• Login
  • Register
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In
The Daily Sceptic
No Result
View All Result

Ed Miliband’s Plan for Zero Carbon Electricity by 2030 is a Damning Indictment of the Whole Net Zero Agenda

by Paul Homewood
6 November 2024 5:00 PM

Labour’s manifesto promised we would have a zero carbon electricity system by 2030. It is a pledge that Ed Miliband has been making for years, not least in his party conference speech last year, and it was also one of Labour’s ‘Five Missions for a Better Britain’ policy pledge launched last year.

It would therefore be reasonable to presume that Miliband actually had a detailed plan of how he would achieve this and how much it might all cost. It came as a surprise then when, shortly after taking office, he asked the National Energy System Operator, NESO, to provide practical advice on achieving his target.

NESO has now responded with some bad news.

Many energy experts have long argued that a zero carbon grid simply is not possible at these timescales, because you cannot run a grid predominantly on intermittent renewable energy. It turns out that NESO, whose job is to make sure that Britain has the electricity it needs every second of the day, agrees.

Their report sent to Ed Miliband emphasises that we will need to retain a full fleet of gas power plants, to fire up when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine:

This really is a damning indictment not only of Labour’s energy policy, but also of the whole Net Zero agenda and its reliance on intermittent renewable energy.

Even though NESO says that gas power will only supply 5% of our electricity, there will be many days when we will still need it for half or more. And keeping a fleet of gas plants on standby creates problems of its own. They will need to be fully manned, maintained and ready to fire up as and when needed, all of which will cost a lot of money. With these plants standing idle most of the time, operators will demand billions in standby payments, all of which will end up on our energy bills.

The NESO report also confirms that the increase in wind and solar power demanded by Miliband will drastically increase bills, not lower them as we were promised.

Not only is renewable energy more expensive to produce than gas generation, there are indirect costs to consider, such as paying for standby capacity, costs of storage, curtailment payments when we have too much wind and grid upgrades.

Analysis of NESO data suggests that annual costs could be £20 billion higher by 2030 if Miliband’s plans are carried through.

NESO also says that annual investment of £48 billion will be needed between now and 2030 to achieve targets.

But all of this expenditure will merely end up duplicating what we already have.

If this was not all bad enough, over reliance on intermittent renewables will mean that we will end up having energy rationing. According to NESO, households will have to switch off appliances at times of peak demand. Currently, of course, gas generation is turned up and down to match demand.  

NESO hopes the public will do it voluntarily! Good luck with that.

Unsurprisingly, Ed Miliband has already been bragging that this new report proves that his clean power plan is both achievable and will lead to cheaper electricity. Both are outright lies.

But it looks like we will learn this the hard way.

Tags: Climate AlarmismEd MilibandLabourNESONet ZeroPropagandaRationingRenewable energy

Donate

We depend on your donations to keep this site going. Please give what you can.

Donate Today

Comment on this Article

You’ll need to set up an account to comment if you don’t already have one. We ask for a minimum donation of £5 if you'd like to make a comment or post in our Forums.

Sign Up
Previous Post

American Liberals Lose Their Minds Over Trump’s Victory Live on Air

Next Post

The American People Have Thrown Out Biden’s Diversity Hire and Sent Her Packing

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
Please log in to comment

To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.

Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.

34 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Cotfordtags
Cotfordtags
6 months ago

When will this nightmare end. When will these useless pipsqueaks be gone and when will we get back politicians with stature who can be trusted to say things honestly. Please can the next five years be over with as soon as possible and then, please can we ensure every last one of these wretched individuals be prosecuted for abuse in public office, so never again will we have cabinet ministers who lie every time they open their mouths.

20
0
Purpleone
Purpleone
6 months ago
Reply to  Cotfordtags

Damn depressing isn’t it…

9
0
iconoclast
iconoclast
6 months ago
Reply to  Purpleone

“But it looks like we will learn this the hard way.”

We already are and have been and it only took three months to learn not to vote for dogmatic ant-brained idiots.

The events of the past 3+ months are a damning indictment of Starmer’s weakness and of his obliviousness to the significance of what happens around him.

He is so completely unaware that David Lammy appears to be barking mad and lacking in any vestige of political nous or statesmanship that he appointed him Foreign Secretary.

Similarly, giving a geeky bozo with a total reality by-pass, David Minibrain, the job of energy secretary is beyond comprehension.

Starmer’s behaviour over the ‘Far Right’ riots was appalling.

And as DEFRA’s figures on farming and inheritance tax indicates the budget was overkill for farming with errors all round in Treasury Starmer seems incapable of realising that as the budget will hit 75% of farms instead of 25% of the very largest all they have to do is adjust the budget plans so that they will only hit the 25% of the largest farms.

There, problem solved – a least in part because they have the problem of fixing why Treasury got it so very wrong – with multiple fallings on swords in order.

Last edited 6 months ago by iconoclast
4
0
varmint
varmint
6 months ago
Reply to  Cotfordtags

It will only end when people realise that all of this has nothing to do with the climate and is actually about rich countries dishing out money to poor countries and all organised by the UN/WEF communists using climate justice as the excuse for their politics. People are still being brainwashed on mass about a climate crisis for which no evidence exists and only when this fraud is exposed for what it is will the likes of Miliband and the whole Climate Industrial Complex be booted out.

5
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
6 months ago

I have some O levels and a functioning brain with a logic circuit and I could have told them this! He knew already, just doesn’t care/is happy to lie.

Gas currently doing 60% of the work as we speak, wind has not blown much and sun has not shone for several days – intermittent currently doing 10%

Past week gas has done 50, intermittents 15, nuclear, biomass and imports the rest

17
0
soundofreason
soundofreason
6 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

Yes, I think nuclear has provided a steady 4 GW throughout. That’s 13% of current demand – no pun intended.

I guess they’ll use smart meters and smart appliances to limit consumption when demand is high… glad I haven’t got either.

Last edited 6 months ago by soundofreason
15
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
6 months ago
Reply to  soundofreason

Yeah me neither

8
0
iconoclast
iconoclast
6 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

I keep getting emails saying my meters are out of date. At least one was replaced only a few years back.

So I have asked for the dates of last recertification of the meters with copies of the recertification certificates.

Silence has broken out. It is so silent I went for a hearing test in case I had become deaf.

4
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
6 months ago
Reply to  iconoclast

Octopus keep harassing me about the same thing

2
0
The Real Engineer
The Real Engineer
6 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

They have a “target”, ££££, to meet!

2
0
Steve-Devon
Steve-Devon
6 months ago
Reply to  soundofreason

As we have seen with the recent budget if people will not do these things voluntarily they will discard the carrot and go for the stick. Smart meters are already pretty much mandated if your have an EV charging point or a Heat Pump. I think we can expect some fairly draconian methods being used to force us to have smart meters I expect all appliances will start to become smart and you will than need a smart meter to operate them.

11
0
soundofreason
soundofreason
6 months ago
Reply to  Steve-Devon

I fear you are right. I intend to move house sometime in the next year – to somewhere that we can adapt if we get frail in our old-old-age. I strongly suspect that wherever we move to will already be smart-metered – I don’t think we can afford the presence of a smart-meter to be a deal-breaker.

Our domestic appliances are all in good nick – I hope they fit!

9
0
Heretic
Heretic
6 months ago
Reply to  Steve-Devon

If I understand it correctly, smart meters can only operate if you leave your broadband router and wifi on all the time. So if you turn it off at night…

0
0
Gezza England
Gezza England
6 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

You shouldn’t underestimate the stupidity of Militwat and other politicians – they are really lucky that breathing isn’t attached to IQ.

10
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
6 months ago
Reply to  Gezza England

I’m sure his IQ is higher than mine. His honest circuits may be differently wired to mine, or have been corrupted by his desire for stuff that I don’t desire.

2
0
Hardliner
Hardliner
6 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

Indeed, Millibrain has Maths, Physics and Further Maths at A level, so not unintelligent. Which makes his policy leadership even more appalling, because it flies in the face of everything he learnt – so it’s a cult with overlayings of personal ambition…

3
0
Old Arellian
Old Arellian
6 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

Are we being softened up for power cuts? Just wondering as we had a power cut this evening with the chicken mid roast. Hopefully I haven’t poisoned anyone [check in tomorrow….] but as I said at the time “and so it begins”…..

6
0
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
6 months ago
Reply to  Old Arellian

Funny, we had a very brief power cut too. The choice is simple – keep hydrocarbons or power cuts.

7
0
Hardliner
Hardliner
6 months ago
Reply to  Old Arellian

The percentage of electricity being generated by renewables right now [UK] is 24%, although earlier in the windless sunless week it was around 14%….How did Millibrain cook his breakfast, I wonder, surely he didn’t use gas?

Last edited 6 months ago by Hardliner
3
0
James.M
James.M
6 months ago

With luck Trump’s election will mean the rug will be pulled from underneath the Net Zero scam and the whole thing will come crashing down. Can’t wait.

24
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
6 months ago
Reply to  James.M

Something tells me the Davos Deviants will pull a stunt, possibly another assassination attempt in order to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.

There are probably a sizable number of legal people in the US just now suffering with squeaky bottoms. A bit like Kneel and Lammy over here.

11
0
Tonka Rigger
Tonka Rigger
6 months ago
Reply to  huxleypiggles

He needs to get a loyal team of SF or SF veterans around him 24/7, armed and ready.

4
0
Tyrbiter
Tyrbiter
6 months ago

It’s really simple, if the ridiculous Marxist Miliband is determined to make people hungry, cold and prematurely dead then he is a lethal threat to us all and should be treated as such by our armed forces who have the job of protecting us.

10
0
Tonka Rigger
Tonka Rigger
6 months ago
Reply to  Tyrbiter

Well, we used to when I joined up. Not so sure now.

5
0
Marque1
Marque1
6 months ago

Milimind has A.S.D.IQ.. A single digit IQ.

5
0
Old Arellian
Old Arellian
6 months ago
Reply to  Marque1

This, I have made a note of – superb!

2
0
Heretic
Heretic
6 months ago

Good article by Paul Homewood. And while Millipede is doubling down on the Global Warming Hoax, the next Ice Age is on its way, as the Electroverse website keeps trying to tell people.

“Heavy Snowfall hits Northern China,
Saudi Arabia Deserts see their First Ever Snow,
Global Temperatures Cooled in October,
Britain Importing Record Amounts of Electricity,
Asia, in particular, is Bracing for a Harsh Winter 2024-25…”

comment image?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1

Electroverse – Documenting Earth Changes During The Next Grand Solar Minimum

Last edited 6 months ago by Heretic
4
0
DiscoveredJoys
DiscoveredJoys
6 months ago

Perhaps we could have a re-shuffle and move David Lammy to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero? This would achieve three things.
1) Move David Lammy away from annoying foreigners
2) Move Ed Miliband away from annoying us
3) Hobble any ‘progress’ on Net Zero 

9
0
Tonka Rigger
Tonka Rigger
6 months ago
Reply to  DiscoveredJoys

Genius idea. Lammy can sit there and eat his crayons in peace, and actually achieve Net Zero (productive output).

5
0
The Real Engineer
The Real Engineer
6 months ago
Reply to  Tonka Rigger

I thought his productive output was already seriously negative?

2
0
Tonka Rigger
Tonka Rigger
6 months ago

Fantasy Land bu11$hit.

Physics and mathematics will do their work.

You can ignore them, but you can’t ignore the consequences of ignoring them.

7
0
Myra
Myra
6 months ago

Was talking to my husband yesterday about installing a generator….and low and behold we had a power cut yesterday evening!

5
0
iconoclast
iconoclast
6 months ago
Reply to  Myra

To coin a WW2 wartime slogan “Careless talk costs lives lights”.

And you can’t get more careless than Energy Secretary Minibrain IMHO.

2
0
johnn635
johnn635
6 months ago

Electricity is not energy. The grid carries only a small fraction of the energy used every day. Think about gas to homes and businesses, fuel in road rail and air transport. Even if all the energy conveyed by the grid came from renewables, it would make virtually no difference to the total use of fossil fuels. Within the next 25 years there is simply no alternative.

The problem is purely political, with fossil fuels, at one time or another, being controlled by regimes or groups that could or did hold us to hostage.

0
0

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

DONATE

PODCAST

The Sceptic EP.37: David Frost on Starmer’s EU Surrender, James Price on Broken Britain and David Shipley on Lucy Connolly’s Failed Appeal

by Richard Eldred
23 May 2025
7

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

News Round-Up

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

GB News’s ‘Anti-woke’ Comedy Show Faces Axe After Thousands of Complaints

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

How Jubilation Turned to Tragedy on Liverpool’s Darkest Day Since Hillsborough

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

What Happened to Systemic Common Sense?

26 May 2025
by C.J. Strachan

Tommy Robinson Released From Prison

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

Tommy Robinson Released From Prison

32

How Jubilation Turned to Tragedy on Liverpool’s Darkest Day Since Hillsborough

30

What Happened to Systemic Common Sense?

53

GB News’s ‘Anti-woke’ Comedy Show Faces Axe After Thousands of Complaints

26

News Round-Up

25

Alasdair MacIntyre 1929-2025

27 May 2025
by James Alexander

Lies, Damned Lies and Casualty Numbers in Ancient History

26 May 2025
by Guy de la Bédoyère

Lord Frost: “The Boriswave Was a Catastrophic Error”

26 May 2025
by Laurie Wastell

The Legal Case Against the AfD Has Collapsed

25 May 2025
by Eugyppius

Plebeians Can No Longer Rant About Bloody Murder

25 May 2025
by James Alexander

POSTS BY DATE

November 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Oct   Dec »

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union

NEWSLETTER

View today’s newsletter

To receive our latest news in the form of a daily email, enter your details here:

POSTS BY DATE

November 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  
« Oct   Dec »

DONATE

LISTED ARTICLES

  • Most Read
  • Most Commented
  • Editor’s Picks

News Round-Up

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

GB News’s ‘Anti-woke’ Comedy Show Faces Axe After Thousands of Complaints

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

How Jubilation Turned to Tragedy on Liverpool’s Darkest Day Since Hillsborough

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

What Happened to Systemic Common Sense?

26 May 2025
by C.J. Strachan

Tommy Robinson Released From Prison

27 May 2025
by Richard Eldred

Tommy Robinson Released From Prison

32

How Jubilation Turned to Tragedy on Liverpool’s Darkest Day Since Hillsborough

30

What Happened to Systemic Common Sense?

53

GB News’s ‘Anti-woke’ Comedy Show Faces Axe After Thousands of Complaints

26

News Round-Up

25

Alasdair MacIntyre 1929-2025

27 May 2025
by James Alexander

Lies, Damned Lies and Casualty Numbers in Ancient History

26 May 2025
by Guy de la Bédoyère

Lord Frost: “The Boriswave Was a Catastrophic Error”

26 May 2025
by Laurie Wastell

The Legal Case Against the AfD Has Collapsed

25 May 2025
by Eugyppius

Plebeians Can No Longer Rant About Bloody Murder

25 May 2025
by James Alexander

SOCIAL LINKS

Free Speech Union
  • Home
  • About us
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy

Facebook

  • X

Instagram

RSS

Subscribe to our newsletter

© Skeptics Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Articles
  • About
  • Archive
    • ARCHIVE
    • NEWS ROUND-UPS
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Premium
  • Donate
  • Log In

© Skeptics Ltd.

wpDiscuz
You are going to send email to

Move Comment
Perfecty
Do you wish to receive notifications of new articles?
Notifications preferences