The Anonymous Widower

The Areas Where Labour Wants To Build Onshore Wind Farms, Mapped

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

This is the sub-heading.

Ten onshore wind projects have been proposed to help keep UK on track to have at least 95 per cent clean power by 2030.

This is the first paragraph.

The Government is bracing for its biggest nimby battle yet as onshore wind farm companies work on a flurry of proposals after an effective ban on development was lifted in England.

I suggest you take the time to read the well-written informative article, if you are worried about onshore wind farms being parked on the hill behind your house.

The first ten are provocative and there is a map of their locations, which are mainly in Scotland and Wales, on the Pennines and in Lincolnshire.

This paragraph in the article, quotes government data on the cost of various forms of energy.

They estimate that over the entire course of a project’s life, onshore wind costs £38 per mega watt hour of energy, compared to £44 for offshore and £41 for solar. Gas, meanwhile, is £114, while nuclear is £128.

I don’t have any other real data, but it does appear that floating offshore wind farms have a higher capacity factor, which should tip the cost comparison back in its favour.

But I do suspect that Ed Miliband will use these figures to increase the amount of onshore wind in the ?UK and especially n England.

As larger turbines are being tested by the Chinese and Siemens, I suspect too, that we’ll see larger turbines installed onshore.

I also believe as a Control Engineer, that as the number of large turbines increases,  we will see more energy storage built alongside wind farms.

December 24, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , | 2 Comments

Redundant Coal Wagons To Be Converted For Construction Traffic

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

These three paragraphs describe the project.

WH Davis is to convert coal wagons owned by leasing company Porterbrook for use by Freightliner to transport aggregates.

’This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what can be achieved by giving redundant fleets a purpose for the next 30-plus years’, said WH Davis Managing Director Andy Houghton on December 19. ‘It’s a truly sustainable option that also gives UK manufacturing a boost to enable the creation of UK jobs in the industry. I really can’t wait to see our latest box wagon design in traffic for Freightliner in 2025.’

Mark Wyborn, Head of Freight at Porterbrook, said freight volumes in the construction sector were expected to continue growing, and the deal ’highlights our commitment to investing in the long-term growth of rail freight while providing affordable, innovative and sustainable rolling stock for the UK railway’.

We need more recycling projects like these.

In the article, there is a picture of a Class 66 locomotive like this one.

Except this one, which is named after Benjamin Gimbert GC, is different in that it is running on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). which is a more sustainable fuel.

Unfortunately, there is only so much second-hand vegetable oil from the likes of McDonalds and Burger King and it is also a component of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

But in the UK, we have engineers at Cummins, JCB, Ricardo and a number of other companies, research organisations and universities, who could create a conversion for the American two-stroke diesels of the Class 66 locomotive so they could run on hydrogen.

These posts detail attempts to create a zero-carbon or dual-fuel locomotive in the UK and some of my thoughts.

The Bi-Mode Class 99 locomotive is coming, but we need action now.

I estimate it would probably cost up to £2million to convert a Class 66 locomotive to hydrogen.

So why not have a competition with a prize of perhaps £10million to see who, can produce the best Class 66 or Class 68 locomotive conversion by the end of 2025?

Conclusion

We need urgent action to cut pollution, noise and emissions from heavy freight locomotives and market forces and government grants don’t seem to have produced a solution, so perhaps a competition with a big prize might do it.

It could even be televised,

 

December 24, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kentish Town Station – 24th December 2024

Kentish Town station reopened today after the fitting of two new escalators.

It appears that only the two escalators have been replaced and the station has been redecorated.

The Guy With The Hat

Note in the pictures(18-24) going down the escalator, I was following a guy in a checked shirt and a wide-brimmed hat.

When a train was entering the station below he was having difficulty because of the updraft keeping hold of the hat.

Does This Station Need A Lift?

This article on the BBC is entitled Kentish Town Tube Station Reopens After 18 Months.

Nothing is said about why the eighteen months wasn’t used to fit a lift to make the station fully step-free.

There have been two Mayor’s Questions about putting in lifts at Kentish Town station and both answers were similar. This was the first answer.

TfL has carried out a high-level investigation into installing lifts at Kentish Town. It has indicated that the scheme would involve digging new tunnels and installing a new lift shaft in a very constrained worksite adjacent to the main road and busy operational railways. Due to the complexity of this project and therefore high estimated cost, in the region of £40m, Kentish Town is not being considered as part of the £200m five-year programme.

This Google Map shows Kentish Town station.

Note the footbridge over the station leading over the National Rail station to the Underground station marked by the red logo.

In any scheme to make all of Kentish Town station step-free, this bridge would surely be made step-free or replaced by perhaps a tunnel under the railway.

Costs would be very high, even with a very expensive development on top, which was making a contribution.

Unless an architectural genius comes up with a better scheme, I think what has just been installed, will be the best that can be provided.

Camden Council will probably find it better to send disabled taxis.

December 24, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 6 Comments