Essex And Network Rail Get Planning For Beaulieu Station
This page on the Network Rail website is entitled Network Rail And Essex County Council Are Working Together To Develop Proposals For The First Railway Station To Be Built On The Great Eastern Main Line For Over 100 Years.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The new station is part of a wider regeneration of the Beaulieu Park estate in Chelmsford with new road infrastructure and up to 14,000 homes.
Essex County Council, in partnership with Chelmsford City Council and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), successfully secured £218m of funding from the Government’s Housing and Infrastructure (HIF) fund together with £34m contributions the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and developer Countryside Zest to deliver the wider scheme.
These are some more points from the page.
- There will be three platforms with a central loop line and new tracks to enable stopping services to call at the station while allowing fast trains to pass through unimpeded.
- The station will have lifts.
- There will be a large number of parking spaces and secure cycle storage.
- There will be taxis and buses.
There is a comprehensive video that describes the new station, the new roads and the housing developments.
Finally, Chelmsford is getting the transport system it needs.
Boris Johnson Wants To Build ‘Colossal’ Irish Sea Wind Farm Within A Year
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Telegraph.
This is the sub-title.
Prime Minister tells industry leaders he has ‘a dream’ that giant floating wind farm could provide ‘gigawatts of energy’
These are the first three paragraphs of the article.
Boris Johnson is pushing energy firms to build a “colossal” offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea within 12 months.
The Prime Minister told industry leaders he has “a dream” that a giant floating wind farm could provide “gigawatts of energy and do it within a year”, according to a government source.
He was addressing wind energy firms at a round table discussion in Downing Street as the Government finalised its energy security strategy.
It is said in the article, that industry leaders smiled at the suggestion.
My feelings though are different and I wonder if Boris has been briefed by an offshore wind expert, who knows what they’re doing.
Quietly and unobtrusively, a new technology has been developed, that allows Boris the luxury to dream.
The World’s Largest Floating Wind Farm
In the UK, we are getting used to superlatives being applied to our offshore wind farms.
- According to Wikipedia at the current time, nine of the fifteenth largest offshore wind farms in the world are in the United Kingdom.
- The Hornsea wind farm, comprises the 1.4 GW Hornsea Two wind farm, which is the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
- Previously, the 1.2 GW Hornsea One wind farm was the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
In this article on offshoreWIND.biz, which is entitled World’s Largest Floating Offshore Wind Farm Fully Operational, this is said.
Located 15 kilometres off the coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in water depths ranging from 60 metres to 80 metres, Kincardine is the largest operating floating wind farm.
The project consists of five Vestas V164-9.5 MW and one V80-2 MW turbine, each installed on WindFloat® semi-submersible platforms designed by Principle Power.
This picture from Cobra Group shows one of the turbines being towed into position at Kincardine.
There are more pictures on this web page.
WindFloats would appear to be proven technology, as there are now two commercial wind farms using the technology and several others under development.
Erebus And Valorous
But Kincardine Wind Farm won’t be the world’s largest floating wind farm for long!
The next two wind farms, using the technology are Erebus and Valorous, who will provide a total of 400 MW from a company called Blue Gem Wind, which will use larger 14 MW turbines.
They will be installed to the South-West of the Pembrokeshire Coast.
Blue Gem Wind
Blue Gem Wind are based in Pembroke Dock and are a partnership of Simply Blue Energy, a pioneering Celtic Sea energy developer, and TotalEnergies.
Simply Blue Group are an Irish company, who are also working with Shell on the development of 1.35 GW of wind power to the West of Ireland.
50 GW Of Wind In The Celtic Sea
On the Projects page of the Blue Gem website, this is said about floating wind in the Celtic Sea.
Floating wind is set to become a key technology in the fight against climate change with over 80% of the worlds wind resource in water deeper than 60 metres. Independent studies have suggested there could be as much as 50GW of electricity capacity available in the Celtic Sea waters of the UK and Ireland. This renewable energy resource could play a key role in the UK meeting the 2050 Net-Zero target required to mitigate climate change. Floating wind will provide new low carbon supply chain opportunities, support coastal communities and create long-term benefits for the region.
Is this Boris’s project?
These are my thoughts.
How Many Turbines Would You Need For 50 GW?
If you need 7 x 14 MW turbines for each 100 MW, that would mean you need 3500 turbines and WindFloats for 50 GW.
How Would Each Turbine Be Installed?
It appears from pictures on the Cobra Group web site, that the turbine is mounted on the WindFloat using a large crane on a dock, whilst the WindFloat is alongside.
- The WindFloat and the turbine are then towed out into the desired position.
- It would then be anchored to the sea-bed.
- Finally, it would be connected to the power network.
I would doubt, that one team could probably install more than one turbine per day.
But I suspect more than one team could work in and out of one port at a time.
How Many Ports Could Be Used For Turbine Assembly?
As Blue Gem Wind is based in Pembroke Dock, I would assume that one of the ports would be on Milford Haven Waterway.
But there are other ports on the Welsh and Irish coasts, where the turbine lift could be accomplished.
How Much Capacity Could Be Installed In Twelve Months?
Suppose you had two ports doing assembly, with two teams working at each port, which would mean four turbines could be installed in a day.
- In a month, that would be 4 x 14 x 30 MW per month.
- This is nearly 1.7 GW per month or 20 GW per year.
It does appear to me, that floating wind farms with the right project management could be very much quicker to install than traditional fixed foundation wind turbines.
I believe that if we get the manufacturing and the project management right, that a colossal 20 GW of floating wind can be installed in twelve months.
Conclusion
Most people won’t believe Boris’s claim, but I feel that there is a degree of reality behind it, if we can produce four WindFloats and four turbines per day and enough cables and electrical gubbins to link them all together.
Birds And Offshore Renewable Energy
I have worried about this for some time, as die-hard wind farm opponents use birds being scythed to pieces in wind farms as an emotional reason for not building wind farms.
I searched the Internet and found this academic report from the University of Rhode Island, which is entitled How Are Birds Affected by the Block Island Wind Farm and How Do They Interact With the Wind Turbines?.
Note.
- Block Island Wind Farm is a mildly controversial 30 MW wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island.
- Block Island wind farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States.
The report gives three ways about how birds interact with wind farms.
Birds Fly Out Of The Way
First, many birds do not experience any interaction with the turbines at all as they fly either at a higher altitude or closer to the shore than the turbines’ locations.
Wind Farms Become A Food Source
The second interaction between birds and offshore wind turbines is a positive one that has been documented throughout Europe; but, with only the Block Island Wind Farm, it is too early to document in the United States. Researchers have found that the base of a wind turbine can create artificial reefs that act as an attractive site to both fish and shellfish. These artificial reefs provide a feeding ground for certain species of birds as the turbines essentially become a central habitat for many bird species’ prey.
Displacement Of The Birds
The final interaction that birds have with offshore wind turbines is displacement. This primary negative effect is experienced when wind turbines are constructed in areas that birds would naturally like to be; but, due to the structures, no longer have access to. To put it simply, he says, “if you put the turbines where the birds want to be, you take away these areas from the birds”.
Conclusion
It appears to me, that if you are putting up wind farms, whether they are offshore or onshore, that it is essential you do your research.
As in this case, experts from the local university are often a good resource to call upon.
Russia Destroys Ukraine’s Dream
The Antonov An-225 Mriya was a unique aircraft.
It was the biggest aircraft in the world and was regularly used to move heavy or awkward cargoes around the world, as a reading of its Wikipedia entry will disclose.
Mriya is Ukrainian for dream.
But all that useful work has come to an end.
This article on CNN is entitled World’s Largest Plane Destroyed In Ukraine.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The world’s largest plane, the Antonov AN-225, has been destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, generating alarm and sadness among the aviation world in which it occupies almost cult status.
The enormous aircraft, named “Mriya,” or “dream” in Ukrainian, was parked at an airfield near Kyiv when it was attacked by “Russian occupants,” Ukrainian authorities said, adding that they would rebuild the plane.
I know it’s only a plane and in the current scheme of things, that is a minor loss, but the Mriya has proved itself to be so uniquely useful in moving awkward cargoes, that the plane would surely have played a major part in the humanitarian relief and the rebuilding of Ukraine.
Given, that the plane would have surely been of use to the Russians, it just shows how utterly stupid, they have been in this war.
Fortescue And E.ON To Supply Europe With Green Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Fortescue Future Industries Pty Ltd. of Australia and E.ON SE, energy giant from Germany, have teamed up to supply green hydrogen to Europe. This strategy is meant to help the EU to reduce its reliance on Russian energy.
These are other points from the article.
- FFI intends to supply five million tonnes of hydrogen per year by 2030.
- The hydrogen will be produced by renewable hydrogen in Australia.
- E.ON will handle the distribution.
- Five million tonnes is about a third of Germany’s energy imports.
I have some further thoughts.
How Much Energy Is Needed to Produce Five Million Tonnes Per Year Of Hydrogen?
In Can The UK Have A Capacity To Create Five GW Of Green Hydrogen?, I said the following.
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.
55.2 MWh/tonne is 55.2 kWh/kg.
To produce five million tonnes of hydrogen will need 55.2 * 5.000,000 / 10 MWh.
- This is 27,600,000 MWh or 27,600 GWh.
- It works out at an average of 75.6 GWh per day or 3.15 GWh per hour.
This article on vox is entitled The Economic Limitations Of Wind And Solar Power, where this is said.
“Capacity factor” refers to how often a power plant runs and thus how much power it produces relative to its total potential (capacity). Nuclear power plants in the US run around 90 percent of the time, so they have a 90 percent capacity factor. On average, the capacity factor of solar ranges anywhere from 10 to just over 30 percent. For wind, it ranges from 20 to just over 50 percent, averaging around 34 percent in the US.
If FFI is using solar to generate electricity in Australia, I suspect that the capacity factor will be around twenty percent at best.
So will FFI need around 16 GW of solar power to satisfy the supply to Germany?
The Wikipedia entry for Solar Power In Australia gives a good insight into its capability of providing the 16 GW of energy needed. This statement is key.
Using solar to supply all the energy needed would use less than 0.1% of land.
It does look that Australia could provide Germany with some of the hydrogen it needs.
Would It Be Cheaper To Produce The Hydrogen In The North Sea?
This is probably heresy to Andrew Forrest, who is the Australian billionaire behind Fortescue Future Industries.
Consider.
- North Sea Hydrogen could be piped to Germany.
- Australia and Germany would probably need transfer by liquid hydrogen tanker.
- Electrolysers would need to be used to create hydrogen from renewable energy in both Australia and the North Sea.
- Floating wind farms in the North Sea could be more efficient than solar in Australia, as the capacity factor is higher.
We obviously won’t know until both wind and solar technologies are fully developed.
Will There Be Price Competition Between Australian And North Sea Hydrogen?
It does appear that Andrew Forrest believes in research and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his company developing ideas that drop the price of solar-produced hydrogen.
Research and good engineering on both sides will also drop prices, so I suspect price competition will occur.
Will Fortescue Future Industries Develop North Sea Hydrogen?
Given the ambition being shown by Andrew Forrest to be the Hydrogen King, I wouldn’t be surprised if he joined the streams of international investors in the North Sea, who are developing wind farms.
Conclusion
Go! Aussie! Go!
How A British-Made Missile Launcher Helped Keep Vladimir Putin’s Army At Bay
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Telegraph.
This is the sub-title.
The Anglo-Swedish next-generation light anti-tank weapon (NLAW) has achieved cult status in Ukraine.
But not perhaps in Russia! Unless they worship the devil!
Seriously, though, we may be watching the war, which marks the beginning of the end of the tank.
- A general of my acquaintance told me about ten years ago, that tanks were a nightmare for army commanders, unless the terrain was very tank-friendly. He should have known, as he’d once run the Army Survey, which gives geographical information to the British Army.
- Defenders like the jolly Ukrainian in the video in the Telegraph article, will get better missiles and do more damage to tanks.
- Satellites and drones will get more watchful and intelligent and will direct the firepower of defenders to the inch.
- Tanks could get bigger, but then they would be more likely to get stuck.
My only worry, is will the death of the tank, make chemical, biological or nuclear war more likely?
Lithuania To Germany Intermodal Service To Launch In April
duiThe title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Lithuanian national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo is to launch a service carrying containers and semi-trailers from the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal to Duisburg in Germany on April 4.
Trains with a capacity of up to 36 semi-trailers and containers will run thrice-weekly on the 1 500 km route. This will be LTG Cargo’s first westward service operating in three countries, with operations in Poland and Germany handled by its LTG Cargo Polska subsidiary.tail
These are more information and my thoughts.
The Route
The route appears to follow a route from Kaunas to Warsaw via
- Marijampolė
- Šeštokai
- Mockava
- Suwalki
- Buchwalowo
- Bialystok
Note.
- The links on the names are to the town’s Wikipedia entry.
- The border between Lithuania and Poland is between Mockava ans Suwalki.
- There are freight yards and change of gauge facilities at Šeštokai and Mockava.
Some of these towns are probably worth a visit, especially if like me, you have Jewish ancestors from the area.
My father’s great-great-grandfather possibly came from Konigsberg in East Prussia and arrived in the UK around 1800.
The Russian And Standard Gauge Solution
Consider.
- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have Russian gauge railways which is 1520 mm.
- Poland, Germany, France, Italy and the UK have standard gauge railways, which is 1435 mm.
The solution has been to build between Kaunus and Šeštokai, to build Russian gauge and standard gauge tracks side by side.
Kaunas Intermodal Terminal
This Google Map may show the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal.
Note the rail yards in the middle of the map, have both Russian and standard gauge tracks.
Rail Baltica
The route taken is the standard gauge route of Rail Baltica, which is an EU project.
- It will run between Helsinki and Warsaw.
- Intermediate stops will be Pärnu, Riga, Riga International Airport, Panevėžys, Kaunas and Bialystok
- Vilnius will be served by a branch from Kaunus.
- The line will be double track.
- The line will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead.
- Passenger trains will operate at up to 249 kph.
- Freight trains will operate at up to 120 kph.
- A tunnel will be built later between Helsinki and Tallinn.
Completion of the route between Warsaw and Tallinn is planned for 2026.
Rail Baltica I
Rail Baltica I is the first section of the route to be opened and is described like this in Wikipedia.
The name Rail Baltica is also sometimes used to mean the first phase of European gauge railway construction from the Poland-Lithuania border to Kaunas in Lithuania.
It opened in October 2016.
The new freight service will use this route to connect to Bialystok and Warsaw.
Conclusion
I have been on the roads in this area of Poland and rail freight services are needed to take the pressure off the roads.
Dual-Fuel Class 37 And 66 Locomotive Concepts Unveiled
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
G-volution and SBL-Rail have produced design concepts for dual-fuel versions of Class 37 and 66 locomotives, which would be able to run on diesel with biomethane, biopropane or hydrogen.
Note.
- There are about sixty Class 37 locomotives in service or stored.
- 480 Class 66 locomotives were originally produced and over 300 must still be in service.
- Both locomotives have electric transmissions.
- G-volution are developing a dual-fuel Class 180 train, that I wrote about in Grand Central DMU To Be Used For Dual-Fuel Trial.
- Two of the design concepts involve replacing the current diesel engines with modern Cummins engines, that meet current emission regulations.
- Fuel savings of ten percent are mentioned for one engine conversion.
This is said about the dual-fuel conversions.
Biomethane and biopropane dual fuel engines would offer significant carbon and cost savings verses diesel. Hydrogen has the potential to do so if produced from renewable sources, but would need to be ‘much cheaper’ than it is today.
The article then gives a table, which shows the various savings.
The article comes to these conclusions.
- Biomethane and biopropane prices are expected to fall, as production increases.
- Green hydrogen is too expensive, but costs will come down.
- More rises in the price of diesel, will tilt costs towards alternative fuels.
I feel that to get the emissions and costs down, there would need to be a bit of cheating.
Look at this picture of a Class 66 locomotive under 25 KVAC electrification.
I wonder, if a pantograph and all the electrical gubbins could be fitted to a Class 66 locomotive to create a genuine electro-diesel locomotive.
- It would use electrification, where it exists.
- It would use the existing electric transmission.
- I do suspect though that the Class 37 locomotive may be more difficult to convert because of its age.
It should be noted that in GB Railfreight Plans Order For Future-Proofed Bi-Mode Locomotives, I talk about how GB Railfreight are proposing to purchase a fleet of new electro-diesel freight locomotives, that appears will have Class 66 locomotive performance on both electrification and diesel.
The Involvement Of Cummins
Cummins, who are one of the world’s largest manufacturers of diesel engines, could have a lot to lose from the move to zero-carbon.
- But they have adopted an if-you-can’t-them-join-them philosophy to hydrogen.
- They have bought up hydrogen companies like Hydrogenics.
- They are developing internal combustion engines that can run on hydrogen.
- Cummins have claimed to me, that they will try to fill any niche market with their engines, so it would be likely, they would apply that philosohy to hydrogen.
I believe that Cummins will not give up their market share without a fight.
I would expect, Cummins will actively support G-volution’s plans, if it would sell upwards of fifty large engines.
Conclusion
I have four main conclusions.
- I believe that this study could lead to a very significant and worthwhile updating of a Class 66 locomotive.
- The locomotive would need to be modified so it could use electrification.
- But I am more dubious, that this could be done with the Class 37 locomotive.
- I also believe that Cummins will be part of the solution.
In the wider world, I also believe that to retain their turnover and market share, Cummins and the other big diesel engine manufacturers will come up with increasingly innovative solutions.
Caterpillar, Cummins, Deutz, JCB, MTU and others will not give up multi-billion businesses without a fight.
Brighton Buses – 30th March 2022
I had a short ride up from the sea-front back to Brighton station on a bus, as the climb is a bit much for me on some days.
Note.
- The bus I travelled on had two doors like London’s, which makes entry and exit so much more efficient.
- Brighton seems to have contactless ticketing, where you touch-in and touch-out, as you do on the London Underground.
- The two buses in the pictures have the route on the side.
I was very surprised that there were no stops on the sea-front, where you can get a bus to the station, as not all visitors to the city, are in the first flush of youth.
There wasn’t even any instructions about how to find a bus.
Gatwick Airport Station – 30th March 2022
Gatwick Airport station is being upgraded and I took these pictures as I passed through twice today on my way to and from Brighton.
It will be a much bigger and better station when the upgrade is complete.
The Anonymous Widower 