The Anonymous Widower

Clarksons To Support RWE’s Vanguard West, Vanguard East From ABP’s New Lowestoft Facility

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Clarksons Port Services has signed an agreement with RWE and Associated British Ports (ABP) for RWE’s Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind projects in the UK.

These three paragraphs add more detail to the story.

Under the agreement, the company will support the construction of the two offshore wind farms from the Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF), where Clarksons will lease and operate a facility on behalf of RWE.

ABP officially opened the new port facility in January 2025, after investing GBP 35 million (around EUR 40 million) in the port infrastructure. The facility features deep-water berths, modern utilities and future-proofed infrastructure to support shore power and alternative fuels, according to the port operator.

RWE secured Contracts for Difference (CfDs) for the two offshore wind farms in January this year, when the UK government awarded 8.4 GW of offshore wind capacity in the seventh CfD round (AR7).

Vanguard West and Vanguard East offshore wind projects are almost identical 1545 MW projects, that should be commissioned in 2028/29.

The two projects are 47 km. off the coast of Norfolk.

They will bring their power ashore at Happisburgh and connect underground to the grid at a new substation at Necton.

If I was a Norfolk Nimby, I would feel, that RWE are building these wind farms so as not to annoy the neighbours.

  • They are a fair way out to sea.
  • There appear to be no overhead cables.
  • The support will be handled in a purpose-built facility.

Judding by their actions, I do wonder if RWE are getting a shift on, as they would like to get these wind farms built before the 2029 General Election

 

 

March 23, 2026 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Green Are The Valley Lines?

This news item from Transport for Wales is entitled 100% Electrification Of The Core Valley Lines Complete.

This is the sub-heading.

Transport for Wales has completed the full electrification of the Core Valley lines, at the heart of the South Wales Metro, delivering one of Wales’ most ambitious rail infrastructure transport projects.

These two paragraphs describe the current status.

Dubbed the ‘Welsh Tube’, the £1bn project brought electric tri-mode trains to the South Wales Valleys for the very first time in 2024. This spring, TfW will introduce the first of its 36 fully electric Class 398 tram-trains. The new fleet will initially operate between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay, providing greener, more frequent services as part of the South Wales Metro.

Passengers are already benefitting from these improvements with the Core Valley lines being one of the most punctual and reliable networks in Great Britain over the past 6 months.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification in the Cardiff area.

Note.

  1. Red tracks are electrified.
  2. Black tracks are not electrified.
  3. Cardiff station is indicated by the blue arrow.
  4. The black track going West from Cardiff is the South Wales Main Line to Llantrisant, Bridgend, Port Talbot and Swansea.
  5. The red track going East from Cardiff is the South Wales Main Line to Newport, the Severn Tunnel, Bristol Parkway, Reading and London.
  6. The lines going North up the valleys are from the West to Maesteg, Treorchy, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Ebbw Vale.
  7. The most Easterly line is the Newport and Hereford Line.

I will now look at some of the electrification.

Caerphilly Station

Caerphilly statition is on the Rhymney Line.

In June 2018, I wrote Caerphilly Station and took these pictures of the station.

At the time, I considered it a difficult station to electrify.

 

March 23, 2026 Posted by | Design, Environment, Transport/Travel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Euston Station – 22nd March 2026

I went for breakfast to Euston and took these pictures on a quiet Sunday morning.

March 22, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

Will Northumberland Line Success Help More Open?

The title of this post, is the same as this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

On 29 March the final station, Bedlington, opens on the Northumberland Line marking the completion of the project to reopen the route from Newcastle to Ashington.

These three paragraphs add detail to the story.

With passenger numbers exceeding predictions, could its success give new impetus to other projects to reopen former railways across northern England?

Dennis Fancett, chair of the rail users group Senrug, which campaigned for the Northumberland line for 20 years, hopes so.

He believes the obvious next step is to extend it along the existing freight tracks to a new station at Woodhorn and from there to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.

I believe that the Northumberland Line is following a pattern, that I call London Overground Syndrome.

March 21, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 5 Comments

The Liquid Air Alternative To Fossil Fuels

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC Future Web Site.

It is also one of the best articles, I’ve read on the economics of liquid-air energy storage.

This is the sub-heading.

An overlooked technology for nearly 50 years, the world’s largest liquid air energy storage facility is finally set to power up in 2026. It’s hoping to compete with grid-scale lithium batteries and hydro to store clean power, and reduce the need to fall back on fossil fuels.

These three introductory paragraphs add detail to the project.

As the world’s use of renewable electricity soars, surpassing coal for the first time, the need to store that energy when the Sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing is growing in step. While some turn to grid-scale lithium batteries and others to pumped hydro, a small but growing industry is convinced there’s a better solution still: batteries that rely on air.

Near the village of Carrington in north-west England, the foundations are being laid for the world’s largest commercial-scale liquid air energy storage facility, one of the first of its kind. The site will eventually become an array of industrial machinery and a number of large storage tanks, filled with air that has been compressed and cooled so much it has become a liquid, using renewable energy surplus to demand. The stored energy can be discharged later when demand exceeds supply.

If the project succeeds, more will follow. The site’s developers Highview Power are confident that liquid air energy storage will make it easier for countries to replace fossil fuels with clean renewable energy – though at present, the technology is expensive. But as the need for clean energy storage surges, they’re betting the balance will tip in favour of liquid air.

The BBC article, seems to have been written with input from Shaylin Cetegen, a chemical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who studies energy storage systems.

Topics discussed include.

  • The intermittency problem of renewables and how this gives problems for the stability of electricity grids.
  • The switchable nature of fossil-fuel power generation.
  • A big part of the solution is to store the surplus energy so that it can be released when it’s needed. Think of it like an electricity deposit account!
  • For decades, the main form of energy storage has been pumped hydro. In 2021, the world had 160 GW of pumped hydro capacity. The UK has a total of just 3 GW in Scotland and Wales! But more is on the way!
  • Recently, large-scale battery storage systems have risen to the challenge and installed capacity has risen from 55.7 GW in 2023 to 150 GW / 348 GWh in 2025.
  • The liquid air solution is then explained.
  • A grid-scale stop-gap, that is the 30 MW/300 MWh Manchester hybrid liquid-air battery, is then described.
  • In August 2026, the battery is set to begin operating.
  • An alternative way of stabilising the grid will be provided.
  • It will come online in two stages, says Highview Power CEO Richard Butland.
  • Then in 2027 the liquid air storage is expected to begin fully operating.

Highview Power will make money by trading electricity, as pumped storage operators do.

The penultimate section of the article looks at the bottom line and comes to these conclusions.

Instead, she says governments could support the technology. In her study, subsidising the initial capital costs to set up the systems “could be a viable approach to achieve economic viability in the short term”, she says.

Furthermore, faster uptake of renewables would increase energy price volatility, making energy storage more economically viable.

Cetegen makes a final point in favour of liquid air energy storage: it’s cheap. Energy storage technologies are often assessed using a metric called the “levelised cost of storage”, which estimates how much each unit of stored energy costs over the lifespan of the project. For liquid air, this can be as low as $45 (£34) per megawatt-hour – compared to $120 (£89) for pumped hydro and $175 (£130) for lithium-ion batteries.

“While none of these storage methods are likely economically viable right now without policy support, liquid air energy storage stands out as a particularly cost-effective option for large-scale storage,” Cotegen says.

Ultimately, Butland expects electricity grids to rely on a mix of storage technologies. Pumped hydro is extremely effective and works for decades, but it’s location-dependent because it needs a water supply. Meanwhile, batteries are highly efficient and can be placed anywhere, but need to be replaced after about 10 years. Liquid air has the advantage that it can store energy for longer than batteries, with minimal losses.

As any country enters the green transition, its electricity grid needs to be remodelled to cope. “We’re rebuilding all grids globally, based on new generation,” says Butland. And that could well mean a lot of liquid air energy storage.

 

March 21, 2026 Posted by | Energy Storage, Energy | , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Does Anybody Type Using Five Fingers Of One Hand, Scanning Them Where Necesary For Shift, Control And Alt.

 

Note.

  1. My left awas broken by the school bully and doesn’t work well.
  2. My stroke didn’t help.
  3. I have a yellow keyboard and I’m probably typing as fast as I ever had.
  4. My father owned and worked in a letterpress printers.
  5. He taught me to set type from an early age.

Letterpress typesetting is done by holding the composing stick in your left hand and placing the letters in order in the stick, with your right hand.

I now type this way and it may be the cause of the problems in my right hand, which is red and tingling at times.

I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.

Yes, many people type using all five fingers of one hand, particularly individuals with limb differences, injuries, or those who prefer a single-handed method. This technique often involves “scanning” or spanning across the keyboard and can achieve impressive speeds.

Techniques and Methods

FGHJ Home Row Method: The most common approach involves resting the index finger on F (or J for right handers), middle on G/H, ring on H/G, and pinky on J/F. This allows the hand to cover all keys on a standard QWERTY keyboard.

“Scanning” / Stretching: The hand moves dynamically around the keyboard, rather than staying in a fixed home-row position, relying on strong muscle memory to reach all keys.

Modifier Key Handling (Shift/Alt/Ctrl): The thumb is frequently used to reach modifiers, or the pinky is stretched to reach the shift keys. For simultaneous keys (e.g., Ctrl+C), people often use “Sticky Keys” in Windows/MacOS to lock the modifier key, or press them sequentially.

Five Finger Typist: There is specialized, structured software designed specifically to teach this five-finger, one-handed technique.

Speed and Proficiency
One-handed typists using all five fingers can reach high speeds, often ranging between 40 to 80 words per minute (wpm), with some experienced users achieving over 100 wpm, depending on the individual.

Assistive Tools

Compact Keyboards: Smaller keyboards (like laptop keyboards) are often used because they reduce the distance the hand has to span, decreasing fatigue.
Half-QWERTY / Mirrored Layouts: Specialized software or hardware that allows one hand to “mirror” the other side of the keyboard (e.g., tapping ‘F’ with the ‘J’ finger while holding a modifier).

Conclusion

I could believe that answer and will use it as long as I can!

March 21, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Health | , , | Leave a comment

Black Country Towns’ Trains Return After 60 Years

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Two Black Country towns have welcomed trains for the first time in 60 years following the opening of new stations.

These two paragraphs give details of the route.

The Willenhall and Darlaston stations are part of a £185m project to reinstate rail links across the West Midlands not used in decades.

The two stations have been added to the Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street service via Wolverhampton.

Note.

  1. The services are run by four-car Class 196 dieselmultiple units.
  2. The frequency is two trains per hour.
  3. One hourly service calls at Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Shifnal, Telford Central and Wellington.
  4. The other hourly service calls at Tame Bridge Parkway, Darlaston, Willenhall, Wolverhampton, Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford, Shifnal, Telford Central, Oakengates and Wellington.

This map shows shows the route of the Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury service via Wolverhampton.

Note.

  1. Willenhall station is in the North-Western corner of the map.
  2. Darlaston station is marked with a blue arrow on the yellow track to the East of Willenhall.
  3. Birmingham New Street station is in the South-East corner of the map.

I have one further thought.

Electrification

Only the almost thirty miles between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is without electrification, but electrification is all the way between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street station is already wired.

I could see the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury route being electrified using battery-electric trains.

Obviously, if the route is eventually electrified will depend on the traction needed for other services.

 

March 21, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Will AI Send A Lot Of Patients To A & E?

I ask this question as I’ve just asked Google AI, this question about myself.

My left food and my right hand are red and my left hand doesn’t work very well!

I received this answer.

This combination of symptoms—asymmetric redness (left foot/right hand) and weakness in one hand—requires immediate medical evaluation.

These can be indicators of serious underlying conditions affecting the nerves, blood vessels, or central nervous system.

You should seek urgent medical care if this happened suddenly.

Perhaps the last sentence is being too cautious and will increase the traffic to A & E.

March 20, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Health | | Leave a comment

Offshore Vessel Charging Tech Developer Plans Commercial Rollout In UK

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

Stillstrom, part of A.P. Moller – Maersk and based in Denmark, has established a dedicated entity in Aberdeen, Scotland, with plans to roll out its offshore vessel charging solution commercially in the UK.

These three paragraphs add more details.

The solution is transitioning from development to commercial deployment, and, according to a press release issued by Stillstrom on 16 March, the company is targeting one of the world’s most active offshore wind markets for the commercial rollout.

Stillstrom has been developing offshore charging solutions for service operations vessels (SOVs) since 2019, with testing and collaboration carried out with shipowners and developers in Aberdeen. SOVs are amongst the most energy-intensive ships operating at offshore wind farms, according to Stillstrom.

The company says that this has now translated into tangible momentum, with significant discussions underway with major wind farms, as well as partnership and compatibility agreements signed with leading SOV owners and operators.

March 19, 2026 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

With Only A Few Months To Go My Health Has Gone Round In A Circle

How many people can honestly say that after seventy-six years that their health has gone round in a circle?

But I have!

At three years old, I was a sickly child with a constantly running nose.

I know this because at that age I can see cauldrons of boiling torn up old sheets, sitting on the gas stove.

I needed so many handkerchiefs,that my mother, used to use the sheets as it was cheaper.

Now my nose is constantly running and sneezing.

In Does Lack Of B12 Make You Sneeze?, I investigate the relationship between B12 and sneezing.

 

March 19, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Health | , , | Leave a comment

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