£400k For National Grid Innovation Projects As Part Of Ofgem Fund To Help Shape Britain’s Net Zero Transition
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this press release from National Grid.
These three bullet points, act as sub-headings.
- Three transmission and distribution network innovation projects receive green light
- Funding kickstarts projects for the discovery phase of Ofgem innovation scheme
- 14 National Grid projects worth £4m have won innovation funding since scheme began
These are the three projects.
HIRE – Hybrid-Network Improvement & Reliability Enhancement
This is National Grid’s description of the £135,000 project.
Researching new state-of-the-art condition monitoring to improve the commissioning and operation of offshore cables. This new, robust system will mitigate the risk of failure, overcome the limitations of existing techniques (e.g. cable length) and aid network operators in decision making for a more flexible grid. PROJECT PARTNERS: University of Manchester, DNV, Monitra, SSEN Transmission.
With all the offshore cables, that have been laid around the UK, Europe and the world in recent years, I am surprised that such a system has not been developed before.
But I suspect, that the project partners know that if they can develop a superior cable monitoring system, then it could be a nice little earner in addition to its job with UK offshore cables.
According to their web site, Monitra seem to be the monitoring experts.
This is the mission statement on their home page.
Our aim is to maximise the uptime of every high voltage asset worldwide.
I like this company’s attitude and it should make the world a better place.
I certainly think that the £135,000 will be well spent.
REACH – Rural Energy And Community Heat
This is National Grid’s description of the £120,000 project.
Working with rural community energy groups to develop a modular rural energy centre that will help communities make cost effective decarbonisation plans. The solution will offer shared low carbon heating, rapid EV charging, and renewable generation in areas not served by commercial markets, and where there is limited electricity network capacity.
Rolls-Royce mtu seem to have a system, that might go some way to satisfy National Grid’s ambitions, that I wrote about in Would You Buy A Battery Energy Storage System From Rolls-Royce?.
Road to Power
This is National Grid’s description of the £140,000 project.
Developing specific tools to forecast future energy consumption and infrastructural impact of works, to support the street and road works sector as it decarbonises 7.8TWh of energy demand across 700,000 major works in the sector’s pivotal transition to net zero by 2030.
This sounds like an excellent idea. Especially, if it makes street and road works quieter and less polluting.
Conclusion
I like these three projects and have already added them to my list of Google Alerts.
Bidders Circle ‘Elvis Airport’ A Decade After The SNP Bought It For £1
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Prestwick has cost taxpayers millions since it was nationalised by the SNP in 2013. A consortium plans a bid, but can the Nats let go of Sturgeon-era stateism?
These are the first two paragraphs.
It was always going to be difficult keeping a lid on the arrival of Elvis Presley at a US military base in Prestwick, Ayrshire. “Where am I?” he asked as he stepped off the plane and into the biting wind that whipped off the Firth of Clyde.
March 3, 1960 was a momentous day for the screaming youngsters who engulfed the American singer as he set foot on British soil for the first and only time. For Presley, it was his last stop on his return from Germany after two years of military service. For Prestwick, it meant being immortalised in British trivia for its brief flirtation with The King.
But now it appears that a consortium has a plan for the airport and has made a bid.
These are my thoughts.
Prestwick Airport
Prestwick Airport, which is 32 miles SouthWest of Glasgow, is an airport that has seen busier times.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Airport.
Note.
- The airport has two runways at right angles.
- The longer runway is 3,000 metres long.
- The red line is the electrified Ayrshire Coast Line, which runs between Glasgow Central and Ayr.
- There is a station at the airport.
- The black line going across the map is an unelectrified railway line, which eventually leads to the West Coast Main Line.
The airport does have four very useful assets.
- A very long runway capable of handling the largest and heaviest aircraft.
- A railway station.
- Plenty of space.
- The airport has plenty of available landing and take-off slots.
I also suspect that a rail connection could be developed to the West Coast Main Line.
Prestwick As A Cargo Airport
Someone commenting in The Times, suggested that Prestwick could become a cargo airport.
- The main runway could accommodate the largest and heaviest cargo aircraft.
- There is space for stands for large aircraft and warehouses.
- A rail link to the electrified West Coast Main Line could be built.
The airport could have a very high capacity.
A Rail Connection To The West Coast Main Line
This could be very beneficial for air-cargo at Prestwick.
- It would be less than ninety miles to the West Coast Main Line.
- It is only single-track as British Rail removed the second track.
- Cargo Services could be run all over the UK mainland.
- There could even be an airport service from Carlisle.
A zero-carbon rail service for freight, passengers and staff from both Glasgow and Carlisle would enhance the green credentials of the airport.
Where Would Planes Fly?
It looks like a modern freighter aircraft like a Boeing 747-8F could fly at maximum weight to nearly all the USA.
But because Prestwick Airport is further North, It does possibly have a wider range of airports, it can reach.
What Is The Closest Airport In North America?
The two airports on Newfoundland; Gander and St. John’s are probably the two closest being about 2,000 miles from Prestwick.
- Both airports have long runways.
- I suspect a rail terminal could be arranged at the airport to take cargo through the Chunnel to Europe.
- Could USAF Galaxies even be used to bring over American tanks and guns for Ukraine? The range of a Galaxy at maximum weight is 2,600 miles.
- They could be delivered by rail to Ukraine.
I suspect there will be times, where the shorter routes could be useful.
Could Cargo Change Planes At Prestwick?
On some routes like perhaps New York and India, might it be more efficient to change planes at Prestwick.
Could Cargo Planes Refuel At Prestwick?
Planes can only fly so far and is Prestwick in the right place to refuel a long flight?
Prestwick Could Be A Viable Cargo Airport For North America?
I am convinced that Prestwick and North American could be a viable air cargo route.
Zero-Carbon Air Cargo
In the next few years, Scotland will have much more electricity, than it needs, due to all the wind farms in the seas around the country and much of the spare electricity could be converted into hydrogen.
So does a cargo operator plan to run zero-carbon aircraft powered by hydrogen between North America and Prestwick?
- Remember it’s only 2,000 miles between St. John’s or Gander and Prestwick.
- The ideal aircraft to convert to hydrogen, must surely be an Airbus A 380, as there’s a lot of space in the fuselage for a hydrogen tank.
- Cargo could be brought to Prestwick in zero-carbon trains from all over the UK.
Amazon might like the idea of zero-carbon parcels across the pond!
Could An Airbus A380 Be Converted To Hydrogen?
This article on Simple Flying is entitled Airbus Plans A380 Hydrogen Flights In 2026 After Successful Power On Of ZEROe Engine.
The header picture shows a visualisation of an Airbus A 380, with a fifth engine with a propeller mounted on the top of the fuselage. The A 380 will be testing this electric engine, so that it can be fitted in the ZEROe Turboprop sometime around 2030.
This is a visualisation of the ZEROe Turboprop.
Note,
- The hydrogen tank will probably be behind the passenger compartment.
- The A 380, that will be testing the engine is no ordinary A 380. It is the very first and Airbus use it as a flying laboratory for new technology.
- I wouldn’t bet against one of its next jobs, is to test turbofan engines running on hydrogen.
I wouldn’t be surprised that in a few years, Airbus demonstrate an A 380 flying between Europe and North America on hydrogen.
A Zero-Carbon Air Bridge Between Europe And North America
Or does Westjet fancy a zero-carbon shuttle service, which would appeal to the Gretas of this world?
It has been rumoured, that the possible buyers of Prestwick are linked to Westjet.
As soon, as someone announces, a flight like this across the Atlantic, I’ll be signing up!
If the worse should happen, which I think would be unlikely, it would surely be a less painful death, than that of my wife’s from a rare cancer.
Conclusion
There are certainly, possibilities at Prestwick.
The Anonymous Widower 