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via JoNova
October 23, 2024 at 09:50AM
By Robert Bradley Jr.
“Social justice” demands energy freedom and energy exceptionalism for the poorest of the poor. Today, tomorrow, and yesterday.
A recent release from CarbonBrief, “How a UK government-backed Company has Fueled Gas Power in Africa,” reported that “a little-known company that is majority-owned by a UK government development body and backed by UK aid money has been pouring investment into gas power across Africa.”
British International Investment (BII)’s Globeleq has 1,120 MW of gas-fired generation in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Tanzania to serve the electricity impoverished. UK climate activists are up in arms (“don’t gas Africa”), urging divestment from fossil fuels. “Let them have wind and solar” is the mantra, as if these dilute, intermittent substitutes were not expensive and unreliable.
Globeleq is adding new gas capacity to keep its portfolio at 85 percent natural gas.
BII says that in countries such as Mozambique, where only around 40% of people have access to electricity, gas power is “essential”. It argues that such nations often lack “baseload” power provided by gas, which can allow the integration of more renewables.
CarbonBrief continues:
This position has been supported by many African governments, with many advocating for the development of their own gas reserves. Many have noted that Africa currently produces a tiny share of the planet’s emissions and is home to nearly 600 million people without electricity access. Scaling up fossil fuels could be a route to development and wealth, they say.
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Yes, the UK government should divest itself of Globeleq and otherwise stay out of African energy politics. But what about the moral case for the best energies to address poverty, a theme that has inspired Paul Driessen (author, Eco-Imperialism) to note:
The ideological environmental movement imposes the views of mostly wealthy, comfortable Americans and Europeans on mostly poor, desperate Africans, Asians and Latin Americans. It violates these people’s most basic human rights, denying them economic opportunities, the chance for better lives, the right to rid their countries of diseases that were vanquished long ago in Europe and the United States.
And from the African Energy Chamber:
African producers have not and will not agree to phasing out fossil fuels. Unlike the rest of the developed world, the continent has not yet had the chance to transform its economies through oil and gas. In order to develop, grow and address concerns such as energy poverty and industrialization, oil and gas will need to remain central for years to come.
Also consider the idea of Laszlo Varro, vice-president of global business environment at Shell, who told his 20,000+ social media followers:
A very interesting debate: British green activists protest against gas fired power generation investment in Mozambique and Ivory Coast. They come from a society which has a per capita energy consumption around 10 times most African countries. Their privileged prosperity is based on a national wealth accumulated from past fossil fuel use and colonial exploitation. Now they are upset that former colonial nations are using their own gas resources to power development.
Varro suggests this exercise for the energy privileged:
Mozambique and Ivory Coast should create a special, green activist internship visa. This will enable British activists to come for a year and get a work permit. However, this would be valid only for the non-electrified regions of the country, not to the usual development aid practice of Western experts living in an air conditioned compound powered by a diesel generator in the backyard. The special, fossil free work permit will enable the activists to fetch water from the well in a bucket, without electric pumps and steel pipes. They will be able to tend the land and grow food without diesel tractors and gas based fertilizer, cook on an open fire, store the food without refrigerators and bring the produce to a market in a pushcart. They should definitely get a solar mobile charger so that they can share how happy their life is without natural gas in social media.
Laszlo Varro added:
Needless to say the UK government should have an open minded dialogue with those activists who completed a one year internship and still believe that African countries should not develop natural gas. In addition, if any democratically elected African government expresses concerns about the harmful effects of developing their domestic gas resources and using them to expand electricity supply then UK foreign policy should pay a respectful attention.
Indeed. “Social justice” demands energy freedom and energy exceptionalism for the poorest of the poor. Today, tomorrow, and yesterday.
via Watts Up With That?
October 23, 2024 at 08:08AM
51.31071 -0.47638 Met Office assessed CIMO Class 4 & Excellent Data from 1/1/1904
The Met Office’s ill defined and unique assessment of this site is “Excellent” despite their official CIMO assessment classification of Class 4 with an error margin of 2°C. Set in an orchard of the botanic gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society this site clearly does not represent the natural environment. It is specifically designed to elevate temperatures, reduce winds and create an artificial micro climate. The Met Office uses numerous sites in such locations to contribute to the historic temperature record in the full knowledge these sites do not represent their natural environs. Most reasonable people would consider that an unacceptable practise.
However, that is not my headline story here. The real issue is actually about another Wisley Met Office weather station just 102 metres away …..
RHS Wisley No 2 DCNN 5238- The Ghost Station recording differently.
51.31017 -0.47534 No Met Office site assessments known. Installed 8/5/2018 Closed 31/3.2021
This small second station was established in mid 2018 – image from Google Earth Pro is dated April 2020. I can find no information why this unit was set up, however, its records were archived on the CEDA database in addition to the main station archived here.
The main site looks like this.
Though I can find no close up images of the current No 2 site, the BING Maps “Birds Eye” view is sufficiently old to include both stations with the handy ability of a “measuring” tool. As evidenced below just 333 feet/102 metres separates the two sites which are at the same quoted elevation of 38 metres amsl.
Although the No 2 site is not particularly better sited, it is further from the orchard surroundings and towards the edge of the overall gardens and less subject to warming effects. Building works taking place at the time were nearer the new screen than the old. Realistically, two such close sites should not differ to any noticeable degree if neither site were not, in some way, artificially compromised. The weather does not change much over such a short distance in flat Surrey terrain. The temperature reading instruments would have been equally accurate and calibrated.
I have only just uncovered this second site and not yet fully analysed the data – any readers willing to take on that task will be able to download figures from the CEDA links above. {Please let me know in comments below if anyone chooses to accept the task} I did however, opt for a brief scan and detail the surprising findings below. N.B. This is not a “cherry pick”. Simply for speed I chose to compare a notably hot period i.e. the few days before and after the 2019 July hot weather event when Cambridge Botanic Gardens “claimed” the then UK National high of 38.7°C.
Firstly for Wisley (original)
Then for Wisley No 2
Comparing daily maximum air temperatures reveals the following.
Date Wisley Wisley No 2 Variation Wisley over Wisley no 2
20/7/2019 ……………….24.5°C…………………… 24.6°C…………………….-0.1°C
21/7 ………………………..23.2………………………..23.1…………………………+0.1
22/7………………………..26.5……………………….. 25.6………………………. +0.9
23/7…………………………32.5………………………. 32.1……………………….. +0.4
24/7 ………………………..32.3 ………………………..31.4………………………..+0.9
25/7………………………….36.7………………………..36.2 ……………………….+0.4
26/7 ………………………..26.1………………………..25.6………………………. +0.5
27/7 ………………………..19.4…………………………19.4……………………… Level
28.7 …………………………23.9……………………….. 23.6……………………….+0.3
29.7 ………………………….24.7 …………………………24.1…………………….. +0.6
Obviously there is a significant variation over the 10 day period with surprisingly only 1 day’s readings being the same, one day showing Wisley cooler by just 0.1°C and 8 days showing Wisley running hotter by almost 1 degree on 2 occasions. One could infer there were artificial cooling influences on the No 2 site but if so what on earth would those be? Much more logically the discrepancy can be explained by ongoing artificial warming to the modified climate that the Wisley station experiences.
Further number crunching is required but I am confident this opportunity to compare 2 extremely close sites demonstrates the significant artificial variations caused by siting – EXACTLY what the CIMO regulations were intended to eradicate. I contend that all sites not meeting Class 1 or 2 status must not be used for reporting data to the historic climate record. The “flagship” Wisley site and literally hundreds of over similarly low grade poor sites should be withdrawn.
via Tallbloke’s Talkshop
October 23, 2024 at 07:53AM
Take the hint. The UK is ending coal power in the name of climate policy, and nuclear power is also in decline. Solar power is minimal in winter for obvious reasons, and wind power can be highly variable at all times, regardless of how many turbines are available. Gas power, biomass and imports can’t be guaranteed to take the strain of all the electricity generation gaps, all the time.
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The Energy Networks Association (ENA) has launched a winter campaign to help UK households prepare for possible power cuts, says Energy Live News.
The campaign focuses on three steps: “prepare, care, share.”
The goal is to help people know what to do if power is lost during the winter months.
As part of the campaign, the ENA encourages people to sign up for the Priority Services Register.
This service is for households with young children, older adults, those with medical conditions, or others who may need extra support.
While the service cannot prevent power cuts, it aims to offer more information and help during planned work or unexpected outages.
The “prepare” step includes advice on making a plan in case of a power cut.
People are encouraged to keep mobile phones charged and to report power issues online or by calling the free emergency number, 105.
The PowerCut105 website has more tips.
Full article here.
via Tallbloke’s Talkshop
October 23, 2024 at 07:10AM
