The Future of Power Generation in Great Britain

[PushedDover]

^^^^^

The new ‘Europe Wind Farm Map’ was out this week too (I have high res PDf if anyone interested)

Floating wind barely features

[borcy]

Evanivitch said:

I think given the current costs of connecting North Sea wind farms there's value in using the underutilised connectivity in South Wales. There's a 400V connection to Pembroke gas and the now closed Aberthaw, offering easy land connectivity on a part of the country that otherwise lacks significant wind generation (often, when wind is high the supposed regional carbon intensity of South Wales is significantly higher than elsewhere). Having wind generation far removed from North Sea weather patterns certainly offers some diversity (and pragmatically some security) in supply.

Wasn't there an issue with the wind found during a survey, ie not enough/predictable?

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources, looking at ESO information they are pretty high with regards to emissions along with the E Midlands. Although the Viking link is up and running now.

[Mikey G]

borcy said:

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources

Tidal anyone?

[hidetheelephants]

PushedDover said:

Evanivitch said:

I think given the current costs of connecting North Sea wind farms there's value in using the underutilised connectivity in South Wales. There's a 400V connection to Pembroke gas and the now closed Aberthaw, offering easy land connectivity on a part of the country that otherwise lacks significant wind generation (often, when wind is high the supposed regional carbon intensity of South Wales is significantly higher than elsewhere). Having wind generation far removed from North Sea weather patterns certainly offers some diversity (and pragmatically some security) in supply.

I agree with that logic, but a floating wind assembly port is not a click of the fingers, and depending on the pipeline of work it will support, for decades to come

Floating wind is still largely unattainable at any practical price point and whilst the hope for many countries and locations still not viable, in volume, competitively

I think he's suggesting WTGs on dry land or in the Severn estuary/Bristol Channel, neither will need anything state of the art, the latter is mostly under 150' deep until well west of Cardiff so can be piled. Perhaps whatever dissuaded RWE from developing the Atlantic Array can be overcome with technology not readily available 15 years ago.

[PushedDover]

I assumed the three links he gave were the subject ?

IIRC the geo / soils of Atlantic Array made it fairly prohibitive

[hidetheelephants]

PushedDover said:

I assumed the three links he gave were the subject ?

IIRC the geo / soils of Atlantic Array made it fairly prohibitive

Apologies, I skimmed and missed the other post.

Mikey G said:

borcy said:

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources

Tidal anyone?

No, mainly because it makes nuclear power look cheap.

[Evanivitch]

PushedDover said:

^^^^^

The new ‘Europe Wind Farm Map’ was out this week too (I have high res PDf if anyone interested)

Floating wind barely features

What's all that in the Celtic Sea.

[Evanivitch]

PushedDover said:

I agree with that logic, but a floating wind assembly port is not a click of the fingers, and depending on the pipeline of work it will support, for decades to come

Not sure what's the gap? South Wales ports are used to handling turbine components, have deep harbours and several concrete facilities in the area. There's even steel available locally....

[PushedDover]

Evanivitch said:

PushedDover said:

^^^^^

The new ‘Europe Wind Farm Map’ was out this week too (I have high res PDf if anyone interested)

Floating wind barely features

What's all that in the Celtic Sea.

Fantasy.

Small scale.

Unlikely






I've put the full PDF Map (A0 ssize) in the cloud if you want

[Evanivitch]

PushedDover said:

Fantasy.

Small scale.

Unlikely






I've put the full PDF Map (A0 ssize) in the cloud if you want

Small scale, 4.5GW?

[PushedDover]

Evanivitch said:

Small scale, 4.5GW?

Individually

And with that hard to deliver

Some of Those Celtic Floaters have just folded / seeking funding the last few months

[hidetheelephants]

PushedDover said:

I assumed the three links he gave were the subject ?

IIRC the geo / soils of Atlantic Array made it fairly prohibitive

Given how shallow it is I'd have thought something could be done, even a non-standard implementation must stand a good chance of being cheaper than floating WTG especially as there's a grid tie-in so close by.

[Evanivitch]

PushedDover said:

Individually

And with that hard to deliver

Some of Those Celtic Floaters have just folded / seeking funding the last few months

It's three 1.5GW Project Development Areas.

[PushedDover]

Evanivitch said:

PushedDover said:

Individually

And with that hard to deliver

Some of Those Celtic Floaters have just folded / seeking funding the last few months

It's three 1.5GW Project Development Areas.

Development area does not equal a Project

[Evanivitch]

PushedDover said:

Evanivitch said:

PushedDover said:

Individually

And with that hard to deliver

Some of Those Celtic Floaters have just folded / seeking funding the last few months

It's three 1.5GW Project Development Areas.

Development area does not equal a Project

Sure. Minimum project size 300MW. Anything else?

[PushedDover]

Evanivitch said:

PushedDover said:

Evanivitch said:

PushedDover said:

Individually

And with that hard to deliver

Some of Those Celtic Floaters have just folded / seeking funding the last few months

It's three 1.5GW Project Development Areas.

Development area does not equal a Project

Sure. Minimum project size 300MW. Anything else?

And that’s circa 15 WTGs

Commercially unviable.
As I said a day or so ago, more than happy to take a pint bet on each of those headlines not happening within a decade.
Want to take that bet ?

[Gary C]

Mikey G said:

borcy said:

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources

Tidal anyone?

If only wales had access to a very large tidal estuary.

Oh well.

[Evanivitch]

Gary C said:

Mikey G said:

borcy said:

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources

Tidal anyone?

If only wales had access to a very large tidal estuary.

Oh well.

Funnily enough, only this month have they started looking at it... again.

https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/commission-to-explor...

[dickymint]

Evanivitch said:

Gary C said:

Mikey G said:

borcy said:

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources

Tidal anyone?

If only wales had access to a very large tidal estuary.

Oh well.

Funnily enough, only this month have they started looking at it... again.

https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/commission-to-explor...

'jobs for the boys' innit!

[hidetheelephants]

Evanivitch said:

Gary C said:

Mikey G said:

borcy said:

S Wales does need some more low carbon power sources

Tidal anyone?

If only wales had access to a very large tidal estuary.

Oh well.

Funnily enough, only this month have they started looking at it... again.

https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/commission-to-explor...

They'll be disappointed just like every other feasibility study; flood defence is about the only way to justify it and even then the cost will be boggling.