UK energy

[roubaixtuesday]

100GW of offshore wind to be developed with direct interconnectors to multiple North Sea countries, including the UK

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp372d37gxgo

[PDQ Mobile]

On Saturday evening, wind was making (within a gnats crochet) 60% of UK leccy.

[Cugel]

On Saturday evening, wind was making (within a gnats crochet) 60% of UK leccy.

42C698CA-EE73-4EB3-BF06-7935270755E7.png

Yes but think how many seeing a modern wind turbine will have been terribly upset that the countryside in which it stands has been blighted in the aesthetics! Much better to have the moor kept a miserable yellowy green sward with half a dozen raggedy sheep on it that nobody really wants along with a wrecked old barn or two. SO much more romantic especially if wreathed in coal smoke from the nearby urban sprawl or the traditional reek of a throat-catching smoke smog of burnt wet wood.

[Carlton green]

On Saturday evening, wind was making (within a gnats crochet) 60% of UK leccy.

More similar generation is on the way too, some in build and some already built whose power the grid can’t yet accept. When cheaper electricity storage is available (say low cost sodium batteries) then we’ll be even less dependent on fossil fuels .

[rjb]

Wind power. I believe Red Ed has signed our generation away today and offered it to our friends across the channel.
We will be at the mercy of wholesale prices again.
Here's an extract from the BBC report.

But it could prove controversial as wind farm operators would be able to shop around between countries to sell power to the highest bidder - potentially driving up electricity prices when supply is tight.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... Sisp024VeY

[PDQ Mobile]

On Saturday evening, wind was making (within a gnats crochet) 60% of UK leccy.

42C698CA-EE73-4EB3-BF06-7935270755E7.png

Yes but think how many seeing a modern wind turbine will have been terribly upset that the countryside in which it stands has been blighted in the aesthetics! Much better to have the moor kept a miserable yellowy green sward with half a dozen raggedy sheep on it that nobody really wants along with a wrecked old barn or two. SO much more romantic especially if wreathed in coal smoke from the nearby urban sprawl or the traditional reek of a throat-catching smoke smog of burnt wet wood.

Tongue firmly in cheek ( no pun etc) I suppose.

FWIW, there are quite a few pretty specialised high moorland species, so not quite the desert described.

My personal love of quiet places makes me less than enthusiastic about onshore wind everywhere because of the noise rather than visual but there are a fair few sites that might be ok.

Offshore is a major UK success story as my post was designed to say.
(Pretty optimal wind conditions at that screenshot time I would say)
.....
Wrecked old barns are from a time when more use was made of parcels of marginal land and arguably biodiversity was greater as a consequence!
.....
I guess one could say the same about native woodland, a valuable resource for local timber and fuel.
Sadly now in desperate need of love and attention across much of Wales.

Wet firewood is just poor organisation.
And dry firewood should be a local low carbon energy source that really gives the kilowatts.

Plusses and minuses of course.

[Jdsk]

news is in short supply hence these previously rejected projects are being announced as the next best thing in energy storage.
...

The proposal is predominantly for generation, not storage.

High-density hydro storage goes live near Plymouth:
https://www.rheenergise.com/press-relea ... se-success
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... gy-storage

Jonathan

[roubaixtuesday]

news is in short supply hence these previously rejected projects are being announced as the next best thing in energy storage.
...

The proposal is predominantly for generation, not storage.

High-density hydro storage goes live near Plymouth:
https://www.rheenergise.com/press-relea ... se-success
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... gy-storage

Jonathan

Standard gripe: it's touted as energy storage, but scale is quoted as 500kW.

With density 2.5x water for the suspension, I'm not sure how big the potential for this is?

[rjb]

It's a small scale pilot test plant built in a china clay works on the southern edge of Dartmoor. 2.5 X the density of water implies the fluid used is like treacle. Possibly a suspension of china clay in water. Be interesting seeing if it needs regular maintenance due to scouring caused by the fluid. Covered Reservoirs (giant concrete tanks) have been built to store the fluid top and bottom.
I believe they had a grant from the UK government to build this.
It's primary use is to support the power requirements of the china clay workings.

If it's successful it may be replicated elsewhere at suitable sites.

[Jdsk]

It's a small scale pilot test plant built in a china clay works on the southern edge of Dartmoor. 2.5 X the density of water implies the fluid used is like treacle.
...

The company describes it as having the viscosity of milk.

Jonathan

[roubaixtuesday]

2.5 X the density of water implies the fluid used is like treacle

Density is how heavy the fluid is (per unit volume), not how gloopy it is (viscosity)

Fluids can be very viscous (custard) without being significantly more dense.

Equally they can be very dense (mercury) without being high viscosity.

Milk is quoted has having 2x the viscosity of water here
https://www.michael-smith-engineers.co. ... ds-by-type

A slurry of that density is likely not to have constant viscosity, most likely shear thinning.

[swagman]

All this technology and power to enable data centres to process useless information to the masses on their smartphones whilst the planet boils, how stupid we are.

[wheelyhappy99]

Wet firewood is just poor organisation.
And dry firewood should be a local low carbon energy source that really gives the kilowatts.

Plusses and minuses of course.

And here's another authoritative reminder of the minuses. Perpetuated by misinformation and disinformation.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... dApp_Other

[wheelyhappy99]

Some bedtime reading for those contributors who still believe burning wood in rural areas is harmless. Self interest alone is probably a good reason for following these links.
One to a newspaper article, the other to the research paper behind it.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -pollution

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 9725042677

[PDQ Mobile]

Some bedtime reading for those contributors who still believe burning wood in rural areas is harmless. Self interest alone is probably a good reason for following these links.
One to a newspaper article, the other to the research paper behind it.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -pollution

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 9725042677

I already saw the article, another in a long line, there's another today.

FWIW.
There are plusses to wood burning in a rural setting if done correctly (which the article does not mention).

They are:-
very low cost,
low transport distance of the energy,
low to almost zero net carbon,
independence of supply,
a total sustainability on and on into the foreseeable future,
a useful fertiliser by-product,
a reasonably maintained and regenerating woodland!.

And physical fitness without going to the gym!

On my regular shopping trip by bike I cycle through a village where a fair bit of house coal is still burned in open fires; at 5 o'clock last week it was a foul pall of coal smoke.
I also cycle past a newer estate development where all the houses use oil, it also stinks.
Then there's all the traffic.
Local farmers here regularly burn black plastic silage wrap and other plastic waste (polyethylene lick tubs etc) on a bubbling fire producing foul black smoke; it's really bad on many levels but no-one does anything about it.

The downside of wood is particulate emissions, I accept that.
But I try to minimise by getting my wood properly dry (also uses less) and burning it correctly, once fires are going well there is often no visible chimney smoke.
Less than a percent of UK houses use wood as a main or sole energy source, AIUI.

Rurally, with no near neighbours, my view remains that it is ok to do so.
Plusses and minuses, as are all energy sources.

Of all the pollutants mentioned above I find the faint smell of wood smoke the least horrible, in fact I actually quite like it!