Comments on: Onshore wind in, biomass conversion out, as BEIS consults on CfD changes https://www.newpower.info/2020/03/onshore-wind-in-biomass-conversion-out-as-beis-consults-on-cfd-changes/ Expert information for all those invested in the UK's energy future Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:08:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6 By: New Power https://www.newpower.info/2020/03/onshore-wind-in-biomass-conversion-out-as-beis-consults-on-cfd-changes/#comment-73064 New Power Mon, 09 Mar 2020 18:52:39 +0000 http://www.newpower.info/?p=8422#comment-73064 The link at the bottom of the story will take readers to the full consultation, which is open to anyone who wants to respond.
Load factors for Hinkley Point C obviously can only be projected, but no doubt EDF hopes it will be closer to that of Sizewell B, whose lifetime load factor is currently 84%, according to the IAEA’s database.

]]> By: David Dundas https://www.newpower.info/2020/03/onshore-wind-in-biomass-conversion-out-as-beis-consults-on-cfd-changes/#comment-73057 David Dundas Mon, 09 Mar 2020 16:42:34 +0000 http://www.newpower.info/?p=8422#comment-73057 It is not clear from this report who BEIS is consulting. If it is only the electric power generation industry, that might not yield data that is needed to form the British Energy Strategy. Using BEIS data, converting million tons oil equivalent (MTOE) values to TWh, the total energy generation of the UK in 2018 was 2,234 TWh, of which electricity was 351.2 TWh and of that, renewables were only 116 TWh and nuclear which is zero carbon, just 66 TWh.

So in 2018 zero carbon electricity generation was just 182 TWh which must be increased to 2,234 TWh by 2050. This assumes that the predicted energy demand by the UK will be matched by savings in more efficient machines and insulation, with heat pumps helping to maintain the same energy demand over the next 30 years.

Based on this assumption, then zero carbon electricity production must increase by more than 12 times from 182 TWh to 2,234 TWh. As this report mentions, there are limitations on how much renewable electricity can be increased because of the space on our land and at sea. If one assumes that renewables could be increased by say 5 times, from 116 TWh to about 600 TWh that leaves a further 1,634 TWh from another zero carbon source, and the only other source is nuclear.

To put this into perspective, Hinkley Point C which is now under construction, has 2 reactors with a total maximum output in a year of 28 TWh. The load factor for them, to allow for maintenance and the variation in electricity demand, is unlikely to be more than 60% so each of this type of large nuclear power station is likely to contribute no more than about 17 TWh. So just bridging the 1,634 TWh deficit of zero carbon electricity would need almost 100 Hinkley Point nuclear power stations up and running over the next 30 years.

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