Costing the Earth

Adam1 · Post by **Adam1** » 16 Apr 2009, 14:01

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00jm3l3

A good programme with a contribution from Mike P.

Did anyone hear this?

monster · Post by **monster** » 16 Apr 2009, 14:48

Yes I heard it, just looked at the webiste of the company about to build the post talbot biomass 350MW plant www.prenergypower.com

What seems a real shame is that they are NOT going to use the waste heat from burning the biomass so the plant will only have an efficiency rating of just 36%

what a wasted opportunity to provide district heating to port talbot..............

Post by **mikepepler** » 16 Apr 2009, 21:47

Pictures to accompany the broadcast...
http://peplers.blogspot.com/2009/02/rad ... ew-us.html

They were an interesting pair, and after the recording was done we chatted about about peak oil and the like. Will be interesting to see if I sowed the seeds of something there, they were certainly receptive.

Andy Hunt · Post by **Andy Hunt** » 17 Apr 2009, 22:34

monster wrote:What seems a real shame is that they are NOT going to use the waste heat from burning the biomass so the plant will only have an efficiency rating of just 36% what a wasted opportunity to provide district heating to port talbot..............

I would be surprised if anyone gives a toss about the people of Port Talbot. It would certainly be something new.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 18 Apr 2009, 03:34

The DTI, as it used to be, have identified that there will be a huge problem heating UK housing in the future. Unfortunately they haven't identified the fact that insulation levels in UK buildings, both new and existing, are lousy. Nor have they identified the fact that power stations dump 66% of the energy they produce up the cooling tower chimney in the form of waste heat.

edit

A Cambridge economics graduate did the research on the heating problem. What do they teach them? Obviously, not much common sense. One person does a study on the economic thickness of insulation to install and one does one on the amount of heat required to keep the country warm. Neither talks to each other nor compares results so the obvious conclusions aren't reached.

So we have Kingsnorth and Port Talbot and half a dozen others being built as stand alone power stations wasting 66% of their energy. We're run by idiots, highly qualified idiots. ':shock:'