Dan Grey

@dangrey.bsky.social

1460 Followers 147 Following

Energy and transitioning from fossil fuels. Complex issues I try to shine a light on. Ex-UKAEA and Met Office, now working in community energy. Occasionally politics Exeter, UK

Compared to the baseline, modelling suggests that some existing car owners could be expected to keep their petrol and diesel vehicles longer, which in turn could lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions over time.
Norse Energi, an enormous wind turbine installation vessel
House of Commons library chart showing that UK tax revenue as a percentage of GDP is lower than Portugal, Estonia, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Netherlands, Germany and France
There were three petitions relating to oil or gas projects in the North Sea and North Atlantic. Two non-governmental organisations, Greenpeace and Uplift, seek to challenge (a) the decision of the Secretary of State to allow the development of and production from the oil and gas fields, and (b) the Oil and Gas Authority's (OGA) decision to consent to the same. All parties agree that both decisions were unlawful as the Environmental Impact Assessments did not consider the effect of downstream emissions. i.e. the effect on climate of the combustion of the oil and gas to be produced. The question in this case was whether the decisions should be quashed and considered afresh on a lawful basis or the projects should be allowed to proceed despite the decisions being unlawful. Lord Ericht ruled that decisions should be quashed (reduced) and taken again, this time taking the effect of downstream emissions into account. However, the reduction will be suspended until the fresh decision is reached. No oil or gas can be extracted from the sites during the suspension period. Background Jackdaw The developer of the Jackdaw project is BG International Ltd, part of the Shell Group. The site is an ultra-high pressure / high temperature gas condensate field in the Central North Sea Production at the field was due to begin next year and expected to last around 8 years. At its peak, Shell predicts that it will be capable of producing around 6.5% of the UK's gas production. Rosebank The developer of the Rosebank project is Equinor Uk Ltd, with Ithaca also holding a 20% interest. The site is estimated to be the largest undeveloped oil and gas field in the UK continental shelf, with recoverable resources said to include over 300 million barrels of oil equivalent and the site having a production life of around 25 years. Drilling at Rosebank was due to begin in the
Labour's Manifesto: We will not issue new licences to explore new fields because they will not take a penny off bills, cannot make us energy secure, and will only accelerate the worsening climate crisis. In addition, we will not grant new coal licences and will ban fracking for good.
Cost of living is king Forced choice between the following... Next Labour government should prioritise... Cutting energy costs 79% Cutting carbon emissions 21% Best route to economic growth Cutting the cost of energy for businesses and households 76% Increasing our commitment to Net Zero 24% Survey of 1,000 2024 Labour voters Source: Merlin Strategy
BBC news headline reading "Why is our crucial tech vulnerable to the heat?"
Nature England chart showing most of England south and east of a line Birmingham to Sheffield to reach a Fire Severity Index of 5 on Thursday 16 July
We are living fewer years in good health: Is the NHS part of the problem? BBC InDepth
SMMT fuel type of cars sold infographic
Hand-painted sign on a large roadside cabinet in Exeter reading IT'S JUST A FEW HOT DAYS! YOU CAN STILL PRETEND IT'S NOT CLIMATE CHANGE
Chart 3 shows that zero emission cars have the highest proportion of new registrations to company keepers at 78%. This compares to: 73% for Plug-in hybrids 64% for Diesel 57% for Petrol 56% for Hybrids
Chart 4 shows the top 10 generic zero emission models registered for the first time in 2025 for the UK. Tesla Model Y had the highest number of new registrations, with 24,315 vehicles, followed by Tesla Model 3 with 21,209 vehicles, and Bmw Ix with 16,069 vehicles.
But the debate on net zero is often suffused with more wasted heat and less useful light than an old-style incandescent bulb. Andy Burnham, the prospective next prime minister, is coming under pressure to join the ranks of the sceptics, and reverse Labour's longstanding championing of the move to renewable energy and low- carbon industry. There are many reasons why he should resist. "Net zero is one of the few glues that unites Labour's coalition," says Luke Tryl, the executive director of More in Common, the non- profit research agency. "There is limited electoral benefit to ditching it and much potential harm."
7.30-8.30pm Wednesday 24th June (today!) Do you accept your challenge to use less power? During the hour, you'll get 415 Octopoints (!) for every unit of electricity you save compared to normal. This will be added to your account within 14 days. How can I take part during a heatwave? Your safety is important so make sure to keep your home as comfortable as possible - like keeping your fans running. If you're finding it just too toasty indoors (above 26 degrees, especially for older adults or those with health conditions) why not head somewhere cooler like a local community space, cinema, or pub for the Scotland match?
Boris "My advice for the new PM? Don't listen to anything Milliband says about energy" During a wide-ranging and characteristically blunt address, Boris Johnson offered a whirlwind tour of his thoughts on national rivals, the UK's energy landscape, and the future of the planet.
Met office weather forecast for 40°C in Tewkesbury on Thursday
Kew Gardens (Greater London) Today Mon Tue Wed Thu 30° 31° 38° 39° 37° 31°
The Telegrapgh headline: Untapped North Sea oil could keep Britain going for four years
Scotland has some of the world's best wind resources. The south of England has most of the demand. And consumers are paying billions for the mismatch. Grid balancing costs have risen eightfold since 2010. They hit £2.7bn last year. NESO projects they could reach £8bn by 2030 - an almost invisible tax buried in every electricity bill. The core problem: generators "self-dispatch," submitting their own schedules without regard to what the physical network can handle. NESO then has to pay Scottish wind farms to switch off AND pay southern gas plants to fire up. Consumers pay twice for one unit of electricity. The solution is Central Dispatch. NESO takes control of the generation schedule a day ahead, optimising across the whole system and eliminating constraints before they become expensive last-minute crises. Think of it as the conductor for the orchestra New Common Wealth Think Tank analysis, grounded in FTI Consulting modelling commissioned by NESO itself, estimates net savings of £6.8bn cumulatively by 2030.
Temperature change (°C) | Estimated remaining carbon budgets from the beginning of 2026 base year (GtCO2) Avoidance probability (TCRE uncertainty only): 10%, 17%, 33%, 50%, 67%, 83%, 90% 1.5°C: 480, 340, 210, 130, 80, 30, 10 1.6°C: 840, 630, 430, 320, 240, 170, 130 1.7°C: 1210, 930, 650, 500, 390, 300, 250 1.8°C: 1570, 1220, 870, 680, 550, 430, 370 1.9°C: 1940, 1510, 1090, 860, 700, 560, 480 2.0°C: 2300, 1800, 1310, 1050, 860, 690, 600
Anomalies of land average annual maximum temperature (TXx) for recent decades based on HadEX3, Berkeley Earth, and ERA5, with respect to 1850-1900. All anomalies are calculated relative to 1961-1990, and an offset of 0.51 °C is added to obtain TXx values relative to 1850-1900. HadEX3 Berkeley Earth ERA5 1.23 1.40 1.52 1.18 1.34 1.41 1.60 2000-2009 2006-2015 2009-2018 2014-2023 2015-2024 2016-2025 1.21 1.42 1.54 1.81 1.90 1.92
Decadal average temperature change from 1850-1900 (°C) IPCC AR6 (2011-2020) This study (2016-2025) Global Land Ocean 1.09 [0.95 to 1.20] 1.59 [1.34 to 1.83] 0.88 [0.68 to 1.01] 1.26 [1.13 to 1.36] 1.81 [1.63 to 2.07] 1.03 [0.83 to 1.14]