Vestas’s 15 MW Wind Turbine Up At Danish Port of Thyborøn
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Vestas has completed the installation of its V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbine in the Port of Thyborøn in Denmark, only three months after the port ordered the company’s flagship model.
This is the first paragraph.
On 8 June, the wind turbine produced its first kWh of power, a crucial step in the final verification campaign, Vestas said in a social media post.
I suspect that soon, Vestas will be accepting orders for these large turbines.
RWE Orders 15 MW Nordseecluster Offshore Wind Turbines At Vestas
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Vestas has now revealed the name of the project and the client for a conditional contract the company signed in May as an unconditional order came in from RWE for the first phase of its 1.6 GW Nordseecluster offshore wind development in Germany.
This is the first paragraph.
The Denmark-based wind turbine OEM has received a firm order for 44 of its V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbines for the 660 MW Nordseecluster A, the first phase of RWE’s two-phased Nordseecluster project in Germany.
Note.
- The V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbine would appear to be Vesta’s largest turbine.
- On the Internet RWE’s Norfolk Vanguard West wind farm is shown as using the same turbine.
Does this mean that the Vestas V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbine, is now RWE’s standard offshore turbine? This would surely have manufacturing, installation, operation and maintenance advantages.
These wind farms in the UK could use the V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbines.
- Norfolk Boreas – 1380 MW – 92 turbines
- Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW – 92 turbines
- Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW – 92 turbines
- Dogger Bank South – 3000 MW – 200 turbines
- Awel y Môr – Up to 1100 MW – 73 turbines
- Five Estuaries – up to 1185 MW – 79 turbines
- North Falls – up to 504 MW – 34 turbines
Notes.
- The capacity us as sown on the RWE web site for each wind farm.
- The turbine numbers assume 15 MW turbines.
- The total capacity is 9929 MW.
- The number of turbines us 662.
The Nordseecluster will generate 1600 MW from 107 turbines.
Conclusion
I don’t see any reason, why all these wind farms couldn’t use the V236-15.0 MW offshore wind turbines.
UK Infrastructure Bank, Centrica & Partners Invest £300M in Highview Power Clean Energy Storage Programme To Boost UK’s Energy Security
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Highview Power.
This is the sub-heading.
Highview Power kickstarts its multi-billion pound renewable energy programme to accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero in Carrington, Manchester.
These three paragraphs outline the investment.
Highview Power has secured the backing of the UK Infrastructure Bank and the energy industry leader Centrica with a £300 million investment for the first commercial-scale liquid air energy storage (LAES) plant in the UK.
The £300 million funding round was led by the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and the British multinational energy and services company Centrica, alongside a syndicate of investors including Rio Tinto, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital.
The investment will enable the construction of one of the world’s largest long duration energy storage (LDES) facilities in Carrington, Manchester, using Highview Power’s proprietary LAES technology. Once complete, it will have a storage capacity of 300 MWh and an output power of 50 MWs per hour for six hours. Construction will begin on the site immediately, with the facility operational in early 2026, supporting over 700 jobs in construction and the supply chain.
Note.
- The backers are of a high quality.
- The Carrington LDES appears to be a 50 MW/300 MWh battery.
It finally looks like Highview Power is on its way.
These are my thoughts on the rest of news item.
Centrica’s Involvement
This paragraph talks about Centrica’s involvement.
Energy leader Centrica comes on board as Highview Power’s strategic partner and a key player in the UK’s energy transition, supporting Carrington and the accelerated roll-out of the technology in the UK through a £70 million investment. The programme will set the bar for storage energy systems around the world, positioning the UK as the global leader in energy storage and flexibility.
I suspect that Centrica have an application in mind.
In Centrica Business Solutions Begins Work On 20MW Hydrogen-Ready Peaker In Redditch, I talk about how Centrica is updating an old peaker plant.
In the related post I refer to this news item from Centrica Business Systems.
This paragraph in the Centrica Business Systems news item, outlines Centrica’s plans.
The Redditch peaking plant is part of Centrica’s plans to deliver around 1GW of flexible energy assets, that includes the redevelopment of several legacy-owned power stations, including the transformation of the former Brigg Power Station in Lincolnshire into a battery storage asset and the first plant in the UK to be part fuelled by hydrogen.
As Redditch power station is only 20 MW, Centrica could be thinking of around fifty assets of a similar size.
It seems to me, that some of these assets could be Highview Power’s LDES batteries of an appropriate size. They may even be paired with a wind or solar farm.
Larger Systems
Highview Power’s news item, also has this paragraph.
Highview Power will now also commence planning on the next four larger scale 2.5 GWh facilities (with a total anticipated investment of £3 billion). Located at strategic sites across the UK, these will ensure a fast roll-out of the technology to align with UK LDES support mechanisms and enable the ESO’s Future Energy Scenario Plans.
Elsewhere on their web site, Highview Power say this about their 2.5 GWh facilities.
Highview Power’s next projects will be located in Scotland and the North East and each will be 200MW/2.5GWh capacity. These will be located on the national transmission network where the wind is being generated and therefore will enable these regions to unleash their untapped renewable energy potential and store excess wind power at scale.
So will the four larger systems have a 200MW/2.5GWh capacity?
They could, but 200 MW may not be an appropriate output for the location. Or a longer duration may be needed.
Highview Power’s design gives the flexibility to design a system, that meets each application.
Working With National Grid
Highview Power’s news item, also has this sentence.
Highview Power’s technology will also provide stability services to the National Grid, which will allow for the long-term replacement of fossil fuel-based power plants for system support.
Highview Power’s technology is also an alternative to Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) of a similar capacity.
How does Highview Power’s technology compare with the best lithium-ion systems on price, performance and reliability?
Curtailment Of Wind Farms
Highview Power’s news item, also has these two paragraphs.
This storage will help reduce curtailment costs – which is significant as Britain spent £800m in 2023 to turn off wind farms.
Highview Power aims to accelerate the roll-out of its larger facilities across the UK by 2035 in line with one of National Grid’s target scenario forecasts of a 2 GW requirement from LAES, which would represent nearly 20% of the UK’s long duration energy storage needs. By capturing and storing excess renewable energy, which is now the cheapest form of electricity, storage can help keep energy costs from spiralling, and power Britain’s homes with 24/7 renewable clean energy.
I can see several wind farms, that are regularly curtailed would have a Highview Power battery installed at their onshore substation.
Receently, I wrote Grid Powers Up With One Of Europe’s Biggest Battery Storage Sites, which described how Ørsted are installing a 300 MW/600 MWh Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at Swardeston substation, where Hornsea Three connects to the grid.
I would suspect that the purpose of the battery is to avoid turning off the wind farm.
Would a Highview Power battery be better value?
What’s In It For Rio Tinto?
I can understand, why most companies are investing, but Rio Tinto are a mining company. My only thought is that they have a lot of redundant holes in the ground, that cost them a lot of money and by the use of Highview Power’s technology, they can be turned into productive assets.
Collateral Benefits
Highview Power’s news item, also has this paragraph.
Beyond contributing to the UK’s energy security by reducing the intermittency of renewables, Highview Power’s infrastructure programme will make a major contribution to the UK economy, requiring in excess of £9 billion investment in energy storage infrastructure over the next 10 years – with the potential to support over 6,000 jobs and generate billions of pounds in value add to the economy. It will also contribute materially to increasing utilisation of green energy generation, reducing energy bills for consumers and providing significantly improved energy stability and security.
If Highview Power can do that for the UK, what can it do for other countries?
No wonder companies of the quality of Centrica, Rio Tinto and Goldman Sachs are investing.
The Anonymous Widower 