A ‘frustrated’ UK ‘stands with Israel’ But the PM is not happy

October 2, 2024 5:06 am

A ‘frustrated’ UK ‘stands with Israel’ but the PM is not happy, after an Iranian special operation attacked military targets

UK bids farewell to coal use – What does the world make of it?

October 1, 2024 3:26 pm

Quick View – Contents UK becomes the first major economy to stop burning coal for electricity – What comes next?

It’s a risky move and the world is watching

October 1, 2024 2:37 pm

In the absence of new infrastructure and technology, the shift to more intermittent sources of power could leave the national grid more vulnerable to power cuts than it has been for decades… The health of the country’s economy — and the willingness of other countries to follow — may very well ride on the experiment’s success.

The uncomfortable truth about the end of UK coal

No. It won’t inspire the rest of the world

October 1, 2024 2:21 pm

Firstly, if the rest of the world is going to be inspired by the decommissioning of Britain’s coal-fired plants there is little sign of it yet… Britain may have managed to displace coal with a combination of gas and wind power, with a small contribution from solar (4.9 per cent last year), but it is not a practical course for many countries which do not have easy access to gas supplies, and who would have no other practical means of coping with the intermittency of wind and solar. The advantage of coal is that it is very easy to transport, store and stockpile.

Nuclear power is no alternative

October 1, 2024 2:15 pm

“The Hinkley Point project, which is already under construction, will supply electricity that is far more expensive than green energy. If it is done well, the German model combining the phasing out of nuclear energy and coal could be more favourable. But the top priority is that the newly industrialising and developing countries also switch to phasing out coal as quickly as possible. First and foremost China, which is still building new power plants. If they don’t change course, the joy over the end of the coal era in the UK will be of little use.”