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Comment by pjc50 | Hacker News Reader

As we can see down thread, people have got into a terrible mess of duelling propaganda and gone mad about wind power.

We can have cheap clean energy, it requires a small amount of change, oh no, let's destroy everything instead.

I'm going to start suggesting that planning should have a local referendum: approve this set of projects and you'll get cheaper electricity. Disapprove and your bill goes up. Democratic choice, but with consequences.

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This has already been proposed by the current government for wind farms: https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/new-energy-bill-discoun...

And the switch to zonal energy pricing will likely have a similar effect for other sources of generation.

As a resident of Scotland, I'm looking forward to zonal pricing. It might also balance out the London centric nature of the UK, as I expect it to end up with higher prices.

I agree with the incentives for zonal pricing to encourage clean local production. The downside however is that the grid becomes defunded and a tragedy of commons ensues. We invest in common infrastructure precisely because of variance, which in the long run we hope to ameliorate.

Zonal pricing (UK) does not conflict with grid funding, it is the grid funding. It also exposes the economic incentives for allowing new grid infrastructure to be built.

I hope you're right. Incentives both ways and support for national infra is ideal. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia just showed [0] how flexible grids can be at the international level. However I think at the national level some countries aren't that happy to support national grids.

[0] https://www.dw.com/en/brell-lithuania-latvia-and-estonia-tur...

There is something poetic, about the last charge of dying ideologies being an attack and defense of windmills.

We will see a return of composure as central element communications culture. If you get emotional or irrational angry, you are considered possessed, ridden by loas and not worthy of communication.

"I say Sir, the rabble seems to be quite in tatters and without a plan, all back and forth on windmills, but ultimately in the dark."

I remember this! I think Germany did something similar, and of course the US with the nuclear phase-out.

That would not work. Just include a few million in your budget to convince the population of SmallVille and you can start building your coal-fired power station.

The UK is still implementing the Large Combustion Plant Directive ( https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1973/2015-12-31 ), so separate UK level legislation would be required to legalize any new coal plant. Very unlikely scenario.

Coal is dead in the UK, from 30% in 2014 to 0.5% in 2024.

They went a full month with zero coal electricity generation back in 2020 and 2025 will be entirely coal free.

Even natural gas is in decline.

Some people would build a coal power plant in their back yard to own the libs and fight the scurge of rooftop solar pannels destroying the country.

BBQ!!!

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