Thanks Davie! I've been internet-ing on the whole subject and educating myself, honest! Thanks for the links and will go and have a look. o

BBC teletext this morning shows Greenpeace has accused BERR of undermining the UK effort to give access to the national grid for wind and water (clean energy).

It seems the EU passed a directive that clean energy should get priority connection to the national grid and BERR Britain's business department has not complied with this directive.

I remember Alex Salmond using this as a defence when criticized for not keeping his promise to increase the use and production of clean energy.

The critisism came from Labour. I now wonder if it is Scotland denied access to the grid for clean energy.

LYDIA REID wrote:
BBC teletext this morning shows Greenpeace has accused BERR of undermining the UK effort to give access to the national grid for wind and water (clean energy).

It seems the EU passed a directive that clean energy should get priority connection to the national grid and BERR Britain's business department has not complied with this directive.



The story is here. Rather than not complying, it's lobbying to change some of the terminology.

Levenax wrote:
I don't like windfarms because they are a blot on the landscape although offshore ones would be OK. Biomass is good because it produces compost as a by-product and that helps to enrich the soil in a natural way. However I don't think biomass will ever produce very much of our energy. I like wave and especially tidal power because both are limitless and the design and production of the hardware could be a very good industry for Scotland. We aren't spending enough on R&D though. I disagree with the SNP about nuclear and I think it should be part of our energy strategy. Modern nuclear plants are much safer and more efficient than any of the ones operating in the UK at the moment. It's a bit like comparing a new Honda Civic with a Ford Anglia and worldwide the number of people killed by nuclear energy and its support industries is only a fraction of that of coal and oil. Piper Alpha killed one hundred and sixty seven in one disaster but nobody even suggested that we should close down all North Sea rigs. I also think that we need to make more use of our own coal resources by burning them in carbon capture power stations. I don't buy the Green's argument that we shouldn't burn any fossil fuel because any pollution that we cause is a tiny fraction of that of China or India.

I am a bit wary of debating this with you as I know so little, but am I right in saying that one of the problems with nuclear energy is the waste products. I remember a debate in the Lords, which only caught my attention because this very snooty old lady stood up and stated that the Commons should change the law to give the right to Westminster to bury nuclear waste in Scotland’s hills and mountains. She "abhorred" the fact that Scotland had planning rights which stopped the building of nuclear power stations and that Westminster could not bury this waste as other countries would pay the UK a great deal to do so.

She stated Westminster should rescind this right over planning within the Scotland Act as a matter of urgency.

I found this today seemingly four different dangerous incidents in France in quite a short time.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7522712.stm

TLJ wrote:
LYDIA REID wrote:
BBC teletext this morning shows Greenpeace has accused BERR of undermining the UK effort to give access to the national grid for wind and water (clean energy).

It seems the EU passed a directive that clean energy should get priority connection to the national grid and BERR Britain's business department has not complied with this directive.



The story is here. Rather than not complying, it's lobbying to change some of the terminology.

Thanks TLJ I understand it a little more now I am away to see if I can find figures on how the rest of the UK compares to Scotland on the production of clean energy. I do remember the debate in Scottish Parliament, and how determined Alex Salmond seemed that no matter how much you produce if it cannot be connected to the national grid it is useless.