Please check out who owns , manages the so called National Grid,, and then we begin to better understand the need to have our own SCOTGRID, to enable ensure OUR energy mix is put to benefit businesses and communities alike.
Renewable energy demands subsidy. Officials haven’t figured out that in addition to subsidy or potentially in place of it a carbon tariff is required. This would raise the cost of importing Chinese EV batteries based on the amount of fossil fuel used in their manufacture, it would raise the cost of polyester t shirts imported from coal fired Vietnam and it would raise the price of a BMW from the EU’s lignite zone. The rate of the tariff could be set at about £500 per tonne of CO2 issued in the making of a product or service, since this can also be applied to flights to the Canaries and the train to Kyle of Lochalsh, the cost Swiss technologists charge to remove it from the atmosphere. In the era of a carbon tariff, the Chinese entrepreneur is incentivised to build his battery plant close to a source of renewable energy which could be in the North of Scotland assuming he can obtain the necessary permits from the myriad Quango designed to ensure that Scotland remains a low kinetic zone, or it could be in sunny Mauritania. At this point the charges to access the grid become less salient, industry relocates to the Glens, in much the same way as Esso’s ethylene plant moved to Mossmorran. In this scenario Gas is taxed and is no longer a cheap source of heating, and energy security is served by having connections from the extremities to the centre. A lull in the wind farms off Cornwall is offset by a gale in the Minch and if both are becalmed there is almost always wind blowing over Papa Westray.
Yes this is a good idea.. The EU is starting a carbon tax and the UK will have to join in - or be tariffed on exports to the EU. The advantage of giving Scotland more control over its energy resources would be that we could try stuff
There's a possible opportunity for developing AI infrastructure too. The latest data centres require GigaWatts of energy, such as a small city would require. They also need a huge supply of fresh water for cooling the processors; there's a lot of water in Scotland. The converse is true for the South East of England - lack of water and it's tricky to get a GW grid connection. Aside from the proximity to financial centres a data centre would consume so much resources in an area of scarcity. Perhaps we should also watch out for an enormous abstraction of water to the English water system too.
I assume you're not au fait with the enormous anger across the Highlands and Shetland where mega turbine proposals (and installation in Shetland) and battery storage sites obviously for AI data centres are widely opposed and rejected by community councils and local authorities. Scottish Government are being lambasted for overruling rejections and ministers are refusing to meet even their own constituents to discuss this issue.
There's also increasingly widespread distrust and rejection of AI, especially by the creative sector which is highly significant in the north of Scotland.
So expect many people to reject the notion of AI being a major earner for Scotland. The Westminster parties may be making so many mistakes they're playing into the pro independence lobby, but the SNP might well see a big shift to the greens in the May elections because of the anger towards their policies and attitude towards the Highlands and those with environmental concerns.
Generally the Highlands and Islands are increasingly resisting the infrastructure required to take the power south as well - why wouid they support it? It’s a completely extractive model - they are not getting the benefit they should. In Finland the tax raised from green power generation goes to the local councils, small area councils. And because the grid is nationally owned and not paid for by the power generator that’s a lot more money.
I feel great sympathy for those small Highland communities that oppose this; they face well connected landowners with enormous resources that can be pooled to use lawfare to slow down any objections. It would be better with some serious land reform.
It looks a little bit like a gold rush at the moment; previously unproductive remote land is now looking very profitable. A few hundred years ago the Highland landscape was cleared and exploited for absentee interests and the voices of local communities were not heard in the corridors of power. The SNP talk a lot about land reform but having been in power for so long they have achieved little; the legal system has them tied in knots aside from their obvious lack of interest in dealing with it. Combine this driver for money with a policy for low carbon generation and I would say that small communities would be lucky to get anywhere at all.
If the balance of power changes at Holyrood and the Labrachs or the Uaineanachs get anywhere I suspect nothing will change for the Highlands without serious land reform. The Uainenachs have gone full in for windmills and batteries. Perhaps a glimmer of light (unbelievable given their historical landowning interests) from a Tory regime that was more interested in hydrocarbons but they have no power to do anything that Westminster opposes.
I'm kind of pinning my hopes on the laws of physics and with some help from worldwide economics. A battery system that could meet Scotland's electricity needs for an hour would be about 1000 shipping containers in size; I doubt that the Scottish economy could buy enough lithium batteries to cover a day of dunkelflaute. Indeed, a day of dunkelflaute would require purchase of electricity from interconnecters or raw gas for turbines at incredible spot prices. An engineer would tell you that this will not meet the demands of a modern economy.
Scotland converting it's energy mix to mainly electrical will need more energy; all those electric cars and houses moving from oil and gas need to get their Joules of energy from somewhere; it's a demand that is only going to increase. We would need to cover the landscape in wind turbines to keep a modern digital economy going.
I think that the addition of AI data centres, which is a new industry could generate some cash for the Scottish economy. Some American companies are building nuclear power next door to data centres. If Scotland was known for lacking the spare capacity to run a single AI data centre how would that look for international investors?
We could keep the loop closed by generating in Scotland and selling the energy in Scotland; idealistic, I know but cut me some slack - Highlanders are always ready to get on board with a lost cause.
I guess we would be in agreement on a few things. But I fear that without land reform the wind turbine bonanza will continue to export money as energy and leave a blight on remote communties.
Hydro is a good way of storing power. Scotland used to be a world leader in that. For decades the UK has refused to set a market framework for it. The companies that own the grid down south make more money from interconnectors with Europe. And whenever they use gas, everyone at the casino table gets more cash.
Please check out who owns , manages the so called National Grid,, and then we begin to better understand the need to have our own SCOTGRID, to enable ensure OUR energy mix is put to benefit businesses and communities alike.
With you on that. It's high time the status was reviewed.
Renewable energy demands subsidy. Officials haven’t figured out that in addition to subsidy or potentially in place of it a carbon tariff is required. This would raise the cost of importing Chinese EV batteries based on the amount of fossil fuel used in their manufacture, it would raise the cost of polyester t shirts imported from coal fired Vietnam and it would raise the price of a BMW from the EU’s lignite zone. The rate of the tariff could be set at about £500 per tonne of CO2 issued in the making of a product or service, since this can also be applied to flights to the Canaries and the train to Kyle of Lochalsh, the cost Swiss technologists charge to remove it from the atmosphere. In the era of a carbon tariff, the Chinese entrepreneur is incentivised to build his battery plant close to a source of renewable energy which could be in the North of Scotland assuming he can obtain the necessary permits from the myriad Quango designed to ensure that Scotland remains a low kinetic zone, or it could be in sunny Mauritania. At this point the charges to access the grid become less salient, industry relocates to the Glens, in much the same way as Esso’s ethylene plant moved to Mossmorran. In this scenario Gas is taxed and is no longer a cheap source of heating, and energy security is served by having connections from the extremities to the centre. A lull in the wind farms off Cornwall is offset by a gale in the Minch and if both are becalmed there is almost always wind blowing over Papa Westray.
Yes this is a good idea.. The EU is starting a carbon tax and the UK will have to join in - or be tariffed on exports to the EU. The advantage of giving Scotland more control over its energy resources would be that we could try stuff
There's a possible opportunity for developing AI infrastructure too. The latest data centres require GigaWatts of energy, such as a small city would require. They also need a huge supply of fresh water for cooling the processors; there's a lot of water in Scotland. The converse is true for the South East of England - lack of water and it's tricky to get a GW grid connection. Aside from the proximity to financial centres a data centre would consume so much resources in an area of scarcity. Perhaps we should also watch out for an enormous abstraction of water to the English water system too.
I assume you're not au fait with the enormous anger across the Highlands and Shetland where mega turbine proposals (and installation in Shetland) and battery storage sites obviously for AI data centres are widely opposed and rejected by community councils and local authorities. Scottish Government are being lambasted for overruling rejections and ministers are refusing to meet even their own constituents to discuss this issue.
There's also increasingly widespread distrust and rejection of AI, especially by the creative sector which is highly significant in the north of Scotland.
So expect many people to reject the notion of AI being a major earner for Scotland. The Westminster parties may be making so many mistakes they're playing into the pro independence lobby, but the SNP might well see a big shift to the greens in the May elections because of the anger towards their policies and attitude towards the Highlands and those with environmental concerns.
Generally the Highlands and Islands are increasingly resisting the infrastructure required to take the power south as well - why wouid they support it? It’s a completely extractive model - they are not getting the benefit they should. In Finland the tax raised from green power generation goes to the local councils, small area councils. And because the grid is nationally owned and not paid for by the power generator that’s a lot more money.
I feel great sympathy for those small Highland communities that oppose this; they face well connected landowners with enormous resources that can be pooled to use lawfare to slow down any objections. It would be better with some serious land reform.
It looks a little bit like a gold rush at the moment; previously unproductive remote land is now looking very profitable. A few hundred years ago the Highland landscape was cleared and exploited for absentee interests and the voices of local communities were not heard in the corridors of power. The SNP talk a lot about land reform but having been in power for so long they have achieved little; the legal system has them tied in knots aside from their obvious lack of interest in dealing with it. Combine this driver for money with a policy for low carbon generation and I would say that small communities would be lucky to get anywhere at all.
If the balance of power changes at Holyrood and the Labrachs or the Uaineanachs get anywhere I suspect nothing will change for the Highlands without serious land reform. The Uainenachs have gone full in for windmills and batteries. Perhaps a glimmer of light (unbelievable given their historical landowning interests) from a Tory regime that was more interested in hydrocarbons but they have no power to do anything that Westminster opposes.
I'm kind of pinning my hopes on the laws of physics and with some help from worldwide economics. A battery system that could meet Scotland's electricity needs for an hour would be about 1000 shipping containers in size; I doubt that the Scottish economy could buy enough lithium batteries to cover a day of dunkelflaute. Indeed, a day of dunkelflaute would require purchase of electricity from interconnecters or raw gas for turbines at incredible spot prices. An engineer would tell you that this will not meet the demands of a modern economy.
Scotland converting it's energy mix to mainly electrical will need more energy; all those electric cars and houses moving from oil and gas need to get their Joules of energy from somewhere; it's a demand that is only going to increase. We would need to cover the landscape in wind turbines to keep a modern digital economy going.
I think that the addition of AI data centres, which is a new industry could generate some cash for the Scottish economy. Some American companies are building nuclear power next door to data centres. If Scotland was known for lacking the spare capacity to run a single AI data centre how would that look for international investors?
We could keep the loop closed by generating in Scotland and selling the energy in Scotland; idealistic, I know but cut me some slack - Highlanders are always ready to get on board with a lost cause.
I guess we would be in agreement on a few things. But I fear that without land reform the wind turbine bonanza will continue to export money as energy and leave a blight on remote communties.
Hydro is a good way of storing power. Scotland used to be a world leader in that. For decades the UK has refused to set a market framework for it. The companies that own the grid down south make more money from interconnectors with Europe. And whenever they use gas, everyone at the casino table gets more cash.
Yes - but was just listening to a podcast about the forthcoming AI bubble crash - they could be the 21 st century equivalent of canals. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002qtdy?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
“Scotland can generate lots of electricity but has no one to sell it to.”
ok - so check out what’s happening in Western Australia