2016-01-05 (Day 005) Longannet

While Cameron was out at golf this evening I went for a drive and came across this view of Longannet Power Station.

This is Scotland's highest-capacity power station, indeed it has the third highest capacity in Europe (after Belchatow in Poland and Drax in England). Sadly, it is not the cleanest power station in the world, being ranked by the WWF as being the 21st most polluting in Europe (which suggests that it generates considerably less pollution mer MWh than many other power stations).

The station is due to close by March 2016. It has not been made clear exactly how the lost genersating capacity will be made up.

According to a study by Strathclyde University, Longannet could be replaced with a "mere" 4,572 wind turbines across Scotland - that would require just under 450 square km of land. But there is currently no good solution to the problem of how we store wind-generated energy to use when the wind stops blowing.

However, it cannot be said that Longannet is pretty, and there will be many who will not lament its closure. Good luck to all of its current employees in finding new jobs.

http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/01-02/RE_info/interesting.htm