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79 comments on More Coal Equals More CO2

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RalphW on October 19, 2006 - 4:16am Permalink | Subthread | Comments top
One irony between global climate change and UK energy consumption is that
we are having on average much milder winters, reducing our winter
heating demand and leaving more gas for use in power generation.  Could
someone work out the net saving in gas for say a 1 degree C rise above
average winter temperature (current level of local warming) and also a
2 degree C rise (probable rise in the next 20 - 30 years) ?  How far would
this go to offset the rise in coal consumption ?

 

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Valuethinker on October 19, 2006 - 4:54am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
The DOE has that heating degree day data.  I think it was cited here in a previous post.  I'll have a look at some point.
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tstreet on October 22, 2006 - 2:21pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Yes, but won't that be offset by the rise in AC?
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Valuethinker on October 23, 2006 - 2:53am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
There is almost no domestic central air conditioning in the UK, whereas there is 100% (almost) domestic heating.

A few more summers like the last one, and I expect people will begin to introduce home AC.  Already there are window units.

Office air conditioning is obviously ubiquitous, and with the very hot summers we have been having, being retrofitted.

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Engineer-Poet on October 22, 2006 - 10:41pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
GE recently delivered a 49%-efficient 5.4 kW SOFC stack to the US Department of Energy which supposedly could be manufactured for $254/kW.  I strongly suspect that such a stack could burn natural gas with little preparation other than sulfur-scrubbing, and sizes of 5 kW are just about perfect for household cogeneration.

If Britain's heating and electric needs could both be met from heating fuel (and wind electricity when it was available), how would that change the calculus?  Is UK gas depleting so rapidly that the respite wouldn't be worth the effort?

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79 comments on More Coal Equals More CO2

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