Cameron says there is no alternative to austerity….This is complete nonsense – we can borrow money at 3% on international markets and then invest it in infrastructure which makes 6%, combined heat and power district heating,chpdh being one, then this will make us richer, employ people, take them of the dole and please the markets […]
Read MoreWho's to blame for high commodity – energy, food, metals, prices – it's the producers, stupid, not the banks and speculators
Happy New Year everyone. This article of mine re markets might be of interest (also below). http://seekingalpha.com/article/245574-who-s-to-blame-for-high-commodity-prices-it-s-the-producers-stupid v=1294568746&source=tracking_notify In my view commodity markets have two price boundary ‘trend-lines’: a ‘sellers’ market’ upper boundary, where consumer demand destruction sets in, and a ‘buyers’ market’ lower boundary, where ‘production destruction’ sets in. The current situation, where finance […]
Read MoreGovernment to shift resources from wind power to nuclear power in ERM – Energy Market Reform…….by Dr Dave Toke
A letter on this subject was published in the Guardian today, 27th December 2010http://realfeed-intariffs.blogspot.com/ – for further info…. Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne is heralding a move towards giving nuclear power guaranteed subsidies from electricity consumers whilst going back to the discredited 1990s approach of awarding contracts to supply wind power through contract auctions. […]
Read MoreMoney, banking, credit, Adam Smith, finance, central banking etc, Michael Durkin channel4 film
Tony Let’s have a critical look at the underlying ideas, shall we? On 15 November 2010 08:43, Tony Locke <tlocke@> wrote: A brilliant review, but as Lucy Mangan admits, she doesn’t really criticize the underlying ideas. My response to the criticisms she does make are: > I may not agree that public services are a […]
Read MoreThe connection between Dixieland, Weighing the Earth, the First World War and Free Markets
Dixieland is the line separating Maryland and the South from the rest of the USA, and the actual line was surveyed in the 1780 by two English men, Mason and Dixon who plotted the contentious Mason Dixon line – hence the name. (well its is one commonly accepted explanation). They noted that there were systematic […]
Read MoreWind Energy Reduces Electricity Prices,Says Independent Study"….NOT
Extract from Claverton Energy Group Archives, by Paul Frederik Bach, ex director Danish Western National Grid. On 12 May 2010 21:13, Paul-Frederik Bach <pfbach@profibermail.dk> wrote: Dear all, The debate on the economy of wind power seems to be never ending. Observations of wind power output and spot prices indicate that wind power creates low prices […]
Read MoreEvent Invitation: “Selling to the Bottom of the Pyramid: Lessons from Marketing Compost” by Jonathan Rouse, Director of HED Consulting
The HEDON Household Energy Network (www.hedon.info ) holds a monthly informal meeting in London, UK, where practitioners, policy-makers, funders, and business-owners actively pursuing a cleaner, affordable and more efficient household energy sector unite to share their experiences, learn from one another, and create new knowledge. The next meeting, which your members may find interesting, will […]
Read MoreOFGEM report on problematic future energy supplies – admission of market failure in electricty supplies
The report is at: http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/WhlMkts/Discovery/Documents1/Project_Discove ry_FebConDoc_FINAL.pdf News articles at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8494899.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household- bills/7144386/British-households-risk-unaffordable-energy-bills-Ofgem- warns.html http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/sse-says-customers-using-less-gas-electricity-reuters_molt-20a544628846.html A little interpretation: Quote: “There is a need for unprecedented levels of investment to be sustained over many years in difficult financial conditions and against a background of increased risk and uncertainty.” To translate, “the fat cats and their shareholders have […]
Read MoreGraduate attacks outsourcing of UK water engineering jobs to India etc as a cheap electoral gimmick by way of keeping water bills down.
The consultant I work for is undergoing a major redundancy process in the water engineering side of the business, with the majority of jobs being lost at graduate level and below.
We have been informed that the reasons for this are that the draft determination from Ofwat appears particularly tough and as such, we won’t be getting any work out of the water companies for possibly as much as a year. It is also apparent that when the work does start to come, unachievable efficiency will be required, forcing consultants to “offshore” work to India and the like.
To make graduates redundant in this country, only to employ staff in India in their place does not seem acceptable. If we, as an industry, are left with this as the only option to be able to survive, then it would seem that Ofwat has got it wrong and we should be doing more to influence its decision making.
This is a very important issue for the country as we have already practically lost manufacturing as an industry and cannot afford to lose construction skills overseas.
It is also clear that the reason for the harsh determination is that the government doesn’t want to put water bills up because it is still hoping to win the approaching General Election.
This is unacceptable and is destroying an industry. What is the ICE doing about this?
Joe Andrews, mailto:joekayaker at hotmail dot com
Read MoreClaverton Group's comment on BBC Radio 4 "You and Your's" on the Energy Gap 13th October 2009 – its cheaper to save than to build.
David Porter of the AIP (founded originally by David Andrews as the AIEP to counter the monolithic anti market and anti chp bias of the CEGB – Ed.) needs reminding that grants for A++ fridges etc (say we offer £30 to reduce baseload from 600 to 120 kWh/yr = £750 to save 1 kW) are cheaper […]
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