Porterbrook Acquires ‘379s’ For Lease To GTR
The title of this post, is the same as that of a small article in the April 2024 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Porterbrook has successfully bid to acquire the fleet of 30 Class 379 Electrostar EMUs from Akiem and will lease them to Govia Thameslink railway, which will use them on Great Northern services.
Note.
- Will the Class 379 trains replace all or some of the 39 Class 387 trains currently used by Great Northern?
- The Class 379 trains are 25 KVAC overhead only trains, whereas the Class 387 trains are dual-voltage.
- If the Class 379 trains are not modified to run on 750 VDC third rail, they will be restricted to Great Northern routes.
- It may be a problem, that the Class 379 trains are only 100 mph trains, whereas the Class 387 trains are capable of 110 mph, but I suspect that the Class 379 trains can be upgraded to 110 mph.
It looks to me that it is likely that Govia Thameslink Railway will end up with thirty spare Class 387 trains.
The Wikipedia entry for the Class 387 train, says this about the differences between the two classes of Electrostar.
The Class 387 is a variation of the Class 379 with dual-voltage capability which allows units to run on 750 V DC third rail, as well as use 25 kV AC OLE.
This surely has three main ramifications for Govia Thameslink Railway.
- Third rail equipment can probably be fitted to the Class 379 train, if required.
- The Class 379 train can probably be uprated to the 110 mph of the Class 387 train.
- Retraining the drivers to use the new Class 379 trains, will not be a major exercise.
Govia Thameslink Railway will have the luxury of configuring the trains to run, the services their passengers need and want.
But Govia Thameslink Railway may have a collateral benefit.
In 2015, a Class 379 train was modified to do a trial as a battery-electric multiple unit.
This section in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 379 train, describes the trial.
During 2013, the national infrastructure owning company Network Rail announced that unit 379013 would be used as a testbed for a future Battery-Electric Multiple Unit. Following several months of conversion work and non-service testing, the unit was used to carry passengers for the first time on a Manningtree–Harwich Town service on 12 January 2015. Throughout its five-week trial period, data was gathered to assess its performance; it could reportedly operate for up to an hour on battery power alone, while charging via the pantograph took two hours.
Note.
- I feel it would be reasonable to assume, that a Class 387 train could be easily converted to battery electric operation.
- I’ve met commuters, who used the prototype every day between Harwich and Manningtree and it gave a good service.
- In an hour with stops, a typical Southern commuter service does just 35 miles.
Southern have two routes, where Class 171 diesel trains are still used.
- Ashford International and Ore – 25.4 miles
- Hurst Green Junction and Uckfield – 24.7 miles.
A battery-electric train with a range of 30 miles would surely decarbonise these routes.
- Batteries would be charged, where 750 VDC third-rail electrification is installed.
- As the Class 387 trains are dual-voltage, a short length of 25 KVAC overhead electrification, could be used to charge the train at Uckfield, if that was to be needed.
- Alternatively, the Vivarail Fast Charge system could be fitted.
A rough estimate is that ten battery-electric Class 387 trains would be needed to make Govia Thameslink Railway an all-electric railway.
- The now redundant Class 171 trains could be cascaded to someone, who needs them.
- The remaining twenty Class 387 trains could be used to replace twenty Class 377 trains, or converted to battery-electric operation and be cascaded to another operator.
Hopefully though, after all of the musical trains, there will be a reliable procedure to convert late model Electrostars into battery-electric trains.
The Definitive Battery-Electric Electrostar
It could have this specification.
- Based on a Class 377, Class 379 or Class 387 train.
- Three, four or five cars.
- I suspect the batteries would be spread around the cars.
- Dual-voltage or 25 KVAC overhead electrification only.
- Charging by 25 KVAC overhead electrification or Vivarail/GWR Fast Charge system.
Note.
- Battery range appropriate for the route.
- In GTR And Porterbrook Unveil £55 million Fleet Modernisation, I talk about an internal refurbishment of GTR’s trains.
It looks to me, that, whatever route Govia Thameslink Railway takes, there could be another twenty refurbished Class 377 or Class 387 trains, that could be available for conversion to four-car battery-electric trains.
Great Western Routes That Could Be Run By Battery-Electric Electrostars
Great Western Railway have 30 Class 387 trains, which are used on Thames Valley services around the London end of the Great Western Main Line.
Routes that could be suitable for Battery-Electric Electrostars include.
- London Paddington and Didcot Parkway – two trains per hour (tph) – 10 trains
- London Paddington and Oxford – one tph – 5 trains – 10.5 miles x 2
- London Paddington and Newbury – one tph – 5 trains
- Reading and Newbury – one tph – 2 trains
- Newbury and Bedwyn – one tph – 1 train – 13.3 miles x 2
- Reading and Basingstoke – two tph – 2 trains – 13.6 miles x 2
- Reading and Gatwick – two tph – 7 trains – 18.6 miles
Note.
- The number of trains is my rough estimate of the number, that would be needed to run each route.
- The miles is how much running would be needed on batteries.
My estimated total is 32, but there might be savings from more efficient routes. It looks like a range of around thirty miles would be sufficient.
Conclusion
It looks like after decarbonising Govia Thameslink Railway and the Thames Valley Services of Great Western Railway, there will be twenty high quality Electrostars available to decarbonise other routes.
Stadler’s FLIRT H2 Sets World Record For Hydrogen Powered Train
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
These three paragraphs introduce the article.
Stadler’s FLIRT H2 has set the Guinness World Record for the longest distance achieved by a hydrogen-powered passenger train without refuelling or recharging.
The record attempt began on the evening of 20th March 2024 at the ENSCO test centre in Pueblo, Colorado, and concluded 46 hours later, with the train completing 2803 kilometres on a single tank filling.
A team of engineers from Stadler and ENSCO drove the vehicle in shifts during the attempt.
The journey is about the same distance as the crow flies between Edinburgh and Athens.
Stadler have also published this video.
The train appears to be a a Flirt, like Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains or Transport for Wales’s Class 231 trains, with a power unit in the middle.
Note.
- The picture shows a Class 231 train at Cardiff Queen Street station.
- A Greater Anglia driver told me, these trains are 125 mph trains.
- The Flirt H2 has only two passenger cars, but UK Flirts are have three or four cars.
Perhaps we should buy a few of these trains for long routes like Liverpool and Norwich or Cardiff and Holyhead!
They would surely be ideal for CrossCountry
SeaTwirl And Verlume Join Forces To Drive Decarbonisation Of Offshore Assets
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Swedish energy-tech company SeaTwirl and UK-based energy management and energy storage firm Verlume have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the electrification of offshore assets and decarbonisation of the oil and gas industry.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The MoU will see the two companies identify and pursue potential opportunities for decarbonisation of offshore oil and gas and other associated offshore electrification opportunities using renewable energy, seabed-based energy storage, and intelligent energy management.
SeaTwirl and Verlume plan to develop systems for commercial sale, using combined technologies.
Note.
- This YouTube video introduces SeaTwirl.
- This YouTube video introduces Verlume.
This could be an MoU made in engineering heaven.
Verlume And Wave Power
The last two paragraphs of the article describe another project involving Verlume.
Aberdeen’s intelligent energy management specialists Verlume has developed a GBP 2 million (approximately USD 2.5 million) project linking the Blue X wave energy converter constructed by Mocean Energy with a Halo underwater battery storage system.
The industry-supported project, situated five kilometres east of Orkney Mainland, demonstrates the integration of green technologies to deliver consistent and sustainable low-carbon power and communication to subsea equipment.
Could Verlume, be the missing link that wave power needs?
Centrica Set For Solar Boost With Acquisition Of Two Projects In South-West England
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Two green energy schemes adding 32MW of solar and battery capacity – enough to power 7,800 homes per year
- Site in Dorset sees construction of a 16MW solar farm and 3MW of battery storage, with a second operational site in Wiltshire adding 13MW of solar capacity
- Investment part of Centrica’s £4bn green-focused investment plan by 2028
These four paragraphs give more details of the Dorset site.
In Dorset, the business has acquired development rights for the construction of a 16MW solar farm and 3MW battery storage plant near Winterborne Whitechurch.
The project breaks ground in early 2024, with the first power exported to the grid in 2025.
The site at Winterborne Whitechurch will be a co-located asset, with the solar farm and battery storage facilities using the same connection point to the grid, helping to maximise the grid connection.
The site is able to power 4,600 homes a year, supported by the battery that can deliver two-hours of energy for a similar number of properties.
But this is no bog-standard wind farm with an attached battery.
This web site introduces Blandford Hill Eco Hub.
This is the second paragraph on the web site’s home page.
The Blandford Hill Eco Hub project consists of an electric vehicle (EV) charging station, a 15 megawatt ground-mounted solar farm and a 3 megawatt battery storage faciality on land south of the A354 at Blandford Hill, Winterborne Whitechurch near Blandford Forum in Dorset. By combining green electricity generation, storage and charging, we’re maximising the green potential with charging for up to 19 EVs at a time.
Note.
- It’s rather a coincidence that the solar farm and battery are almost the same size to those in Centrica’s acquisition.
- The site appears to have been developed by a company called the Pegasus Group, that has used the trade name of Naturalis.
- It does look to me, that Centrica have bought this electric vehicle service station site.
- Centrica get a site to charge nineteen EVs at a time, with its own solar farm and battery.
- The location close to the village means that staff from the village could walk or cycle to work.
- All plans and planning permissions have been thought through and obtained.
- The site even has a dog-walking area, so you can walk the dog, whilst charging your car.
Perhaps, Centrica have a plan to roll out lots of electric vehicle service stations and it was cheaper to buy a innovative prototype, than do the research themselves?
Pegasus Group do seem to design quality projects.
This Google Map shows the location of the site.
Note.
- The village is Winterborne Whitechurch.
- The road going South-West and North-East is the A354 road, which runs between Dorchester in the South-West and Blandford Forum in the North-East.
- The electric vehicle service station appears to be in the large field to the South of the A 354.
It looks like the service station meets the three most important properties of a development; location, location and location.
Could This Site Be Updated To Hydrogen?
Consider.
- Centrica have a substantial interest in a company called HiiROC, who use a technique called plasma electrolysis to extract hydrogen from any hydrocarbon gas.
- The HiiROC process could be used to extract hydrogen from methane, where there is a reliable electricity supply.
- If Winterborne Whitechurch is connected to the gas grid, then I’m certain, that a HiiROC system connected to the solar farm/battery system should be able to fuel passing hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Updates like this could see hydrogen-powered vehicles finally increase their market share.
The Second Site In Wiltshire
This paragraph details the Wiltshire site.
In addition, the business has also acquired the operational Roundponds Solar Farm in Wiltshire. The 13MW solar farm was commissioned in 2015 and is capable of providing energy for around 3,200 homes every year.
This looks like one of those investments, where big companies let small companies get all the permissions and build the asset, before they buy it.
Conclusion
These two projects fit into Centrica’s future development plan.
The last paragraphs, gives a few details of some of Centrica’s new assets.
The Winterborne and Roundponds projects will contribute towards Centrica’s long-term plan to deliver a portfolio of green energy transition assets. They follow the construction of an 18MW solar farm at Codford, Wiltshire which was commissioned in 2023 and a 20MW hydrogen-ready gas-fired peaking plant in Worcestershire. In addition, Centrica is delivering a 50MW battery storage project in Brigg, Lincolnshire, which is nearing completion.
It will be interesting to see what other assets Centrica acquire in the next couple of years.
Two Ports Advance To Next Stage Of UK Gov Funding For Floating Wind
The title of this post, is the same as this article in Ground Engineering.
This is the sub-heading.
Port Talbot in Wales and Port of Cromarty Firth in Scotland have advanced to the next stage of a government funding scheme to develop port infrastructure that will facilitate floating offshore wind.
These three paragraphs introduce the developments.
The UK Government has agreed that the port expansion projects should progress to the next stage of its floating offshore wind manufacturing investment scheme (FLOWMIS) known as the primary list phase.
Up to £160M of grant funding will be allocated to certain investments in the floating offshore wind sector under the scheme.
The money will go towards funding the basic infrastructure necessary to support the assembly of floating offshore wind turbines. This includes the construction, replacement and upgrade of port infrastructure to accommodate large components such as towers and blades, as well as steel and concrete foundations and mooring cables required for floating offshore wind.
The article also says this about Port Talbot.
The Future Port Talbot project in south Wales would see the port transformed into a major hub for the manufacturing, assembly, and integration of floating offshore wind components for projects in the Celtic Sea.
Associated British Ports (ABP), which owns and operates the port, welcomed the government’s decision.
Note.
- Port Talbot will almost certainly use locally produced steel.
- There appears to be at least 4,832 MW of floating wind to be developed in the Celtic Sea in the next few years.
Port Talbot would be ideally placed to handle both English and Welsh coasts and waters in the Celtic Sea.
The article also says this about the Port of Cromarty Firth.
The Port of Cromarty Firth (PoCF) on the east coast of the Scottish Highlands will undergo a fifth phase of expansion work. This will develop the facilities and infrastructure necessary to enable the port to support offshore wind infrastructure projects off the coast of Scotland.
Over £50M has also been earmarked for the port’s expansion.
There appears to be at least 15,216 MW of floating wind to be developed in Scotland in the next few years.
Both ports seem to have welcomed the funding.
Adding the plans for Scotland and the Celtic Sea together gives a figure of just over 20 GW of floating wind to be developed in the next few years.
Conclusion
Surely, the award of funding for floating wind, is a good way to create a new industry and jobs in these two areas and also perform some sensible levelling-up.
I also suspect that spending £160 million to enable the construction of 20 GW of floating wind farm is a good return on the investment.
The Anonymous Widower 