We could send the youth of today down the coal mines, air cadets perhaps for weekly camps, we could call it “Mine Camp” 
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We need nukes. To provide the base load. Some interesting work being done by RR and others on small reactors.
The other issue though is that domestic heating and a lot of industrial processes need gas, removing the gas used for electricity generation will help, but not fix that.
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exactly
And this is just not a UK problem but worldwide but in particular in Europe. Germany are in a just as bad state if not far worse than the UK. Then there is the French, who have 50% of their nuclear power stations offline due to coolant issues and Macron has dropped the price cap he instituted not long ago onto the French taxpayer and nearly bankrupted EDF whilst taking it over. EDF are suing the French government for 8 billion euro.
The big problem we are all paying one way or another, either the power companies or to HMRC, there is no getting away from it, at least in the near future.
Would there be a progressive training syllabus?
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It doesn’t need to be ‘battery’ storage as we know it. We need to look at more pumped storage power plants. Works the way normal hydro eclectic does, but rather than relying on a river you pump the water up while you have surplus energy, and let it run back down to generate power when you need more.
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Black wings ?
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Until you want to build them and the NIMBYsor the bonkers greens start screaming just as with other energy infrastructure plans or even sewage works and relief roads.
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I just find this idea that we have a cohort of ready and willing coal miners ready to go tomorrow laughable.
It would be easier just to nationalise the energy sector than try and convince it to invest in coal.
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Realistically UK coal mines aren’t being reopened, we’d need to buy it in from overseas.
With Russia as the world’s third largest exporter of coal I imagine prices for that have also sky rocketed.
The answer long term needs to be a blend of nuclear and renewables.
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Not to mention the idea that all of the equipment that is needed is maintained and on site ready to go…
And none of the infrastructure has degraded. Or the mines flooded…
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War footing for renewables is a much easier prospect.
Ruthlessly designate new sites for hydroelectric, we need more reservoirs anyway, so make them generate electricity as well. We can’t rely on river flow anymore, so Riverside mills are out.
Put lots of effort and money into wind, the technology exists, just ramp it up and get them thrown up. NIMBYs be damned.
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Exactly. It’s a joke, and if it was commercially viable, they’d be doing it already. Pretending it’s the answer, long or short term is fanciful.
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Cough.
Dinorwig…
Cough.
Preaching to the knowledgeable mate.
I could bore all.of you to death about Nat Grid stability exercises and Brown outs. But i shant.
Was keeping it simples.
And yes.
Brown not black outs.
Brown is much, much worse.
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Neg.
There is one reopened recently… almost like a contingency…
Currently stiock piling coal as fast as possible in case we need to fire up the old Drax units this winter.
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Of anyone wants to lose sleep.
Google “Nat grid black start”.
Not even worth thinking about.
Britain has lots of hills and mountains and is very wet. We have lots of dams in these hilly places. Why can’t every one have a generating plant with them.
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