Plans for Hydrogen Development At Dogger Bank D Gain Ground
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Dogger Bank D, the potential fourth phase of the world’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, Dogger Bank Wind Farm, has awarded contracts to engineering consultants to support the feasibility and optimization of a large-scale green hydrogen development option on the project
These three paragraphs outline the project.
SSE Renewables and Equinor, the developers of the Dogger Bank wind farm in the UK, awarded contracts for green hydrogen concept and engineering and optimization studies to Genesis, H2GO Power, and Fichtner.
If progressed for delivery, Dogger Bank D would be located in the North Sea around 210 kilometers off the northeast coast of England. Subject to the successful outcome of further technical studies, the project could be capable of generating up to around 2 GW of renewable power.
The 2 GW offshore wind farm is currently planned to comprise 128 wind turbines and up to six offshore platforms.
Note.
According to the article, this would be one of the UK’s largest green hydrogen production facilities.
The partners said, that the project could contribute to the UK Government’s electrolytic hydrogen ambitions for 5 GW by 2030.
This is said about the studies.
Using AI machine learning and robust modeling, these studies will investigate the multitude of interdependent variables required to optimize a potential green hydrogen production facility, such as offshore wind farm sizing, electrolysis capacity, transport and storage capacity, water availability, and offtake optionality.
I was using robust modelling on projects such as these fifty years ago, both with Artemis and bespoke software.
To my mind, SSE Renewables and Equinor are doing the right thing. If anybody has a similar project with lots of variables, I’d love to give my opinion.
I have some thoughts.
How Much Hydrogen Will Be Produced?
Ryze Hydrogen are building the Herne Bay electrolyser.
- It will consume 23 MW of solar and wind power.
- It will produce ten tonnes of hydrogen per day.
The electrolyser will consume 552 MWh to produce ten tonnes of hydrogen, so creating one tonne of hydrogen needs 55.2 MWh of electricity.
This would mean that if the Japanese built one Herne Bay-size electrolyser, then it would produce around three hundred tonnes of hydrogen in an average month.
Consider.
- Dogger Bank D is likely to be a 2 GW wind farm.
- This document on the OFGEM web site, says that the Dogger Bank wind farms will have a capacity factor of 45 %.
- This means that Dogger Bank D wind farm will produce an average of 900 MW over a year.
- This works out at 7,884 GWh of electricity in a year.
As each tonne of hydrogen needs 55.2 MWh to be produced, this means if all the electricity produced by Dogger Bank D, is used to create green hydrogen, then 142,826.1 tonnes will be produced.
How Will The Hydrogen Be Brought Ashore?
142,826.1 tonnes is a lot of green hydrogen and the easiest ways to transfer it to the shore would be by a pipeline or a tanker.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the use of tankers, as this would give more flexibility and allow the export of hydrogen to countries in need of hydrogen.
Will There Be Hydrogen Storage In The Dogger Bank D Wind Farm?
This would surely be a possibility, but there are security considerations.
Cost would also be a factor!
The Location Of The Dogger Bank D Wind Farm
I clipped this map of Dogger Bank A, B, C and D wind farms from this page of the Dogger Bank D web site.
Note.
- RWE’s Dogger Bank South wind farm is not shown on the map.
- Dogger Bank D wind farm is the most Easterly of the four wind farms being developed by SSE Renewables and Equinor.
- Dogger Bank D wind farm must be the closest of the Dogger Bank wind farms to the Eastern border of the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ.
Dogger Bank D wind farm would appear to be ideally placed to supply hydrogen to a number of places, by either pipeline or tanker.
Could Dogger Bank South Wind Farm Also Produce Hydrogen?
In RWE Partners With Masdar For 3 GW Dogger Bank South Offshore Wind Projects, I talked about the change of ownership of the Dogger Bank South wind farm.
I would assume that the Dogger Bank South wind farm will be located to the South of the Dogger Bank A,B, C and D wind farms.
Whether it will produce hydrogen will be a matter for the owners and market conditions.
I do believe though, that it could share some facilities with the those that might be built for Dogger Bank D wind farm.
Conclusion
After this brief look, Dogger Bank D could be an ideal place to build a large hydrogen production facility.
Wales’ Public Transport Priorities All Wrong, Expert Says
The title of this post, is the same as that if this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The Welsh government has got its priorities wrong over public transport, an expert has said.
These five paragraphs outline the story.
Ministers should have improved bus and train services before reducing speeds from 30mph to 20mph on many Welsh roads, said Stuart Cole, Emeritus Professor at University of South Wales.
He said public transport facilities should have been “put in before any other anti-motorist legislation”.
The Welsh government said current arrangements were complex across Wales.
But Prof Cole said the Welsh government had “gone about it the wrong way round” although “what they’ve done is not in itself a bad idea”.
He said he wanted to see Wales emulate the Netherlands, where there’s been massive investment in trains and buses to entice motorists out of their cars.
I agree with Professor Cole and I feel that the Welsh Government’s approach has been all stick and no carrot!
He also criticises the lack of a Welsh travel card.
The article gives a classic example of bad transport planning.
Llanelli, in Carmarthenshire, which happens to be Transport Minister Lee Waters’ constituency, is a good example of how buses and trains are not integrated.
The bus station is a mile away from the train station, and there are no buses linking the two.
In fact there are no buses at all from the railway station.
There must be other examples like this all over the country.
Perhaps we need a UK-wide complaints department for idiocies like this.
British Land Unveils Plans To Transform London’s Euston Tower Into A Life Sciences And Innovation Hub
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from British Land.
The Wikipedia entry for the Euston Tower gives this paragraph of history.
The site was developed by Joe Levy who bought properties along the north side of Euston Road to enable him to build a complex of two tower blocks with office shops and apartments. The building, which was designed by Sidney Kaye Eric Firmin & Partners in the International style and built by George Wimpey, was completed in 1970. It is 36-storeys and 124 metres (407 ft) high. Early tenants included Inmarsat and Capital Radio.
When you get to over fifty years old, various parts of your body get tired and I suspect it is the same with buildings.
These are the two bullet points of the press release.
- Euston Tower represents a major retrofit and redevelopment opportunity at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter
- Proposals aim to transform the building into a world-class net zero home for world-leading life science and innovation occupiers
These two paragraphs then add a bit more vision.
Leading property company British Land has unveiled plans to redevelop Euston Tower through an innovative combination of retention, re-use and an ultra-low carbon new structure. The plans would transform the building into a pioneering, modern, net zero workspace for cutting-edge businesses of all sizes, including new world-class, lab-enabled spaces at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter.
Currently under discussion with Camden Council and other local stakeholders, the vision for Euston Tower will lead the way in low carbon retrofit and construction techniques, using inclusive design which creates high quality workspaces and continues to support the local community and economy. The current proposals will bring forward lab-enabled spaces for start-up and scale-up innovation businesses, as well as spaces for the local community to support education and training opportunities.
These are points from the press release.
- Leading the design are award-winning Danish architecture practice 3XN.
- They are supported by London-based architecture and landscape studio DSDHA who re-designed much of Broadgate’s public realm, including Exchange Square.
- In line with British Land’s longstanding commitment to net zero development, the design’s sustainability strategy is based on retaining, re-using and re-cycling existing material, specifying low carbon and recycled materials where new is required and only using certified carbon offsets as an action of last resort.
- This multi-layered approach to net zero development aims to create a blueprint for the sustainable redevelopment of challenging, inflexible old buildings that can be used in the future.
British Land has owned and operated Regent’s Place for nearly 40 years, which means they must have a lot of knowledge about how best to develop the building and its surroundings.
They certainly seem to be applying a modern net-zero approach to a building that was iconic and modern in the 1970s.
This afternoon I walked down the Euston Road between Euston and Great Portland Street stations and took these pictures.
Note.
- Euston Station is a shadow of its former self.
- Euston Tower is the boxy tower on the North side of Euston Road.
- University College London Hospital (UCLH) is the tower on the South side of Euston Road.
- I believe the glass-fronted building opposite the hospital and Euston Tower contains a lot of BT infrastructure.
I have some thoughts.
Traffic Along The Euston Road
I took the pictures around 1400 in a Friday and they show how busy the Euston Road is most of the time.
According to the Wikipedia entry for the Euston Road, there was a plan to remove the underpass.
In the early-21st century, the Greater London Authority commissioned a plan to improve the road from the architectural firm, Terry Farrell and Partners. The original study proposed removing the underpass (which was subsequently cancelled) and providing a pedestrian crossing and removing the gyratory system connecting the Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street. The scheme was approved by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone as “the start of changing the Marylebone to Euston road from a highway into a series of linked public spaces.” The pedestrian crossing opened in March 2010. Livingstone’s successor, Boris Johnson, favours keeping the Euston Road underpass and declared it to be a good place to test his nerves when cycling around London.
Nothing is said about, where the traffic would have gone, if the underpass had been closed.
I walked along the South side of the Euston Road past the hospital and the air couldn’t be considered clean. As I write this, this website rates it Hazardous.
If we ignore the pollution for pedestrians and cyclists, is it really a road, that is fit for the purpose of moving traffic between King’s Cross and Baker Street, and vice-versa? I don’t think so!
The UK Needs More Lab Space
Cambridge innovators and developers were always saying they needed more lab space.
I also suspect, they are moaning in Oxford too!
So building high-quality space in London could reduce the pressure.
In Canary Wharf Boosts Its Science Ambitions, I talked about the ambitions of Canary Wharf to be a life sciences hub.
The Euston Tower Is Well-Connected
Consider.
- The Euston Tower is within walking distance of Euston, King’s Cross and St. Pancras stations, with all their long distance connections.
- The Euston Tower is within walking distance of Euston Square, Great Portland Street, King’s Cross St. Pancras and Warren Square stations, with all their Underground connections.
- There are buses everywhere.
But that’s not to say, that these links cannot be improved.
Euston High Speed Two Station Could Be Euston Tower’s Sister?
This Google Map shows the location of Euston Town and the proposed Euston High Speed Two station.
Note.
- Euston Tower is marked by a red arrow in the South-West corner of the map.
- The existing Euston station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The High Speed Two station will be built along the Western side of the existing station.
With good landscaping, an excellent walking route, and perhaps a people mover Euston Tower could have superb connections to the rest of the UK.
Cycling And Walking Could Be A Possibility!
This Google Map shows the wider area around Euston Tower.
Note.
- Euston Tower is marked by the red arrow towards the bottom of the map.
- To its West lies the cycling- and walking-friendly spaces of Regents Park and Primrose Hill.
In the 1970s, I regularly walked or cycled across the park from where we lived near Primrose Hill to a client in Great Portland Street.
I also suspect other cycling and walking routes could be developed to Euston Tower from Euston, King’s Cross, St. Pancras and other stations.
Crossrail 2
Crossrail 2 would certainly help travelling to the Euston Tower, by linking Euston, King’s Cross and St.Pancras to North-East and South-West suburbs of London, with trains at frequencies of up to 30 thirty trains per hour (tph) in the central tunnel.
But.
- The new line will cost at least £31.2 billion. Who can afford it?
- The Elizabeth Line took sixteen years from approval to full opening.
- Crossrail 2 would still be a walk from Euston Tower.
So Crossrail 2 is unlikely to be any help to the redevelopment of Euston Tower.
Improving The Sub-Surface Lines
The Euston Tower is close to two stations on the sub-surface lines; Euston Square and Great Portland Street.
Services through these stations are currently as follows.
- Circle Line – 6 tph – In both directions all day.
- Hammersmith & City Line – 6 tph – In both directions all day.
- Aldgate and Amersham- 2 tph – In both directions all day.
- Aldgate and Chesham – 2 tph – In both directions all day.
- Aldgate and Uxbridge – 6 tph Peak – 8 tph – Off-Peak
- Aldgate and Watford – 4 tph – Peak
Note.
- In the Peak there are 26 tph through Great Portland Street and Euston Square stations.
- In the Off Peak there are 24 tph through Great Portland Street and Euston Square stations.
- In this article on Modern Railways,it is said that after digital signalling is installed on the sub-surface lines, the capacity on the lines, will be 32 tph in the Peak and 27 tph in the Off-Peak.
These figures give a 33 % capacity increase in the Peak and a 28 % increase in the Off Peak.
Both Great Portland Street and Euston Square stations are cramped and not fully step-free stations and could struggle with a 28 % and upwards increase in passenger numbers.
In The New Step-Free Entrance At Euston Square Station, I detailed TfL’s plans to put a new full step-free entrance South of Euston Road at Euston Square station.
This would not directly help travellers going between Euston Tower and Euston station, but hopefully, it would help to make Euston station less crowded and more passenger-friendly.
It would certainly ease walking between University College and the hospital, and the station.
This map from cartometro shows the Underground lines at Great Portland Street station.
Note.
- The yellow and mauve tracks are the sub-surface lines.
- The black tracks are the Northern Line.
- The blue tracks are the Victoria Line.
This Google Map shows the Euston Tower, Great Portland Street and Warren Street stations.
Note.
- The Euston Tower is indicated by a red arrow in the top-right corner of the map.
- Great Portland Street station is in the bottom-left corner of the map.
- Warren Street station is at the left of the map.
I wonder if the platforms were to be extended Eastwards at Great Portland Street station, that a new entrance to the station could be created perhaps fifty metres from Euston Tower.
I am convinced that the extra passenger traffic created by the life sciences and innovation hub can be handled by an augmented transport infrastructure, which would rely mainly on planned improvements to the sub-surface lines, which are approaching their final stages.
Conclusion
Converting Euston Tower into a life sciences and innovation hub is a plan that I believe can work well!
I would recommend the following improvements to public transport.
- The planned extra step-free entrance to Euston Square station on Gordon Street is constructed.
- An extra fully step-free entrance is built at the Eastern ends of the platforms at Great Portland Street station, which would be about halfway between Euston Tower and the station.
As improvements to the signalling of the sub-surface lines will deliver an upwards of 27 % capacity on the sub-surface lines, the life sciences and innovation hub might as well take advantage.
Treforest Estate Station – 28th November 2023
On Tuesday, I went to South Wales to look at the progress of the South Wales Metro.
I took these pictures at Treforest Estate station.
Note.
- The station has a narrow island platform.
- Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Treherbert trains go through here. but on Tuesday not all were stopping.
- It was rather cold and draughty.
- The electrification looks to be of high quality.
This OpenRalwayMap shows the tracks through the station.
Note.
- Electrified lines are shown in red.
- Unelectrified lines are shown in black.
- Pontypridd, where the tracks are not electrified is at the top of the map.
- The strange squiggle in the South-East corner of the map is Taff’s Well Depot.
- The blue arrow indicates the position of Treforest Estate station.
This OpenRalwayMap shows the station at a larger scale.
Note.
- Electrified lines are shown in red.
- Unelectrified lines are shown in black.
I wonder if the drivers will raise and lower the pantograph in Treforest Estate station. Or will this be automatic?
Highview Power, Ørsted Find Value In Integrating Offshore Wind With Liquid Air Energy Storage
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Highview Power and Ørsted have completed their joint investigation into how combining the technologies of Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) and offshore wind could unlock greater value for investors and consumers.
These three paragraphs outline the findings.
The results show that there is value in combining offshore wind with LAES to support reducing wind curtailment, increasing productivity, and helping the move to a more flexible, resilient zero-carbon grid, according to Higher Power.
The two companies have carried out analysis of technical performance, route to planning approval, and route to market with a regulatory and economic assessment.
As a result of this study, the companies believe a project can be developed and built aligned with the timeline of an offshore wind farm.
I feel very strongly, that putting the two technologies together is a good idea.
In the simplest cases, the storage could be built into the offshore sub-station.
Could LAES Be Used With Hornsea 4 Wind Farm?
The Wikipedia entry for the Hornsea Wind Farm says this about Hornsea 4.
In July 2023, British government officials gave the final approval for Hornsea Four, the fourth phase of the wind project. Hornsea Four is expected to generate 2.6GW, have 180 giant wind turbines, and has the capability to generate enough renewable energy to power 1 million homes in Britain.
The Wikipedia entry also says this about Hornsea 3.
Project 3 will be to the east of Projects 1 and 2, with an estimated maximum capacity of 2.4 GW over 696 square kilometres (269 sq mi). DONG Energy (which in November 2017 changed its name to Ørsted) began consultation on the project’s development in May 2016. Ørsted submitted a Development consent application in 2018 and consent was granted on 31 December 2020.[69] In early 2023, consent was also given to a battery storage power station at Swardeston. The project is expected to begin construction in 2022, and be completed by 2025.
If Ørsted are adding a battery to the 2.4 GW Hornsea 3 wind farm, I would feel, that Ørsted would think about a battery on the 2.6 GW Hornsea 4 wind farm.
The Energy Storage The UK Needs
This is the last paragraph of the article.
The UK will need up to 100 GWh of energy storage by 2050 according to the estimates from National Grid ESO’s Future Energy Systems Scenario.
SSE Renewables are planning two large pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in Scotland.
- Coire Glas – 1.5 GW/30 GWh – Possible completion in 2031.
- Loch Sloy – 152.5 MW/25 GWh – See SSE Unveils Redevelopment Plans For Sloy Hydro-Electric Power Station.
A quick calculation, says we’d need seven pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations, which need a lot of space and a handy mountain.
I don’t think pumped-storage hydroelectric would be feasible.
Highview Power say this about their next projects on this page of their web site.
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.
Note.
- This is more like the size.
- Work is now underway at Carrington – a 50MW / 300MWh plant at Trafford Energy Park near Manchester.
- Highview’s technology uses liquid air to store energy and well-proven turbo-machinery.
They are a definite possibility, as only eighteen 200MW/2.5GWh systems would be needed.
Abercynon Station – 28th November 2023
On Tuesday, I went to South Wales to look at the progress of the South Wales Metro.
I took these pictures at Abercynon station.
Note.
- The station has a wide island platform.
- The Aberdare and the Merthyr Tydfil branches merge here.
- It was rather draughty.
- The electrification looks to be of high quality.
This OpenRalwayMap shows the tracks through the station.
Note.
- Electrified lines are shown in red.
- Unelectrified lines are shown in black.
- The single-track going North is the Aberdare branch.
- The single-track going North-East is the Merthyr Tydfil branch.
- There is a crossover to the North of the station, so that trains can go where they should.
- The single platform is the grey-shaded area between the two tracks.
- The tracks are electrified to the South.
It is a neat simple station, that also allows passengers to travel between stations on different Northern branches.
The Increase In Passenger Capacity
Consider.
- Currently, there are two Class 150/2 tph on both Northern branches.
- This means current capacity is 596 passengers per hour.
- After electrification, there will be four Class 398 tph on both Northern branches.
- This means future capacity is 2016 passengers per hour.
That is an increase of 238 % in the capacity.
Centrica Energy, Bord Gáis Energy And Mitsubishi Power Announce Development Of Europe’s First Ammonia Fired Power Generation Facility
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
This is the sub-heading.
Centrica plc and Mitsubishi Power Europe Limited “Mitsubishi Power Europe” have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the development, construction, and operation of Europe’s first-ever ammonia-fired power generation facility at Bord Gáis Energy’s Whitegate Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station in Cork, Ireland.
These four paragraphs outline the project.
The project is being led by Centrica through its Bord Gáis Energy and Centrica Energy businesses and Mitsubishi Power Europe and would become Europe’s inaugural ammonia-fired power generation facility and one of only two such facilities in the world.
The utilisation of low carbon ammonia as a clean and sustainable fuel source for power generation has the potential to provide security of supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Low carbon ammonia has a higher volumetric density than hydrogen, enabling the utilisation of low carbon hydrogen in a form which is easy to transport and store, resulting in a fuel that can be combusted with no carbon emissions at point of use. Its use as a fuel is a promising long-term energy solution for the transition to a low-carbon energy value chain.
Bord Gáis Energy’s facility at Whitegate CCGT power station would serve as a global demonstration site for ammonia-fired power generation technology, providing insight into the feasibility and scalability of low carbon ammonia as a green fuel and shaping the future of power generation worldwide, with low carbon ammonia being sourced through Centrica Energy’s global trading network.
Following the signing of the MOU, the project team is being established to commence project feasibility assessments. Upon the successful outcome of this assessment, extensive local stakeholder engagement will commence.
Note.
- No mention of the size of the new power station is given in the press release.
- Whitegate power station is a 445 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT), that was built in 2010.
- It can meet ten percent of Ireland’s electricity demand.
I have a few thoughts.
Will The Existing Power Station Be Converted To Ammonia Or Will A New Ammonia-Fired Power Station Be Built Alongside?
Consider.
- If the second station doesn’t work, there’s no reduction in power.
- If a replacement station doesn’t work, ten percent of Ireland will be in the dark.
- Ireland will be needing more power in the next few years.
- A second power station can be appropriately-sized.
- Japanese don’t like to lose face!
Prudence probably says that building a second station alongside is the least risky route.
Wind Power In Ireland
This Wikipedia entry is entitled Wind Power In Ireland.
This is the first paragraph.
As of 2021 the island of Ireland has 5,585 megawatt and the Republic of Ireland has 4,309 MW of installed wind power nameplate capacity, the third highest per capita in the world. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland’s electrical demand, one of the highest wind power penetrations in the world.
There is also one 500 MW interconnector between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, with another similar-sized one under construction.
As the wind doesn’t blow all the time, the island of Ireland will need some low-carbon backup.
Why Ammonia?
This paragraph from the press release gives several reasons.
The utilisation of low carbon ammonia as a clean and sustainable fuel source for power generation has the potential to provide security of supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Low carbon ammonia has a higher volumetric density than hydrogen, enabling the utilisation of low carbon hydrogen in a form which is easy to transport and store, resulting in a fuel that can be combusted with no carbon emissions at point of use. Its use as a fuel is a promising long-term energy solution for the transition to a low-carbon energy value chain.
There may also be secondary issues here.
If you read the Applications section in the Wikipedia entry for ammonia, you will realise, what a useful chemical ammonia is.
As Ireland has a lot of agriculture, a fertiliser plant could be located close to the power station.
If the ammonia was green ammonia, then this will help to decarbonise the island of Ireland.
Where Will The Green Ammonia Come From?
These posts deal with the production and distribution of green ammonia.
- Could West Africa Become A Green Energy Powerhouse?
- H2U Eyre Peninsula Gateway Hydrogen Project Begins Largest Green Ammonia Plant
- KEPSA Signs Large-Scale Green Energy Projects MoU In Kenya
- Namibia Is Building A Reputation For The Cheapest Green Hydrogen
- Uniper To Make Wilhelmshaven German Hub For Green Hydrogen; Green Ammonia Import Terminal
Note.
- A continent with a lot of renewable energy like Africa or Australia can create lots of green ammonia.
- As the press release says, ammonia is easier to transport and store compared to hydrogen.
- The press release says that low carbon ammonia will be sourced through Centrica Energy’s global trading network.
- Fortescue Future Industries is mentioned in several posts, as producers of green hydrogen and green ammonia.
- Centrica is big enough to stand up to Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Fortescue Future Industries.
As in a few years, we will have many GWs of renewable energy, could we be making green ammonia for the Irish?
This news story on the UK Research and Innovation web site is entitled Designs For Green Ammonia Plant Become Reality.
This is the sub-heading.
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) researchers are building a small-scale plant to generate ammonia using only renewable energy sources.
These two paragraphs outline the story.
Ammonia is a promising carbon-free fuel source of the future and so if successful, the plant has the potential to considerably advance the UK’s net zero ambitions.
It marks the second phase of the Ammonia Synthesis Plant from Intermittent Renewable Energy (ASPIRE) initiative which will be led by STFC in conjunction with the University of Bath, Johnson Matthey, and Frazer-Nash Consultancy.
The UK Research and Innovation news story has this description of the ASPIRE technology.
Current commercial ammonia synthesis is optimised for near steady production requiring constant power.
The first phase of ASPIRE however saw the design of a patented modular reactor and thermal management system that should enable operation from an intermittent renewable power supply.
The new plant will have three core elements:
- a pressure swing adsorption system which extracts nitrogen from air
- a modular electrolyser which splits hydrogen from water
- a synthesis loop that uses the modular reactor and a thermal management system to combine hydrogen and nitrogen to make ammonia
This will enable the entire production process to operate autonomously, powered by a small wind turbine and series of solar canopies with an ammonia generation rate proportional to the available renewable power.
There is even this quote from a Dr. Alan Partridge.
Thanks to the incredible work on this initiative by the team at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as well as the University of Bath and private sector partners, we are closer than ever to producing industry-scale green ammonia for the UK and the world.
Perhaps, this technology will allow the island of Ireland to make all the green ammonia it needs.
Will Centrica Be Going Into The Green Ammonia Business?
The Centrica press release says they will be dealing in green ammonia for the benefit of Ireland. So Yes!
Conclusion
The news story on the UK Research and Innovation web site is a must-read.
As we have so much renewable energy in the UK, some company will build an ASPIRE-based green ammonia plant in the UK.
Merthyr Tydfil Station – 28th November 2023
Yesterday, I went to South Wales to look at the progress of the South Wales Metro.
I took these pictures at the station and in the town.
Note.
- It is only a single-platform station.
- The platform and track appear to be reasonably flat.
- Several bay terminal platforms in the UK like four of those at Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington stations near me are able to handle four trains per hour (tph).
- The Class 150/2 trains in the are 19.74 metres long and have a maximum capacity of 149.
- The new electric Class 398 tram-trains are 40.07 metres long and have a capacity of 252.
The platform appears to be long enough for the new trains.
These are my thoughts.
Capacity To And From Merthyr Tydfil
Consider.
- Currently, there are two Class 150/2 tph.
- This means current capacity is 298 passengers per hour.
- After electrification, there will be four Class 398 tph.
- This means future capacity is 1008 passengers per hour.
That is an increase of 238 % in the capacity.
Where Is The Electrification?
This OpenRailwayMap shows the proposed electrification at Merthyr Tydfil station.
Note.
- Electrified lines are shown in red.
- Unelectrified lines are shown in black.
- The railway is single-track until past Troed-y-Rhiw, after which it is double track to Merthyr Vale station.
- Between Merthyr Vale and Abercynon is single-track, with a short length of unelectrified double-track at Quaker’s Yard station.
It appears that the section of the Merthyr Line at Merthyr Tydfil station will not be electrified.
- The tram-trains’ batteries must be large enough to climb the unelectrified section .
- There must also be enough power to nudge the tram-train back down the hill, after the climb has been completed.
- At least the pictures show, that the track in Merthyr Tydfil station, is reasonably flat.
It looks to be a neat piece of cost-saving design.
Why Did I Feel Better In Merthyr Tydfil?
I have been feeling under the weather lately, but I felt a lot better in Merthyr!
Was it the altitude of 180 metres?
My cardiologist friend, says most people feel worse at altitude. But I seem to be the other way round.
My wife was certainly feeling rough, when I drove a car up to 13,000 feet in the Andes of Ecuador, whereas I was fine.
Incidentally, the car was coughing and wheezing like a good ‘un.
Malaysian Fabrication Company Enters Offshore Wind Market With IJmuiden Ver Alpha Contract
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad (MHB), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering (MMHE), has secured a subcontract for its first offshore substation high-voltage direct current (HVDC) platform required for TenneT’s 2 GW offshore wind project in the Netherlands
These two paragraphs outline the project.
The Malaysian contractor confirmed the award from Petrofac on 29 November and said the OSS HVDC platform consists of a topside and jacket for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha project.
The subcontract scope consists of construction engineering, fabrication, mechanical completion, load out and sea fastening, and architectual works on engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) basis.
A third paragraph, indicates, that this contract could be the first of a few.
In addition, the parties will also collaborate towards the possibility of fabrication works for two additional offshore substation units of similar size.
This story illustrates how wind farm developers are looking for more places to build their infrastructure.
In An Elegant Solution, I talked about an idea called a D-Floater. Five are shown being transported in this picture.
The idea is from a Swedish company; Bassoe Technology.
This would enable transport costs from faraway places to be reduced.
Nearer to Europe, the Black Sea ports of the Ukraine could be an ideal place to build infrastructure, as the country used to have the required skills, ports and steel-making capabilities.
But first Putin must be put back in his box!
UK Offshore Wind And CCS Colocation Projects Kick Off
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Offshore Wind and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Colocation Forum (the Forum), set up to provide strategic coordination of colocation research and activity on the nation’s seabed, has commissioned two research projects.
These first two paragraphs, which set objectives and possible methods for the two projects.
The projects are designed to inform the best approach to test and demonstrate the colocation of offshore wind and CCS activities in the future.
The research projects – Project Colocate and Project Anemone – build on the Forum’s Spatial Characterisation Report, which identified areas of potential overlap for offshore wind and CCS on the seabed, and NSTA’s Seismic Imaging Report, which explored various options for monitoring carbon storage and offshore wind sites to help resolve possible colocation issues.
These are the two projects.
Project Colocate, which is described in the article like this.
Delivered by the University of Aberdeen with funding from the Crown Estate and Crown Estate Scotland, Project Colocate will investigate the viability of areas on the seabed for colocation of CCS and offshore wind, with bespoke monitoring plans for each area.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen will focus their investigations on the East Irish Sea and Central North Sea, both of which have been identified as having significant potential for future colocation of CCS and offshore wind, according to the Crown Estate.
Project Anenome, which is described in the article like this.
The complementary Project Anemone will explore mutually beneficial opportunities arising from the colocation of these developing industries.
The project aims to identify and map the routes to realising these opportunities to create practical guidance for how offshore wind and CCS technologies can operate alongside each other – from construction to decommissioning.
It does appear to be a lot of sensible thinking and words, although neither project appears to yet have a website.
This paragraph is a nice tailpiece to the article.
To achieve the UK’s net zero targets, the UK Government is targeting the delivery of 50 GW of offshore wind energy and the capture of 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.
I’ve mentioned 50 GW of offshore wind before, but 20-30 million tonnes is a lot of CO2.
The Anonymous Widower 