What benefit is there for UK Fracking ?

[esmozz]

Plenty of anti-fracking sentiment here, which is fair enough, but what other realistic plan is there for energy security then?

 

[Devilman]

Plenty of anti-fracking sentiment here, which is fair enough, but what other realistic plan is there for energy security then?

Nuclear + Offshore wind + Solar.

Only trouble is, we haven't had a coherent Energy Policy for the last 30+ years. That's why were in this mess.

 

[bigmike20vt]

Plenty of anti-fracking sentiment here, which is fair enough, but what other realistic plan is there for energy security then?

I literally listed a bunch of viable, cheaper cleaner stuff the post before yours

 

[Andrew_McP]

I was totally against fracking until February. But the world changed when Russia came out of hiding as a bullying force for evil in the world. Energy is the source of life and wealth. Without energy we are nothing.

Wind is an expensive fig leaf, papering over the problem. Whatever you spend on wind you have to spend on 100% backup for calm days, so it's far more costly than it looks. Solar on homes helps, but solar farms are only economically viable on flat land we should be growing food on. If tidal was viable we'd have projects running after decades of talk and experimental projects. Nuclear has been a neglected bogeyman and can't be brought onstream fast enough (I have a physics degree and would live next door to one in a heartbeat as long as it didn't block the sunlight from my greenhouse). So gas, whether we like it or not, is going to be used for the next decade or more in huge amounts. And the more we produce here, the easier it is to ride out the coming energy crisis. IMO it hasn't started yet.

So frack, frack, frack, if it's at all yield-worthy, but have a backup plan to deal with insurance claims if tremors cause subsidence issues on a wider scale than anticipated, and ramp up water supply monitoring massively. There are concerns, but the old "civilisation is only three meals deep" thing applies just as much to energy.

 

[Freddie1980]

We don't get the oil so what does the UK get from it ?

Energy security provided we get enough gas out the ground. Don't expect it to lower your heating bill.

 

[peterwalkley]

Let be honest here: fracking is just a stalking horse so that building nuclear becomes a more palatable option to sell politically. Onshore fracking will never happen and offshore is too expensive to be viable. Propose a fracking site in Reese-Mogg's constituency and see what happens ....

 

[esmozz]

I literally listed a bunch of viable, cheaper cleaner stuff the post before yours

I should have added 'realistic' to my question. The simple fact of the matter is we're decades away from a nuclear+solar+wind solution, which I'm sure everyone agrees is the best. Relying on interconnects with French nuclear power is a non-starter for more than we do right now and storage is'nt just a problem - its a huge problem. All of which can be solved given time. Time that we don't have. We need North sea gas plus whatever we get from fracking to manage the transition without decimating our economy.

edit: just noticed I did add realistic to my question.

 

[Efour]

This isnt a realistic discussion.

You have 99% of people thinking with their viewpoints without a shred of knowledge or experience, what honestly can be expected from a pc forum user base?

Whatever that's fine but sometimes you got to realise some discussion on here is just venting steam and boredom killing.

I do the same. I get it.

 

[Minusorange]

Plenty of anti-fracking sentiment here, which is fair enough, but what other realistic plan is there for energy security then?

What energy security is fracking doing when it's sold to the highest bidder on the open market ?

 

[Efour]

Renationalise the UK and you're golden.