Nuclear power was sold to the world as a safe, clean, and economically viable source of electricity. We were told that it would be "too cheap to meter". Even the most ardent proponent of nuclear power will have to admit that hasn't come to pass. Construction costs for nuclear power stations are dwarfed only by their decommissioning costs. Yes, politics and regulation conspire to increase the price - but nuclear hasn't made electricity particularly cheap. Indeed, we mostly seem to be paying…
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Earlier this year, I won the BlueLightCamp Hackathon. Usually prizes are a token of appreciation - vouchers, a books, maybe even a new phone if you're lucky. This, however, was a "money can't buy" prize - a trip through the Thames Barrier. And so, during one of London's delightfully wet summer's days, I made my way to the site in Greenwich. Here are some of the photos I took during the trip. The first thing to note is that the site is an active industrial area - it's not a museum. There…
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One of the perils of being a reluctant capitalist is the cognitive dissonance. Normally, on a sunny day, I look outside and smile. Blue skies, warmth, chance for an ice cream, people smiling, lovely. Yesterday, I saw the sun was shining, I rubbed my hands together and let out an Mr Burns-esque chuckle of delight. Last November, we installed solar panels on our roof. The Government ensures that if you generate electricity, you get paid for it. There's also a payment for surplus energy you…
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As I mentioned in my last post, we've just had solar panels installed! Because of Greg Barker MP's idiotic decision to scrap the Feed In Tariff with only six weeks' notice - we've had to get this done in rather a rush. Thanks to Angi and Philip at Sunny Future Solar, we were able to get our system installed before the deadline. Yesterday, we received confirmation that panels were installed and working and had generated their first 15W of electricity! Total cost of installation: £12,000. …
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Earlier this month, the lovely people at FreshCase sent me some boxes of wine. Alex Hilton wanted to know how easy it was to recycle. So, for your edification and delight, I present... Recycling The FreshCase Disclaimer These boxes of wine were sent to me for free. Enjoy alcohol responsibly. Do not attempt without adult supervision. …
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