Dear Patrick, like you I am skeptical about the green energy narrative but after I made a complaint to the BBC based on your comments a friend who is an industry expert pointed out some inaccuracies (that I had repeated) and so I felt obliged to withdraw the complaint. My fault entirely for not listening carefully to the segment, which I found on iPlayer.
*Will you be adding a correction to this piece?*
My friend fisks one of your paras as follows - but below that I copy to you a complaint that he himself has submitted to the Beeb based on the same interview with Ben Chu and they may find it much harder to wriggle off his hook!
------------------
"He correctly stated that in last year’s round, AR6, the strike price was £60 per megawatt hour (MWh). "
Wrong - he didn't mention £60, and neither does anyone else. The only strike prices that make sense in context are the original approx £50 (2021) for solar and onshore wind, converted correctly for inflation to £75 (2025) by BC.
"He went on to say, correctly, that the current wholesale price was some £75 per MWh. "
Wrong. He says £80 (which is fair)
"He incorrectly concluded that the wind companies were paying the government £15 per MWh under their contracts for difference (CfD) and that Richard Tice was wrong.
He never said anything on conclusions like that, nor mentioned Tice."
-------------------
Now for our expert's own complaint - and we await the response with bated breath!
****************
"On the PM programme 21 July, Ben Chu stated "Let’s look at the actual prices in the most recent [renewable energy] auction round, which was last year, the strike price was £75 / MWh of electricity produced: so what’s the current wholesale electricity price? It’s about £80, so you’ll notice the strike price is below the wholesale price".
"But the £75 strike price quoted [he's fairly calculated a 2025 equivalent for something officially stated in 2012 money - that's how the government announces it] is only for onshore renewables (wind and solar). The comparable price for subsidies for the main category of OFFSHORE wind - by far the biggest renewables sector - is equivalent in 2025 to approx £88, i.e. HIGHER than the wholesale price cited. The most costly offshore wind category is £210 - i.e. very much higher still.
"That all puts a completely different complexion on Chu's conclusion, in the context of the overall story.
It's even worse than you think. Once a Dunkelflaute has ended, we need to replenish the storage ready for the next one. That means using whatever surplus energy there is while meeting daily demand. Accordingly, it will take weeks rather than days to achieve this and it is therefore perfectly possible than another Dunkelflaute will come along before the storage is fully topped up.
Hence we need perhaps double the storage that is necessary to cope with a single two-week Dunkelflaute.
Typo: "average UK electricity demand is some 737,000 MWh" you mean 737,000 MW. MW is power, MWh is energy.
Dear Patrick, like you I am skeptical about the green energy narrative but after I made a complaint to the BBC based on your comments a friend who is an industry expert pointed out some inaccuracies (that I had repeated) and so I felt obliged to withdraw the complaint. My fault entirely for not listening carefully to the segment, which I found on iPlayer.
*Will you be adding a correction to this piece?*
My friend fisks one of your paras as follows - but below that I copy to you a complaint that he himself has submitted to the Beeb based on the same interview with Ben Chu and they may find it much harder to wriggle off his hook!
------------------
"He correctly stated that in last year’s round, AR6, the strike price was £60 per megawatt hour (MWh). "
Wrong - he didn't mention £60, and neither does anyone else. The only strike prices that make sense in context are the original approx £50 (2021) for solar and onshore wind, converted correctly for inflation to £75 (2025) by BC.
"He went on to say, correctly, that the current wholesale price was some £75 per MWh. "
Wrong. He says £80 (which is fair)
"He incorrectly concluded that the wind companies were paying the government £15 per MWh under their contracts for difference (CfD) and that Richard Tice was wrong.
He never said anything on conclusions like that, nor mentioned Tice."
-------------------
Now for our expert's own complaint - and we await the response with bated breath!
****************
"On the PM programme 21 July, Ben Chu stated "Let’s look at the actual prices in the most recent [renewable energy] auction round, which was last year, the strike price was £75 / MWh of electricity produced: so what’s the current wholesale electricity price? It’s about £80, so you’ll notice the strike price is below the wholesale price".
"But the £75 strike price quoted [he's fairly calculated a 2025 equivalent for something officially stated in 2012 money - that's how the government announces it] is only for onshore renewables (wind and solar). The comparable price for subsidies for the main category of OFFSHORE wind - by far the biggest renewables sector - is equivalent in 2025 to approx £88, i.e. HIGHER than the wholesale price cited. The most costly offshore wind category is £210 - i.e. very much higher still.
"That all puts a completely different complexion on Chu's conclusion, in the context of the overall story.
"I would be pleased to have your comments ASAP."
*******************
Best wishes, Rolf Norfolk
It's even worse than you think. Once a Dunkelflaute has ended, we need to replenish the storage ready for the next one. That means using whatever surplus energy there is while meeting daily demand. Accordingly, it will take weeks rather than days to achieve this and it is therefore perfectly possible than another Dunkelflaute will come along before the storage is fully topped up.
Hence we need perhaps double the storage that is necessary to cope with a single two-week Dunkelflaute.
Dear Patrick, thank you.
A great outline of the power supply mess Uniparty has placed the entire country into.
I find it incredible that the Public seem unaware just how much they are ripped off.
It's also amazing to consider what a minor back room politico Chef D'Mission Chris Stark is trying to do. Mr Stark happens to be a habitual liar.
Mr Ed Miliwatt is beyond the pale, and massively deluded that he'll be leader once more.
The little people pay while the smooth brains consider 'what's best'.
The Uniparty in full glory.