Why is the E.U. funding the building of fossil fuel power stations?
Being an engineer I can tell you that at this moment in time it isn’t possible to only use renewable power. Generating power is very complicated, power must be generated where it is required and the power being generated must equal demand exactly at all times. Most renewables are too remote or unable to be timed correctly to be useful. Until there is a sensible way of storing electricity in large volumes renewables cannot be used as our main power source which is why traditional power plants are still being made. But please note that modern fossil fuel power plants are more efficient and produce less CO2 than previous ones. But if you really want to make a difference join an energy firm and change things from the inside.
Actually if you read the small print, the power stations they are building also burn processed waste that would have gone to landfill and they are needed. There’s two points. Neither you me or anybody else would be enthralled with the idea of an incinerator next door, so lets call it a solid fuel plant. Carbon Capture Storage; it might be untried and extremely expensive in terms of fuel burnt, but it is a justification of method used. Then our scientists have done some projections and the figures don’t add up. Global population will continue to increase, but Europe will remain relatively stable, immigration aside. That puts the squeeze on food imports. Self sufficiency requires more water. Nuclear power requires lots and lots of water, but you need to think about where you can locate your reactors and then vector in the unpredictable effects of global warming. Fossil fuels are a finite resource, if we don’t use them somebody else will. Not to say the EU knows what it’s doing, but it’s
