Try the energy calculator

[ShadesWolf]

I just found this an thought it was quite interesting. Why not have a go and see if you can balance things....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/h...alc/html/1.stm

Background
The electricity calculator gives you the opportunity to choose how you would like the UK’s electricity to be generated in 2020.
Once you have made your choice, the calculator will work out the possible impact in terms of carbon emissions, whether you managed to keep the lights on and how it will affect people’s annual bills.

Remember the calculator does not give precise forecasts, it is just a guide, but it is based on the best data available to us.

The total demand for electricity in the UK is 358 billion kilowatt hours. The main sources of supply are:

Fossil fuels: 253 bn kWh
Nuclear: 80 bn kWh
Renewables: 15 bn kWh
Imports: 10 bn kWh
In 2020, the UK’s demand is projected to have grown to 381 billion kiloWatt hours.

How much the electricity will cost and how it will be generated depends upon your selection.

Note that for cost comparison, the calculator uses the 2003 average household figure of £250, since when in reality the average cost has risen. For further details and an explanation of how the calculator works, see the links above on the right.

[Divinus Arma]

is 530 pounds per year per household very expensive? That is around a $1,000 a year if I have done my calcs right. That isn't much at all. I pay almost $200 a month in the summertime for AC in my home. My bill for the year between gas for heat and electric for AC comes out to about this much.

I picked 100% renewable with no reduction in demand.

[ShadesWolf]

is 530 pounds per year per household very expensive? That is around a $1,000 a year if I have done my calcs right. That isn't much at all. I pay almost $200 a month in the summertime for AC in my home. My bill for the year between gas for heat and electric for AC comes out to about this much.

I picked 100% renewable with no reduction in demand.

Thats just for the electric. Gas would be a different bill.

I currently pay about £580 ($1092.372) for electric and £500 ($941.7) for Gas.

$ based on 1.8834 - £1

[Somebody Else]

You'll be building 0 new fossil fuel power stations, 0 new nuclear reactors and 9,255 new wind turbines plus other renewable installations, insulating 0 houses and buying 33% of electricity from overseas.

Reducing fossil fuel to 80, raising renewable to 160, raising imports to 120 and keeping the other two at zero. This is the lowest I can get the cost (267), whilst keeping emissions on target and, of course, generate enough power. (14 and 360).

Goes against my personal feeling, that we should build more nuclear and renewable plants - for a start, who knows how the imported electricity is being produced?

[ShadesWolf]

Iwish you had a better breakdown of the renewables. Wind turbines seem to be the only thing people talk about, and there is so much other stuff that would be done.

What about solar panels on each house and using wave power.

[Duke Malcolm]

Solar panels are probably too expensive, though a company up in Orkney has developed Wave generators, currently being ignored by the Scottish Executive and tried in Portugal.
Tidal Power might also be feasible.
Wind turbines are too expensive, certainly for 9255 of them, and are ungainly things.
I doubt many folks would favour the flooding of more glens...

[doc_bean]

CARBON EMISSIONS
27m tonnes

Carbon emissions are roughly on target.

ELECTRICITY GENERATED
360bn kiloWatt hours

You've met UK electricity demand.

COST PER HOUSEHOLD
£301 average annual bill

Your electricity costs slightly more than now.




You'll be building 0 new fossil fuel power stations, 12 new nuclear reactors and 4,655 new wind turbines, insulating 14m houses and buying 0% of electricity from overseas.


easy