Bishop Hill Calvinist popes, toilets for bears and windfarm flexibility
Jun 18, 2015 Climate: Parliament Energy: wind I thought for a moment I was reading the thoughts of Barry Cryer on windfarms, but it actually turned out to be Barry Gardiner, MP for Brent and fervent adherent to the green cause:
Great explanation by Gordon McDougal on Today Prog about how low cost clean onshore wind's flexibility adds real value to the grid.
I'm thinking that onshore wind's "flexibility" must rank alongside the Pope's Calvinism and the tendency of bears to seek out hygienic toilet facilities as one of the more hilarious propositions to have attracted my attention in recent years.
This was all prompted by the announcement that onshore windfarms are going to fall outside the Renewables Obligation from the start of next year. Subsidy junkies and their parliamentary servants are understandably miffed and, if Barry Gardiner's comments are any indication, are in danger of losing the plot altogether. It all looks as though it will end in the courts, with the Holyrood administration leading the rearguard action, so we will have to see if this is actually going to go anywhere.
But it looks promising, even if I'm not quite holding my breath.
Reader Comments (37)
Are bears catholic?
In their tastes, certainly. They'll eat anyone.
There was a desperate stream of falsehoods from the wind industry spokesman (I think his name is MacDougall) on the Today programme this morning (about 7.15). He even claimed that it was an advantage of wind turbines that they had to be switched off when the wind was too strong!
He also claimed that nuclear etc needs backup too.
Yes and he also started half-truthing about subsidies ( the not taking equals giving argument) and Humphries started to pick him up on that but then the conversation veered in a different direction. While it wasn't exactly an aggressive bit of interviewing, for once a wind spokesman wasn't entirely unchallenged.
If wind energy is so good why do they need such high strike prices.
Ah the smell of subsidies in the morning, enough to keep the renewable industry rubbing their greedy hands.
I commented on this on unthreaded in response to Alex Cull. I repeat it here:
Alex: Just listened to it. Gordon MacDougall of RES was allowed to spread lies and misinformation. Humphreys did his best to question him, but the lies from MacDougall came one after the other. I look forward to your transcript to count the number of lies and misinformation he got away with.
A taster of MacDougall's lies can be read at BusinessGreen.
You might need to get to the article by googling 'Gordon McDougal wind'
So, onshore subsidies will end in 2016. UK already has more than 5000 onshore turbines and an additional 3500 have planning permission. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 'grace period' allowed by this government would allow those additional 3500 wind turbines to be built (if done soon) and fully subsidised, so we could end up with more than 8500 subsidised onshore turbines in a few years' time. Then the government may cave in to legal challenges from the Scottish Parliament and other renewable vested interests, so the other 3000 without planning permission may eventually end up being built anyway.
So much for the end of onshore subsidies then - the energy policy madness continues largely unabated, barely pausing for breath.
I don't think Barry Gardiner need worry about the loss of subsidies, or losing his seat at the next election. On this showing he will get a contract with the BBC as a comedian.
It has to be noted that according to the BBC, it is only the subsidies under the Renewable Obligation (RO) scheme that will be stopped. This applies to wind farms over 5MW. Small wind farms and individual wind turbines under 5MW are subsidised under the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) scheme and there is no mention of this. The FiT subsidies are changed regularly and can be changed to zero any time the Government wishes. We have been trying to find out through our MPs what the definition of a wind farm is and whether the subsidies will be stopped for small wind farms and individual turbines, but so far our MPs are getting nothing nothing back from DECC. Nothing much changes within how the Government operates.
I'm all in favour of this going to court, because the courts are the only people I know who can force the SNP to face reality.
At one of the UKIP conferences someone was talking on the platform about austerity etc. I shouted 'Tax the windfarms' to laughter and applause.
Think about it. Tax is a government prerogative and can be imposed at will -- there can be no objection on the grounds of broken contracts etc. At present a wind turbine which makes its owner millions only pays the same business tax as a small newsagents on a provincial high street.
Tax the windfarms. Pass it on.
JF
Phillip Bratby, if you could keep me updated I'd be grateful. We are awaiting an appeal on the Haverhill Ladygate turbine and I am primed to go bang if the decision goes the wrong way.
JF
It's also covered here and here.
Julian: I will keep you posted if I hear anything. A windfall tax on all renewable energy schemes is a great idea - it has lots of precedents.
Don't worry - there's plenty of Offshore windfarm subsidies to be had!
Ian E: "plenty of Offshore windfarm subsidies" ... divide and conquer!
First they went for solar
Then they go for onshore.
Then they go for offshore.
Then they say "but why do we need any unreliables subsidies at all"?
They they say "Why are we paying for all these 'environmental' posts in government"
And finally the "Department of Energy and Climate Change" becomes the DOE
Radio 5 Live just had a Phone-in : Wind farms: has the government got it right?
"Amber Rudd told us ... so far nationally they have been a success."
"Do you work in the wind power industry?"
Facebook discussion
..They just said "wind is powering 9.7% today ..... it's a windy day" ..but don't mentions yesterday's 0%
bishophill.squarespace.com just gone slow now
There's a full transcript of this morning's interview with Gordon MacDougall now here:
https://sites.google.com/site/mytranscriptbox/2015/20150618_r4
Thanks Alex for that - what a load of lies and misleading, ingenuous statements from the trougher.
It's called being flexible with your breath, Bish. Just like wind power.
The statement from Amber Rudd implies that subsidies under the FiT scheme will shortly be stopped for all onshore wind turbines except for community ones:
Thanks Alex!
This is the gobsmacking paragraph I was referring to earlier:
Andrew: I just wanted to say how good I'm feeling!
:)
Wind turbines get Unemployment benefit, but they get paid for working when not required, and paid for not working most of the time they are required.
Where is the parity for people looking for gainful employment?
Well, I started out with tales wagging fogs and ended up with: The world will not beat a cat to the door of the man who invents a better mouse.
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Does anybody know what "windfarm flexibility" is?
Is it as blatant a lie as "renewable"? Meaningless Greenwash propaganda is a big giveaway, that a Green idea has no benefit to anybody, apart from the select few farming the subsidies.
The feelgood factor, must feel good if you get money for Fresh Air.
Folks, this is extremely clever and persuasive claptrap, and completely delusional. Deliberate, or naive?
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Let the wind hustlers keep talking. They are doing their own version of Capt. Queeg.
...."(Captain Queeg removes the steel balls from his pocket and he spins them in his palm insistently as he speaks.)
Queeg: No, I, I don't see any need of that. Now that I recall, he might have said something about messboys and then again he might not -- I questioned so many men and Harding was not the most reliable officer.
Lt. Greenwald (Jose Ferrer): I'm afraid the defense has no other recourse than to produce Lt. Harding.
Queeg: Now there's no need for that I know exactly what hell tell you. Lies! He was no different than any officer in the wardroom -- they were all disloyal, I tried to run the ship properly by the book but they fought me at every turn. If the crew wanted to walk around with their shirttails hanging out that's all right let them take the tow line. Defective equipment no more no less, but they encouraged the crew to go around scoffing at me and spreading wild rumors about steaming and circles. And then old yellow stain. I was to blame for Lt. Merrick's incompetence and poor seamanship. Lt. Merrick was the perfect officer but not Captain Queeg.
Ah, but the strawberries! That's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, and with geometric logic, that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox did exist! And I'd have produced that key if they hadn't pulled Caine out of action! I-I-I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officer and!......(realizes he has been ranting, babbling)
Naturally, I can only cover these things from memory if I've left anything out, why, just ask me specific questions and I'll be glad to answer them...one-by-one..."
Windfarm subsidies to end a year early!
Listen out for the loudest squeals from the greediest pigs.
'flexibility'....
Yeah - some of the time there's power - but most of the time there isn't.....
That Radio 5 Live prog began 9 mins in, sorry I should have said ..here's a direct Phone-in : Wind farms: has the government got it right?
- Facebook discussion. 45 comments is nothing for a National Radio discussion ..so that shows how little the public are interested.
Jun 18, 2015 at 12:04 PM | Paul Matthews
Has anyone else ridiculed him yet for saying that 'amazing' quote?
"Wind power is the cheapest ..low carbon energy source"
wind boy and Ed Davey repeated this
..how can they shamelessly say that without mentioning UNSUBSIDISED NON-INTERMITTENT hydropower !
BTW good quote from
BTW good quote from @Latimer Alder on that IPPR story in Tgraph
\\So ordinary working people might resent a huge increase in their energy bills to satisfy a few middle-class green bedwetters fantasies that they are 'Saving the Planet'?
- And to produce riches beyond the dreams of avarice for the growing band of subsidy farmers?
- Especially when it is all utterly pointless.
- An exercise in wishful thinking and complete futility//
BTW that "Wind power is the cheapest ..low carbon energy source" claim is a diversion.
Cos you should really talking about the cheapest ways of REDUCING CO2 (in electric generation).
e.g. replacing coal with gas, energy from garbage (that would have otherwise rotted and decayed), aswell as hydro where it is available.
If wind power is so great, why are the Houses of Parliament not covered in them? Apparently they are unobtrusive, quiet, and vibration free, so no MP's would lose any sleep during their working day.
Do Papal Bulls sha-la-la in the woods, or is that just for the bears? And would they be too embarrassed to make a noise if a philosopher was present?
As the last ice age advanced, woods were wiped out. Polar bears turned white to hide their modesty.
The few remaining trees have come under intense scientific scrutiny, trying to match growth patterns to climate. I do not believe ursine fertilisation was factored in. Pure bull was used instead, to make up deficiencies.
Do crapulent commentors Pope in the woods?