Electric cars and HS2.

[cromwell]

Not the most natural of co-topics, but this was on the radio this morning.
It has dawned on some that electric cars actually get their power from power stations, which produce pollutants, so aren't totally clean, and also that if everyone switched to an electric car tomorrow the UK electricity industry would not be able to cope.

So, how to get around this?

According to some Professor Brainstorm on the radio, the answer is to put wind turbines the whole length of the HS2 line!

Oh joy! Rapture unbounded! Bad enough the sodding thing is passing within half a mile as the crow flies, now we get these monstrosities as well (possibly).

It doesn't seem to have occurred to the mad Professor that wind turbines need a whacking subsidy paid to the landowner, and that 150 miles of wind turbines is going to be very expensive indeed, thus pushing the cost of Western Europe's foremost white elephant even further through the roof!

[Suff]

Nor the fact that the latest 20gw offshore wind farm will cost as much as a nuclear power station and only produce, on average 35% of nameplate power and absolutely nothing when it is becalmed.

Granted 35% is twice hinckley point C, however nuc's are always on and 95% of nameplate power.

Wind turbines are so new, nobody knows how long the turbines will last, but going on standard power stations, about 15-20 years should be the time interval when the entire array of turbines will need serious work.

But Nuclear is so bad.... That they removed all subsidies from solar.

Don't expect anything to make sense whilst the EU is championing massive wind infrastructures.

Some of that was brought home to me when I saw a steam train coming out of a tunnel in Sweden. The Swede I asked about it told me it was military. When I asked the obvious question, I was told they keep them to ensure the military always has a source of transport even in the event of a total grid failure and total loss of the fuel supply.

Thinking it through, wood is renewable... So, with modern technology and filters, why not?

[Workingman]

You, Suff and the Prof. have it so wrong Cromwell.

Energy to power electric vehicles comes from converting Unicorn droppings into rainbow dust then using gravity to pass it through an eternal flux generator. That is why they can wear the eco badge with pride.

Also windmills and power stations are so C20th. Next generation EV models will not even need batteries as they will be able to suck energy from the ether using artificial lizard tongues made from Angels' wings.

The ninth law of thermobiochemiysics is quite clear: Magic trumps all other scientific laws combined, even miracles.