewables but they can reliably supply only a fraction of our energy needs. I wish it weren't so, but it is.

And we need to get building about 10 years ago, or prefereably 30+ yrs ago like the French

I wonder if we're going to end up in the dark?. We have always taken electricity availablity for granted at the 'flick of a switch'.

However some time ago I was without a humble washing machine for a week due to a mains water problem.

Seriously, I could not believe the amount of washing four people generated.

I remember as a child a lot of hand washing, that would not be possible these days with the trend for clean clothes at a whim and the pure quantity of clothing we have now. An adjustment to former patterns would be very difficult for most.

[huw]

Yes it is very very expensive but should be worthwhile in the long run for generations to come - what will happen if oil dries up or gets too expensive beyond the general publics’ means?

Now the gov will have to think about generating revenue that will have been lost on fuel duty......oxygen tax springs to mind .

What do you think...I feel I'm gonna get slated here

I agree with much that you've said, but it's not the government (or not just the government).

It's us.

We're greedy and short sighted, and would vote out of office any government who proposed the selfless and far-sighted measures that are actually needed. If our Victorian ancestors had been like us, instead of sewers and railways and the other underpinnings of an industrial society, they'd have bequeathed us a mountain of debt and a drawer full of PFI contracts.

[Ash4781]

There's no money to build this stuff hence the plea for investment. Brown asked the Saudi's to invest in this remember. Also they're trying to change the planning laws so they can get all this stuff built.

What a mess!

[huw]

I remember as a child a lot of hand washing, that would not be possible these days with the trend for clean clothes at a whim and the pure quantity of clothing we have now. An adjustment to former patterns would be very difficult for most.

The initial response will be rolling power cuts, I reckon; you'll just have to hope that your power rota co-incides with your water rota

[Minos]

There's no money to build this stuff hence the plea for investment. Brown asked the Saudi's to invest in this remember. Also they're trying to change the planning laws so they can get all this stuff built.

What a mess!

What really annoys me is that about a year ago Millipede was telling everyone there were no problems with future energy supplies. This government is f*cking hopeless.

Edited June 26, 2008 by Minos

[huw]

There's no money to build this stuff hence the plea for investment. Brown asked the Saudi's to invest in this remember. Also they're trying to change the planning laws so they can get all this stuff built.

There is money, we just prefer to spend it on other things.

[sossij]

I wonder if we're going to end up in the dark?. We have always taken electricity availablity for granted at the 'flick of a switch'.

However some time ago I was without a humble washing machine for a week due to a mains water problem.

Seriously, I could not believe the amount of washing four people generated.

I remember as a child a lot of hand washing, that would not be possible these days with the trend for clean clothes at a whim and the pure quantity of clothing we have now. An adjustment to former patterns would be very difficult for most.

Personally I believe the adjustment will be made whether people like it or not. I agree with James Lovelock on this. Apart from the imminent shortfall in energy supply, if we do not embrace a massive planet-wide roll-out of nuclear power we are consigning future generations to the full effects of climate change, poverty, warfare and ultimately population collapse numbered in billions.

If we want there to be more than a few hundred breeding pairs of humans up near the Arctic by 2100 then we'd better learn to say "Nuclear Power - yes please!"

Edited June 26, 2008 by sossij

[eightiesgirly]

There is money, we just prefer to spend it on other things.

Agreed, there is a terrific amount of money wasted by government, I hope the coming power difficulties will redirect investment.

Whatever government takes on this place will have to get it's financial house in order.

Why don't I feel in the least bit optimistic about this?

[Dave Spart]

Green shoots of economic recovery, anyone?

[blankster]

I think we could add "Our first plan, our proper plan, stealing as much oil as we need from other countries, has not gone as well as we anticipated. Thank God we got the cameras up in time."

Uh? Which countries did we 'steal' oil from? I know somebody's going to say Iraq, but that's nonsense regardless of whether the invasion was right or wrong.

[sossij]

Uh? Which countries did we 'steal' oil from? I know somebody's going to say Iraq, but that's nonsense regardless of whether the invasion was right or wrong.

Scotland?

[Injin]

Green shoots of economic recovery, anyone?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=747947551

Dr. Hirsch says "$500 oil."

[Icantbelieveitsnotbutter]

At last Brown's said something that makes sense!

Oh it were so.

Great headline, problem is the world has only one ship able to place 200 ton turbines offshore, and we aren't the first to think of it. Siemens has sold out of turbines until 2012. You are too little too late, and unrealistic in your expectations.

Gordon, you keep telling us about taking the long term decisions that matter.

Why has labour waited 11 years? Why, when we need nuclear, and you are now ripping planning controls from the hands of democracy, did you sell our nuclear expertise so recently?

Gordon, you are indecisive, cowardly and very far from having a strong intellect. In the same way GB wants to blame Thatcher from the early 1980s for today's social problems, can you sleep at night at the fact we'll all be cursing the damage you have done and are doing for 10-15 years at least. Perhaps you should back of on Mugabwe, after all , you'll soon be desperate for friends to hide you away from the baying masses.

[zceb90]

I wonder if we're going to end up in the dark?. We have always taken electricity availablity for granted at the 'flick of a switch'.

This paper says it's possible: Olduvai Theory. My personal view is that breakdown of the major electrical grids is avoidable provided widespread mitigation steps are taken early. Such measures must include addressing demand rather than simply looking for extra supply (which is all current batch of politicians seem to be doing).

[Kurt Barlow]

Rail is heavily regulated, which is why it sucks.

The French and Japanese rail systems are heavily regulated too

[Kurt Barlow]

anyone know any companies that produce wind turbines?

Enercon (Germany) Vestas (Denmark), GE (USA), Mitsubishi (Jap), Siemens (Germany) are the big players in the Industry

The wind power cooperative Im involved with were told by Siemens recently that there is a 3 year waiting list for their 2mw turbines. Even if we had the money (which we don't) there isn't the manufacturing capacity to build the sort of numbers Broon is talking about. Other than the Vestas plant in Campbeltown we haven't developed any of our own capacity in the UK

If Airbus are clever they should be seeing that air travel is going to go down the pan fast. I suspect their wing plant on the Dee would be a good candidate for manufacturing Wind towers - also direct access to the Sea for transport. Rolls Royce could easily conert to manufacturing turbines. Only other ingredient is concrete and thats easy enough to make. Likewise many of our shipyards could diversify into this area.

Edited June 26, 2008 by Kurt Barlow

[domo]

This paper says it's possible: Olduvai Theory. My personal view is that breakdown of the major electrical grids is avoidable provided widespread mitigation steps are taken early. Such measures must include addressing demand rather than simply looking for extra supply (which is all current batch of politicians seem to be doing).

Thats a laughably selective article, industrial society exists ONLY because of oil? Uh industrial society began long before oil use became widespread. And we have many more potential energy sources available now than 100 years ago thanks to technology, which the writer completely ignores. Utter rubbish.

[zceb90]

Gordon, you keep telling us about taking the long term decisions that matter.

Why has labour waited 11 years? Why, when we need nuclear, and you are now ripping planning controls from the hands of democracy, did you sell our nuclear expertise so recently?

Here's the best summary of GB's energy policy I've seen in ages:

Gordon Brown, the most confused man in the world? On his way to Saudi Arabia to beg for more oil to combat global warming whilst promising a green energy revolution at home founded on nuclear power.

Source.