Post #1073476

2026-04-10 09:28 UTC

Great Britain threw away 5GW of available wind power during Storm Dave and replaced it using gas 🔥 That&#39;s one and a half Sizewell C-sized nuclear power stations, or four Dogger Bank A-sized wind farms. Or to put it another way, it&#39;s a shit load of power. Why throw it away? Because our straw isn&#39;t big enough…

Replies (3)

@robhawkes@fosstodon.org 2026-04-10 09:28

Constraints on the electricity transmission network between Scotland and England (as well as further north in Scotland) mean that we can't move enough energy across the border without overloading the system. Imagine a cup constantly filling with water, if your straw is too thin then you won't be able to drink enough water before the cup overflows. In our case the straw is the electricity grid at the border, and the water is the energy generated by the wind farms in Scotland.

Open ##1073483
@nick@amok.recoil.org 2026-04-10 10:11

@robhawkes I saw a recent article about the cancellation (or pause) of the Stargate datacenter. I think that mentioned something about relatively poor infrastructure as one of the reasons. Is your point related?

Open ##1598028
@otfrom@functional.cafe 2026-04-10 11:08

@robhawkes which is cheaper and faster to build? A new nuke (or even finishing one of the in progress ones) or better transmission and battery storage?

Open ##1598031