News First coal-free day in Britain since Industrial Revolution.

[Notebook]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39675418

Britain went a full day without using coal to generate electricity for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, the National Grid says.
The energy provider said Friday's lack of coal usage was a "watershed" moment.
Britain's longest continuous energy period without coal until now was 19 hours - first achieved last May, and again on Thursday.
The government plans to phase out Britain's last plants by 2025 in order to cut carbon emissions.

Didn't think I would see this, coal was very big when I was a lad.

N.

 

[Enjo]

Tally ho!
Congrats. It's not only about CO2 emmisions, but greater independence from shrinking supplies.

 

[Notebook]

Good for the planet, and the final chapter in the coal-mining industry in the UK. Powered the Industrial Revolution, and GB's maritime trade for a while.

Not sad to see the end of a dirty, dangerous, and unhealthy industry. More to it than that of course, but that's someone's PHD project.

N.

 

[Notebook]

Getting better at it:

The UK has not generated electricity from coal for more than three days - the longest streak since the 1880s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43879564

 

[Artlav]

Sadly, remainder is not all nuclear and renewables - over 50% of it is natural gas, which is about as bad as coal co2 wise, just less radioactive.

 

[Urwumpe]

Sadly, remainder is not all nuclear and renewables - over 50% of it is natural gas, which is about as bad as coal co2 wise, just less radioactive.

Its slightly more efficient in terms of pollution, but costs also a lot more than coal.

---------- Post added at 19:38 ---------- Previous post was at 19:34 ----------

Getting better at it:



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43879564

This streak will come to an end: When the Triple Expansion Steam Engine of Kempton Park is powered up again in May. :lol:

 

[boogabooga]

Not sad to see the end of a dirty, dangerous, and unhealthy industry. More to it than that of course, but that's someone's PHD project.

What happened to the coal miners, the communities that relied on that industry?

 

[tl8]

What happened to the coal miners, the communities that relied on that industry?

Read up about Maggie Thacher. Short version, nothing good.

 

[hutchison66]

actually Maggie Thatcher and the whole government was driven to it by joining the common market where subsidised coal from France was cheaper there was a party political broadcast about it by the socialist worker it was one of the few times I agreed with them it would have been cheaper in the long run to keep the mines open and subsidise the industry but the United Kingdom was not allowed, I never understood how the French could just like their National Airline Air France

 

[Notebook]

What happened to the coal miners, the communities that relied on that industry?

Basically this:
UK 1984 miners strike

I urge you to read the first four paragraphs, they are a good summary.

Last one makes the point.

The much reduced coal industry was privatised in December 1994, ultimately becoming UK Coal. In 1983, Britain had 174 working pits, but by 2009 there were only six. Poverty increased in former coal mining areas, and in 1994 Grimethorpe in South Yorkshire was the poorest settlement in the country.[7]

With Margaret Thatcher and Arthur Scargill you had the worst possible pair of leaders. They hated each other on a personal, political, and "class" level.

Scargill was a poor strategist, especially calling a national coal strike, before he had run a national ballot.
Inevitably some pits went back to work, and that was the beginning of the end.

N.

 

[Urwumpe]

actually Maggie Thatcher and the whole government was driven to it by joining the common market where subsidised coal from France was cheaper there was a party political broadcast about it by the socialist worker it was one of the few times I agreed with them it would have been cheaper in the long run to keep the mines open and subsidise the industry but the United Kingdom was not allowed, I never understood how the French could just like their National Airline Air France

Actually, the true problem had been US coal for Europe, went so far that buying cheap US coal got banned in the 1960s for the Montan Union. The US coal prices are the primary reason why Germany still pays huge subsidies to German coal - 50% of the European coal subventions are German. As stupid as it is. Its 3.2 billion Euro every year going up in smoke.

 

[APDAF]

Not going to do much as China and India use coal orders of magnitude bigger than the UK could ever do.

 

[Andy44]

And US coal isn't doing so well either these days. West Virginia was always poor to begin with and coal was really the state's only big industry, so as that declines it results in high unemployment. Coal mines tend to be in rural areas and don't get replaced by newer industry.

 

[Artlav]

That does raise an interesting question - sooner or later some industries and professions cease to be relevant and/or go out of business, what is a good way to handle the people who were employed there?

It's not always possible to just stop producing new jobs and professionals, and wait for the existing ones to retire.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Offer a retraining program as the industry starts to severely decline, to train the soon-to-be unemployed for in-demand fields, or to train them for similar but still active fields.

 

[Urwumpe]

That does raise an interesting question - sooner or later some industries and professions cease to be relevant and/or go out of business, what is a good way to handle the people who were employed there?

Well, in some cases it might be wiser to always assume that they can only do their job for a limited period of time and should always be trained to have a second trade available.

And sometimes, the transition is pretty natural:

The invention of the automobile did for example also not end the employment of the coachmen. They became chauffeurs and truck drivers as fast as the horse carriages disappeared.

 

[Linguofreak]

Basically this:
UK 1984 miners strike

With only six working pits, and at least some coal usage remaining in the UK, does that mean that shipping coal to Newcastle is now a thing?

 

[Notebook]

Good one! Not many folk know that expression these days, I think.

Odd thing, most coal mines were in Wales, Scotland and North/mid England.
However their was a coal mine in Kent. Southern England, and regarded as "The Garden Of England", full of orchards, hop farms. Last place to expect a coal mine.
My father was a "Bevan Boy"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevin_Boys

Ironically, he grew up with a coal mine in the village and got sent to this coal mine in Kent 300 miles away. Did enjoy it though!

N.



Probably no working coal mines in the UK now.

 

[tl8]

With only six working pits, and at least some coal usage remaining in the UK, does that mean that shipping coal to Newcastle is now a thing?

Newcastle Australia is actually a rather large coal port. Pretty much all coal in NSW is shipped out there.