[Petrochemicals]

You also have to factor energy security into this. Given the current militarism rampaging the globe what would we do if we found ourselves at war and only reliant upon renewables, including nuclear. If somehow our 150,000 10kw wind turbines where sabotaged in someway like nord stream 2 or worse, if we were reliant upon batteries, nuclear and hydrostorage for winter demand we would be in serious trouble. The same problem is there with solar, we could be brought down by contrails.

[alancalverd]

The same problem is there with solar, we could be brought down by contrails.

Or by the absence of sunlight for exactly half the year (same anywhere on the planet) plus British weather even during daylight. No need for contrails!

[paul cotter]

Or ""chemtrails""!!

[acsinuk (OP)]

Look at the current reading from the grid to see where the power is being generated at present.
Today is currently, slight breeze and cloud/sunny Monday morning 16 September weather,

 Max demand is 35GW.  This is generated by 5GW nuclear [mostly French interconnector], 2GW wind, 4GW solar, 4GWBiomass/incinerators, 1GW hydro, 4GW EU interconnectors, 12GW CCGTgas, and 3GW others.

So, to green the grid we need to generate the base 24 hour day and night load using nuclear 24 GW which will be backed up by wind 20GW average and solar 20GW average daytime only plus incinerating plastic waste 10GW with advanced chemical flu scrubbers to remove toxic chemicals.  Pumped storage or tidal systems or possibly coal will be needed to completely green the grid. 


https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

[Petrochemicals]

Look at the current reading from the grid to see where the power is being generated at present.
Today is currently, slight breeze and cloud/sunny Monday morning 16 September weather,

 Max demand is 35GW.  This is generated by 5GW nuclear [mostly French interconnector], 2GW wind, 4GW solar, 4GWBiomass/incinerators, 1GW hydro, 4GW EU interconnectors, 12GW CCGTgas, and 3GW others.

So, to green the grid we need to generate the base 24 hour day and night load using nuclear 24 GW which will be backed up by wind 20GW average and solar 20GW average daytime only plus incinerating plastic waste 10GW with advanced chemical flu scrubbers to remove toxic chemicals.  Pumped storage or tidal systems or possibly coal will be needed to completely green the grid. 


https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

Electricity is only 20 percent of uk energy usage, we manage 50 percent of electricity at present from renewables maximum, viz 90 percent of our energy usage is fossil fuel based.

[Bored chemist]

We could place the waste problem on the back shelf for now and get on and green the grid immediately by going nuclear!!

If my glasses were 10% stronger, I'd be classified as "partially sighted".
And I'm still less short-sighted that your attitude.

[acsinuk (OP)]

Petrochemicals quote " Electricity is only 20 percent of uk energy usage, we manage 50 percent of electricity at present from renewables maximum, viz 90 percent of our energy usage is fossil fuel based"   is nearly correct of course.
Google says  Oil: 31.2%  Coal: 27.2% Natural gas: 24.7% Hydro (renewables): 6.9% Nuclear: 4.3% Others (renewables): 5%
So what to do after we green the grid is to find alternative sources of fuel which could mean reopening coal mines or burning peat, which we have in abundance of in the UK and as happens in many other parts of the world already..
The alternative is to risk oil/petrol/diesel and gas running out and becoming extremely expensive. 
Admittedly, CO2 will be produced but with careful management of flu gases, by carbon capture techniques or seaweed absorption is possibly a way forward 

[paul cotter]

Carbon capture sounds simple though it is anything but simple. It is costly to implement and generates a lot of "waste", what ever way it is done. The two ways I know of are collection as co2 or as carbonate. If co2 is collected where is it to go?, deep mine storage has been touted but how secure this would be long term, I don't know but I am dubious. To collect it as carbonate would involve huge quantities of a basic substance and would be more secure long term but again huge quantities of waste, albeit relatively innocuous, would have to be dumped. I am not convinced.

[Petrochemicals]

Hydro (renewables): 6.9%

Nope.

[alancalverd]

reopening coal mines

Not feasible on a commercial scale. Thanks to Margaret Thatcher there has been no maintenance of deep mines in the UK since the 1970s. Lack of maintenance leads to flooding and collapse from the bottom upwards so an abandoned "soft rock" deep mine cannot be safely reopened.

[alancalverd]

To collect it as carbonate would involve huge quantities of a basic substance

..... such as calcium oxide, made by heating calcium carbonate  to drive off the carbon dioxide.....or sodium hydroxide, made by electrolysis, using electricity made by, er, burning carbon......

Green plants are the only sensible sinks for CO2, which they turn into food and building materials.