|
Local politics, the county, and the world, as viewed by Tammy Maygra Tammy’s views are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bill Eagle, his pastor, Tammy’s neighbors, Wayne Mayo, Betsy Johnson, Brad Witt, President Trump, Henry Heimuller, VP Pence, Pat Robertson, Debi Corsiglia’s dog, or Claudia Eagle’s Cats. This Tammy’s Take (with the exception of this disclaimer) is not paid for or written by, or even reviewed by anyone but Tammy and she refuses to be bullied by anyone.
|
|
COVID UPDATE
As of June 30, 2020- Dr. Fauci: US could see '100,000 Covid cases per day' The US infection rate is surging, with over 40,000 people currently infected each day. It’s time for Americans to buckle down and do what is right to stop this virus.
RENEWABLES OVER FOSSIL FUELS
Britain goes coal free as renewables over take fossil fuels. Ten years ago about 40% of the country's electricity came from coal. When Britain went into lockdown from Covid, the electricity demand plummeted; the National Grid responded by taking power plants off the network. The four remaining coal-fired plants were among the first to be shut down. The last coal generator came off the system at midnight on 9 April. No coal has been burnt for electricity since. It tells just how dramatic the transformation of our energy system has been in the last decade. That the country does not need to use the fuel that used to be the backbone of the grid is thanks to a massive investment in renewable energy over the last decade. Two examples illustrate just how much the UK's energy networks have changed. A decade ago just 3% of the country's electricity came from wind and solar, which many people saw as a costly distraction. Now the UK has the biggest offshore wind industry in the world, as well as the largest single wind farm, completed off the coast of Yorkshire last year.
At the same time Drax, the country's biggest power plant, has been taking a different path to renewable energy. The plant, which is also in Yorkshire, generates 5% of the country's electricity. A decade ago, it was the biggest consumer of coal in the UK but has been switching to compressed wood pellets. Drax plans to phase out coal entirely by March next year. They have reduced our CO2 emissions from more than 20 million tons a year to almost zero. BUT that is a controversial claim. Environmental activists point out that wood actually produces more carbon dioxide per unit of power generated than coal when it is burnt to generate electricity. They also say it will take many years for the trees in US forests where Drax sources the seven million tons of wood pellets it now burns each year to absorb the CO2 the power plant and its wood processing operations produce each year. And it is not just coal that is being eclipsed by renewables. So far this year, renewables have generated more power than all fossil fuels put together. Breaking it down, renewables were responsible for 37% of electricity supplied to the network versus 35% for fossil fuels. Nuclear accounted for about 18% and imports for the remaining 10%. There are many ways to reduce the usage of fossil fuels, if Britain can do it so can the USA, we only have to try, we only have to make changes in the way we live. We need to change the way be live and act our earth depend son us to survive. Tammy
|