Whats The Point Having Emmissions Controls When The Germans Are Doing This?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26820405

[Gromit]

Not sure what 'this' is?

The graph accompanying the article shows they have reduced their use of coal by more than half. Which is obviously a good thing. They are on target to achieve their lower emission goals.

[Gromit]

In the UK, the use of coal has risen from 29% of our energy mix in 2007, to 38% today.

http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/energy-industry-key-facts-figures-2013/

[treetops68]

And surely "emissions" refers to the products produced by the burning of the coal, not the actual mining?

[Gromit]

Ignite is actually what we call Brown Coal. We have burned it for centuries.

[Farriercm]

This Post reminds me of a bad news day, when nothing is happening in the world, so someone has to create news.

[Old_Geezer]

Oh, your post isn't that bad Farrier.

[ToraToraTora]

sigh! I suppose I'm going to have to spell it out, the Germans are building new coal fired power stations at a time when we can't fart without being a accused of killing the planet. Now I realise that anything in yerp is good and anything in Britain is bad but do you think you guys be able to comment on this news story now?

[Gromit]

// Germans are building new coal fired power stations //

Are they? It does not say their coal use has increased in your link, it says it has reduced from 140million tonnes in 1987 to about 50million tonnes last year. It also says their use of renewables has incresed.

// when we can't fart without being a accused of killing the planet. //

By we I assume you mean the UK. Since 2007, the UK has increased the amount of coal we burn for energy from 29% of our energy output to 38%.

[ludwig]

// the UK has increased the amount of coal we burn for energy from 29% of our energy output to 38%. //

I think we do more farts than we used to as well.

[youngmafbog]

Are you reading the same article I am Gromit?
//The effects are already being felt. Lignite production in 2012 hit its highest level for almost 20 years, while initial estimates suggest this brown coal was used to generate 162bn kWh of electricity last year, more than in any year since 1990. The use of hard coal also increased, meaning the two energy sources accounted for 46% of Germany's overall energy production.//

[jomifl]

This is the price that has to be paid by becoming greener and closing down nuclear power stations. Ignore the fact that coal fired power stations release more radio-isotopes than their nuclear equivalents and release Co2 and despoil the landscape. The law of unintendended consequences is working well as always.

[ToraToraTora]

seen this bit gromit?
"The mines are needed to power a new generation of coal power plants."

[Svejk]

anyone know why the last shower were paying billionaires to close steelworks in this country and rebuild them in india?

[jomifl]

probably so that the UK could meet some arbitrary obligations dreamt up to garner green votes?

[youngmafbog]

yes, gromits !

[Farriercm]

Anyone know why this shower are giving millions to create millionaires in India and calling it Foreign aid. Svejk?

[Gromit]

Tora,

Just 1 new coal powered station has just opened, the first in eight years.

// Steag GmbH started Germany’s first new power plant fueled by hard coal in eight years, allowing the generator and energy trader to take advantage of near record-low coal prices that have widened profit margins. //

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-15/steag-starts-germany-s-first-coal-fired-power-plant-in-8-years.html

Germany is scrapping its Nuclear power, so all other forms of energy, including coal, are increasing.

[Gromit]

ymb

Coal currently accounts for 23% of Germany's energy mix.

The plan is to reduce that to 12% by 2013.

See visualisations 1 and 3 here.

http://visualization.geblogs.com/visualization/germanenergy/

[Gromit]

Sorry, typo.

The plan is to reduce that to 12% by 2030.

[New Judge]

All this is very interesting - and completely and utterly irrelevant. In short there is no point in having emissions controls whether the Germans are doing “this” or not. It is the Chinese and Indians doing this:

http://www.thegwpf.org/china-india-building-4-coal-power-plants-week/

that makes any efforts to reduce emissions akin to pi55ing in the wind. I don’t know when the west is going to wake up and smell the coffee (if they’ve any leccy to boil the kettle, that is).

And bang goes the promise I made to myself to stop getting involved in the ridiculous arguments surrounding "global warming" (or whatever it is called to fit the latest statistics).