[howerj]

The comment is harsh, but it is not fair. Nor is (most of it) relevant and it even contradicts itself in places. It is a list of hot takes designed to anger and provoke instead of elucidate anything as I have said something they do not like.

Energy security is something every country should aim for, regardless of the size or perceived importance of the country.

[diordiderot]

My point was that long distance power transmission is a economically viable means of tackling the "renewable intermittency" problem.

> I find that fact that the UK would depend on another country for power generation in a serious way really really dumb.

Very erudite, but the UK imports 40% of its energy. It is already heavily dependent on other countries.

Building out more renewables and importing the extra 20% whenever the wind isn't blowing so hard isn't a risk to national security.

If the lines were cut you would be in a total war situation where

1. power would be rationed anyways

2. The wide distribution of renewables would be much harder to destroy than a handful of oil terminals, rigs, and ports.

> We might as well sell off our armed forces.

I don't see how this is relevant outside of the UK's desire to defend its foreign energy interests / trade, which it very obviously cant do anyways.

[howerj]

You keep deliberately conflating energy and electricity. Importing energy and electricity is not the same thing. The UK cannot source its energy requirements locally but it can source electricity by importing energy and converting it to electricity.

Where we import from matters, importing from France and the Nordic countries is far more viable and easily defensible than importing from Morocco. It is still not a great idea to rely on them.

I agree that renewable generation being more distributed is harder to destroy than oil infrastructure (not that anyone has the operational capacity to attack the UKs infrastructure barring the USA with any great success) but that is not what it is a risk - the HVDC lines are! They are much easier to take out. If renewables require a HVDCs to less stable and friendly areas of the world then they make the UK more vulnerable - it is dumb.

>> We might as well sell off our armed forces.

> I don't see how this is relevant outside of the UK's desire to defend its foreign energy interests / trade, which it very obviously cant do anyways.

That's hyperbole, selling off our armed forces is a naive move that no nation would rationally do, as is becoming so incredibly dependent on a chain of other countries for electricity generation.

I prefer a solution that does not involve rationing electricity.