The Anonymous Widower

The MailOnline’s View Of Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity

The MailOnline gives their view on Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity on the front page of their web site today.

This is the bold title.

Scotland is littered with windfarms. Now the impact of billion-pound hydro projects to store energy they produce threatens our scenic landscapes… and led critics to brand the plans – The Loch Ness Monstrosity

To my mind, the site’s language leaves no doubt that they are not keen on either windfarms or the hydro projects to store energy.

Calling the plans the Loch Ness Monstrosity, is an insult to the engineers, who have devised the plans.

The journalist, who wrote the article has made the same mistake, that many do when they write about any form of energy storage – They only give the output of the battery and not the output and the storage capacity.

Thus Red John Pumped Hydro is described in the article like this.

The £550million Loch na Cathrach venture (formerly known as Red John, after a popular local lochan), is one of the biggest renewable energy projects in the North and was granted consent by the Scottish Government in June 2021 despite strong objections from campaigners and Highland Council but has yet to be built in the hills near Dores.

The 450MW project owned by Norwegian state firm Statkraft hopes to start construction next year and be operational by 2030.

Note.

1. Red John is a 450 MW project with a storage capacity of 2,800 MWh, which is conventionally shown as a 450 MW/2,800 MWh battery.
2. A battery of this size can supply 450 MW for 6.2 hours, which is more than a lithium-ion battery of the same cost could manage.
3. 450 MW is about the average size of a gas-fired power station.

Where the geography is suitable, pumped storage hydroelectric stations may be able to replace gas-fired power stations.

• There would be no cooling towers.
• There would be no chimneys or associated pollution.
• The electrical gubbins to connect to the grid would be the same and could probably be refurbished.

The new lake could be used for water-based activities like fishing, sailing skiing and swimming.

Conclusion

Obviously, playing the Nimby-card sells newspapers.

October 28, 2024 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | Loch Na Cathrach/Red John Pumped Hydro, Nimbies, Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity, Scotland