Mark Irwin

A secret english only flavour of bikers? Unacceptable

Reading the latest CCC report and this section catches my eye. Surely getting homes off oil and onto heat pumps is going to be incredibly difficult? Oil is v. cheap, by my reckoning you'd need SCOP of 5+ for a heat pump to be cheaper to run. A tall order considering NIs housing stock is terrible.

Harland and Wolff is dead. Long live Harland and Wolff!
🇬🇧🇳🇴🇬🇧🇪🇸

Hybrids should be given more thought in the UK. Cheaper to buy, cheaper and quicker to install, and cheaper to run. Getting more people c.80% off fossil isn't a bad thing

🚨 New Research!

Can heat pumps be cheaper than gas boilers? Our study shows how.

🔹 Cost parity at SCOP 3.3 in UK
🔹 Shifting ⚡levies to taxation lowers costs
🔹 Moving levies to gas even more
🔹 Time-of-use tariffs unlock savings

Full paper: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🧵 THREAD ⬇️

With Islandmagee Energy now up for sale, there really needs to be a public reset. The project has been stalled for years but it would have a significant benefit in decarbonisation of heat in NI if biomethane and/or hydrogen could be stored.

Hydro-electric scheme considered for County Antrim. A two-year feasibility study will be used to inform whether the project goes ahead in Carrickfergus.

Good to see pumped storage getting attention from the media. Might be old fashioned compared to lithium batteries but still a vital tech to help with decarbonisation. We need more storage of all kinds. This one is utilising salt water, novel approach, less land needed

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Agree. Sure the NI executive plan on renewables relies on offshore wind, even though the most advanced project, North Channel wind won't be ready until 2031 at the earliest. Worse, planning delays is frustrating repowering of existing wind farms, we could actually witness a decrease by 2030

NI dumped out of its coveted "other" slot 😢

That's probably it, renewables can't be more than 80% of demand due to the low frequency issues. Should be eased once SONI install the two new inertia compensators (c.2027)

HVO should be limited to waste oil only, preferably UK and Ireland sourced. Supply is finite and should be used where it is most appropriate to reduce emissions, whether that be as diesel or as a blended kerosene for home heating.

Irish Programme for Government recognising the challenges of getting people off oil and offering short term solutions. Its important however that HVO is sourced from waste oil, and good to see recognition of the murky world of EU HVO

Retrofit ASHP market remains difficult, even with grants. Its going to be painful getting folk off their cheap oil boilere

Great to see JCB progress further with their hydrogen combustion engine. The inability of fuel cells to handle contaminants coupled with lack of electrical infrastructure during early construction makes it the best solution to decarbonise the industry
www.jcb.com/en-gb/news/2...

Antique fair, Armagh Road Newry, Saturday 9th from 11am-4pm.

Antiques, Christmas Wreaths and local artwork, with food served all day.

That classic nativity scene; spaceship console, red door, tree and a big step