The Anonymous Widower

Highland Council Greenlights West Of Orkney Windfarm Onshore Plans

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

This is the sub-heading.

The Highland Council has approved the onshore plans of the 2 GW West of Orkney Windfarm project, being developed by TotalEnergies, Corio Generation, and Renewable Infrastructure Development Group (RIDG) in Scotland.

These are the first three paragraphs.

The onshore application for planning permission in principle was approved on 4 June and outlines the underground cables and electrical infrastructure required to connect the offshore wind farm to the national transmission network.

Last year, the project became the first ScotWind proposal to submit both its offshore consent application to Scottish Ministers and its onshore planning application to The Highland Council.

The onshore application provides information on proposed cable landfalls on the north Caithness coast, the project’s substation at Spittal in Caithness, and the underground cables which will extend around 25 kilometres and connect to the substation.

According to the project page of the West of Orkney wind farm web site, the target for commissioning of the wind farm is 2029.

This wind farm appears to be making a play to be the first of the ScotWind Leasing developments to be commissioned.

I have some thoughts.

Converting The Flotta Oil Terminal To The Flotta Hydrogen Hub

This first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the Flotta Oil Terminal, describes it like this.

The Flotta oil terminal is a major crude oil reception, processing, storage and export facility on the island of Flotta, in the south of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. It receives and processes crude oil delivered by a subsea pipeline from the Piper, Claymore, Tartan and Golden Eagle platforms and associated fields. The terminal includes facilities for exporting stabilised crude oil (and formerly liquefied petroleum gases) by tanker.

It is now proposed to add the Flotta Hydrogen Hub to the Flotta Oil Terminal.

This document on the Repsol web site, describes the Flotta Oil Terminal.

  • This page is the Flotta Hydrogen Hub web site.
  • This page discusses, what will be done with the green hydrogen produced by electrolysis.
  • The green hydrogen page, has an excellent map of the hydrogen and electricity flows to and from the Flotta Hydrogen Hub.

The Flotta Oil Terminal will be developed into a major hydrogen production and distribution facility.

June 5, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

UK Offshore Wind In 2030 – Calculated June 2024

The next general election is likely to be held in 2029, so how much wind energy will be added during the next Parliament?

The Current Position

The Wikipedia entry for the list of operational wind farms in the UK, says this.

In October 2023, there were offshore wind farms consisting of 2,695 turbines with a combined capacity of 14,703 megawatts.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2024

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2024.

  • Neart Na Gaoithe – 450 MW – Fixed
  • Doggerbank A – 1235 MW – Fixed
  • Doggerbank B – 1235 MW – Fixed

This would add 2920 MW to give a total of 17,623 MW.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2025

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2025.

  • Moray West – 882 MW – Fixed
  • Doggerbank C – 1218 MW – Fixed

This would add 2100 MW to give a total of 19,723 MW.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2026

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2026.

  • Sofia – 1400 MW – Fixed
  • East Anglia 3 – 1372 MW – Fixed
  • East Anglia 1 North – 800 MW – Fixed
  • East Anglia 2 – 900 MW – Fixed
  • Pentland – 100 MW – Floating

This would add 4572 MW to give a total of 24,295 MW.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2027

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2027.

  • Hornsea 3 – 2852 MW – Fixed
  • Norfolk Boreas – 1380 MW – Fixed
  • Llŷr 1 – 100 MW – Floating
  • Llŷr 2 – 100 MW – Floating
  • Whitecross – 100 MW – Floating

This would add 4532 MW to give a total of 28,827 MW.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2028

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2028.

  • Morecambe – 480 MW – Fixed

This would add 480 MW to give a total of 29,307 MW.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2029

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2029.

  • West Of Orkney – 2000 MW – Fixed

This would add 2000 MW to give a total of 31,307 MW.

Due To Be Commissioned In 2030

It would appear these wind farms will come on-line in 2030.

  • Ramplion 2 Extension – 1200 MW – Fixed
  • Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW – Fixed
  • Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW – Fixed
  • Awel y Môr – 1100 MW – Fixed
  • Berwick Bank – 4100 MW – Fixed
  • Outer Dowsing – 1500 MW – Fixed
  • Hornsea 4 – 2600 MW – Fixed
  • Caledonia – 2000 MW – Fixed
  • N3 Project – 495 MW – Fixed/Floating

This would add 15755 MW to give a total of 47.062 MW.

Capacity Summary

  • 2023 – None – 14703 MW
  • 2024 – 2920 MW – 17,623 MW
  • 2025 – 2100 MW – 19,723 MW
  • 2026 – 4572 MW – 24,295 MW
  • 2027 – 4532 MW- 28,827 MW
  • 2028 – 480 MW – 29,307 MW
  • 2029 – 2000 MW – 31,307 MW
  • 2030 – 15755 MW – 47,062 MW

Note that capacity has increased more than threefold.

If we assume the following.

  • New wind farms are commissioned throughout the year.
  • 14,703 MW of wind power, with all our gas-fired, nuclear and onshore wind farms is enough to power the UK.
  • The average capacity factor is 45 %.
  • The strike price is £35/MWh.

The levels I have set are deliberately on the low side.

The amount of energy and cash flow generated by new wind farms in a year can be calculated as follows.

{Average New Capacity In Year}= ({Capacity at Year Start}+{Capacity at Year End})/2-14703

{Extra Electricity Generated In Year}= {Average New Capacity In Year}*365*24*{Capacity Factor}

{Cash Flow}={Extra Electricity Generated In Year} * {Strike Price}

The following figures are obtained.

  • 2024 – 1460 MW – 5,755,320 MWh – £ 201,436,200
  • 2025 – 3970 MW – 15,649,740 MWh – £ 547,740,900
  • 2026 – 7306 MW – 28,800,252 MWh – £ 1,008,008,820
  • 2027 – 11858 MW – 46,744,236 MWh – £ 1,636,048,260
  • 2028 – 14,364 MW – 56,622,888 MWh – £ 1,981,801,080
  • 2029 – 15,604 MW – 61,510,968 MWh – £ 2,152,883,880
  • 3030 – 23,931.5 MW – 94,337,973 MWh – £ 3,301,829,055

Nate.

  1. The first column is the cumulative amount of new capacity about the 14,703 MW in December 2023.
  2. The second column is the extra electricity generated in the year over December 2023.
  3. The third column is the extra cash flow in the year over December 2023.

As the installed base of wind farms increases, the cash flow increases.

It should also be noted that there are a large number of wind farms, already pencilled in for 2031-2035.

What Will We Do With All This Extra Electricity?

We need more industries that will consume a lot of electricity, like cement, chemicals and steel.

But I suspect that the easiest thing to do, is to convert the excess electricity to hydrogen and export it to the Continent and especially the Germans by pipeline or tanker.

Conclusion

Whoever wins this year’s General Election, should have a growing source of revenue for the life of the parliament and beyond.

June 4, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , | 5 Comments

Recurrent Energy’s Middle Road Project Sold To Centrica

The title of this post, is the same as that pf this article on Solar Power Portal.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Recurrent Energy, a global solar and energy storage developer and a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, announced the sale of its 49.9 MWp Middle Road solar project in Harbury, Warwickshire, to Centrica Business Solutions. The subsidy-free project, slated for construction this summer, will commence operations in 2025.

The Middle Road project is just one piece of Recurrent Energy’s expanding UK pipeline, which boasts over 2.6 GWp of solar PV and 6.7 GWh of battery storage projects. This mirrors the broader trend of increased investment in UK solar. Indeed, Recurrent announced €1.3 billion of financing for EU and UK solar projects earlier this week.

This 49.9 MW solar project shows three ways to make money from a solar project.

The Developer

Recurrent Energy would appear to have developed the expertise to put together these solar farms and do all the legals and administration to connect them to the National Grid.

They obviously can show their financial backers, the cash flow, that the farms generates.

So if you’re good at building solar farms, I suspect you can develop a substantial pipeline of projects, each with their own case flow.

The Operator

Initially in the early days, Recurrent Energy will probably be the operator, so they can sort out any teething problems and build the financial profile of the site.

The Owner

But as at Middle Road, they may decide to cash in their investment.

Centrica have now taken over the ownership and they can operate the farm themselves or pay, Recurrent Energy a fee.

Note.

  1. Developer, operator and owner all have ways of making money from this solar farm.
  2. Developer and owner can use the solar farm, as an asset on which to raise money.
  3. Similar cash flows and inside probably apply to batteries and wind farms.

By buying, selling and updating the various assets, a financial operator, can use their assets to make money.

As Centrica are also an electricity supplier, they can probably suggest to developers, where a solar farm or battery-electric storage system is needed.

Are Centrica Developing A Pipeline Of Projects?

In Centrica Set For Solar Boost With Acquisition Of Two Projects In South-West England, I talked about how Centrica had acquired two projects in South-West England.

The Middle Road project is the third project that Centrica has purchased this year.

As a Control and Electrical Engineer, I know, that by careful management of the assets, Centrica can achieve the following.

  • Delivery of electricity to their customers at a competitive price.
  • If a battery is included in the local grid, higher supply reliability can be achieved.
  • Batteries also allow the local network to carry out other tasks, like frequency stabilisation.

The flexibility of the local network should allow other assets to be added.

 

May 31, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Finance & Investment | , , , | 2 Comments

Teesworks Joins Forces With NatPower On 1GW UK BESS

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Teesworks, the UK’s largest industrial zone, has revealed plans for a 1GW battery energy storage system (BESS) in partnership with renewables developer NatPower.

The project will be constructed over 50 acres of the Long Acres section of the 4500-acre Teesworks site. Construction costs are expected to total around £1 billion. While the main plan for the BESS is focused on renewable energy storage, the company also noted that the system could also support electric vehicle (EV) charging in the future.

The article then lists several large BESS projects, that are under development.

It also suggests that investment in batteries is in a healthy state.

May 31, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , | Leave a comment

Do RWE Have A Comprehensive Hydrogen Plan For Germany?

What is interesting me, is what Germany company; RWE is up to. They are one of the largest UK electricity producers.

In December 2023, they probably paid a low price, for the rights for 3 x 1.4 GW wind farms about 50 km off North-East Norfolk from in-trouble Swedish company; Vattenfall and have signed contracts to build them fairly fast.

In March 2024, wrote about the purchase in RWE And Vattenfall Complete Multi-Gigawatt Offshore Wind Transaction In UK.

Over the last couple of years, I have written several posts about these three wind farms.

March 2023 – Vattenfall Selects Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone O&M Base

November 2023 – Aker Solutions Gets Vattenfall Nod To Start Norfolk Vanguard West Offshore Platform

December 2023 – SeAH To Deliver Monopiles For Vattenfall’s 2.8 GW Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Project

December 2023 – Vestas and Vattenfall Sign 1.4 GW Preferred Supplier Agreement For UK Offshore Wind Project And Exclusivity Agreements For 2.8 GW For Two Other UK Projects

Then in July 2023, I wrote Vattenfall Stops Developing Major Wind Farm Offshore UK, Will Review Entire 4.2 GW Zone

Note.

  1. There does appear to be a bit of a mix-up at Vattenfall, judging by the dates of the reports.Only, one wind farm has a Contract for Difference.
  2. It is expected that the other two will be awarded contracts in Round 6, which should be by Summer 2024.

In December 2023, I then wrote RWE Acquires 4.2-Gigawatt UK Offshore Wind Development Portfolio From Vattenfall.

It appears that RWE paid £963 million for the three wind farms.

I suspect too, they paid for all the work Vattenfall had done.

This transaction will give RWE 4.2 GW of electricity in an area with very bad connections to the National Grid and the Norfolk Nimbies will fight the building of more pylons.

So have the Germans bought a pup?

I don’t think so!

Where Is Wilhemshaven?

This Google Map shows the location of Wilhemshaven.

Note.

  1. Heligoland is the island at the top of the map.
  2. The Germans call this area the Wdden Sea.
  3. The estuaries lead to Wilhelmshaven and Bremerhaven.
  4. Cuxhaven is the port for Heligoland, which is connected to Hamburg by hydrogen trains.

This second map shows between Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven.

Note.

  1. Wilhelmshaven is to the West.
  2. Bremerhaven is in the East.
  3. The River Weser runs North-South past Bremerhaven.

I’ve explored the area by both car and train and it is certainly worth a visit.

The Wilhemshaven Hydrogen Import Terminal

German energy company; Uniper is building a hydrogen import terminal at Wilhemshaven to feed German industry with hydrogen from places like Australia, Namibia and the Middle East. I wrote about this hydrogen import terminal in Uniper To Make Wilhelmshaven German Hub For Green Hydrogen; Green Ammonia Import Terminal.

I suspect RWE  could build a giant offshore electrolyser close to the Norfolk wind farms and the hydrogen will be exported by tanker or pipeline  to Germany or to anybody else who pays the right price.

All this infrastructure will be installed and serviced from Great Yarmouth, so we’re not out of the deal.

Dogger Bank South Wind Farm

To make matters better, RWE have also signed to develop the 3 GW Dogger Bank South wind farm.

This could have another giant electrolyser to feed German companies. The wind farm will not need an electricity connection to the shore.

The Germans appear to be taking the hydrogen route to bringing electricity ashore.

Energy Security

Surely, a short trip across the North Sea, rather than a long trip from Australia will be much more secure and on my many trips between the Haven Ports and The Netherlands, I haven’t yet seen any armed Houthi pirates.

RWE And Hydrogen

On this page on their web site, RWE has a lot on hydrogen.

Very Interesting!

H2ercules

This web site describes H2ercules.

The goal of the H2ercules initiative is to create the heart of a super-sized hydrogen infrastructure for Germany by 2030. To make this happen, RWE, OGE and, prospectively, other partners are working across various steps of the value chain to enable a swift supply of hydrogen from the north of Germany to consumers in the southern and western areas of the country. In addition to producing hydrogen at a gigawatt scale, the plan is also to open up import routes for green hydrogen. The transport process will involve a pipeline network of about 1,500 km, most of which will consist of converted gas pipelines.

Where’s the UK’s H2ercules?

Conclusion

The Germans have got there first and will be buying up all of our hydrogen to feed H2ercules.

 

May 29, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Construction Under Way To Double Power Station Capacity At Centrica’s Brigg Energy Park

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.

This is the sub-heading.

Four ultra-efficient engines have arrived at Centrica’s former combined cycle gas power station at Brigg, with construction work underway on an expansion of the peaking plant at the Lincolnshire site.

These three paragraphs give more details about the project.

The business is installing the four engines inside the former turbine hall at the power station, which was decommissioned in 2020, helping to create nearly 100MW of fast response assets capable of meeting demand when renewable generation is low.

The expanded power plant will be hydrogen-ready, and form part of a trial due to start in late 2024 to blend hydrogen into the gas, ramping up from a three per cent blend to 20 per cent, with a long term vision to move towards 100 per cent hydrogen and to deploy similar technology across all peaking plants.

Work at Brigg is expected to last around nine months and the plant will be fully operational in early 2025.

These are my thoughts.

Hydrogen Blend Operation

The second paragraph indicates that Centrica will be using Brigg power station to research the use of hydrogen blends.

Hydrogen blends could offer a way an easy way to cut hydrogen emissions, so it is good, that Centrica are researching their use in gas-fired power stations.

Brigg As A Peaking Plant

 

This paragraph from the press release, explains what Centrica means by a peaking plant.

Peaking plants only generate electricity when there’s high or peak demand for electricity, or when generation from renewables is too low to meet demand. Once connected to the grid, the engines will have the capacity to power 20,000 homes for a full day when required, which will maintain stability and deliver reliable power across the grid.

The second paragraph also says this.

A long term vision to move towards 100 per cent hydrogen and to deploy similar technology across all peaking plants.

Does this mean that all peaking plants will move to hydrogen-fired generation?

Brigg Redevelopment

This paragraph from the press release, outlines Centrica’s plans for Brigg power station.

Centrica is redeveloping the Brigg energy park which, once complete, will be home to a 50MW battery, commercial-scale hydrogen production using HiiROC technology (in which Centrica has a five per cent stake), and 100MW of gas peaking plant.

Note.

  1. I would assume that the battery, will be able to provide 50 MW for at least two hours, so the battery electric storage system (BESS) will be at least a 50 MW/100 MWh unit.
  2. The HiiROC technology is being developed on the other side of the Humber in Hull.
  3. HiiROC technology captures the carbon in the gas as carbon black, which has uses in its own right, in agriculture and tyre and other manufacturing.
  4. Both a battery and a gas peaking plant, will be used at Brigg to match generation with demand.

I wouldn’t be surprised that to use both a battery and a gas peaking plant, is the most efficient way to balance the renewable energy.

Hydrogen Production

The HiiROC technology that will be used at Brigg can extract hydrogen from a variety of sources including biomethane, chemical plant off gas or natural gas.

The HiiROC technology can be scaled to fit the application.

I feel that the versatility of the HiiROC technology, may result in using some unusual feeds to produce hydrogen.

As an example of the deployment of a small HiiROC system , one at a sewage works could provide hydrogen for the utility company’s vehicles.

The main use of the hydrogen would be to provide a clean fuel for the gas-fired peaking plant.

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the hydrogen, sold and distributed to the local area, from an energy park, like Brigg.

Conclusion

Increasingly, backup for renewables will use a wide range of zero-carbon technologies.

May 28, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | , , , , | 1 Comment

TetraSpar Demonstrator Floating Wind Turbine Hits 63 Pct Capacity Factor In Norway

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

This is the sub-heading.

Stiesdal has revealed that its TetraSpar Demonstrator, located in Norway, has reached a capacity factor of 63 per cent.

These three paragraphs give a few more details.

Since its commissioning in late 2021, the TetraSpar Demonstrator has been operational at METCentre in Norway, delivering green energy, gathering data, validating numerical models, supporting research and development projects, and serving as a living laboratory for the development of floating wind technology, said Stiesdal in a recent social media post.

To date, the demonstrator has generated more than 37 GWh of renewable energy, according to the company. The 3.6 MW Siemens Gamesa direct-drive wind turbine and very high wind speeds at the METCentre site combined to yield a capacity factor of 54 per cent, said Stiesdal.

In the first two years of operation, the availability was recorded at 97 per cent and 98.3 per cent, respectively. For 2024, the availability has increased to 99.5 per cent with a capacity factor of almost 63 per cent, according to the company.

I have some further thoughts.

Tetra Offshore Foundations For Any Water Depth

The title of this section, is the same as that of this page on the Siesdal web site.

The page gives a lot of information and says that the TetraSpar can handle water depth of over a thousand metres.

Wind Farm Capacity Factor

The Wikipedia entry for capacity factor says this about the range of wind farm capacity factors.

Wind farms are variable, due to the natural variability of the wind. For a wind farm, the capacity factor is determined by the availability of wind, the swept area of the turbine and the size of the generator. Transmission line capacity and electricity demand also affect the capacity factor. Typical capacity factors of current wind farms are between 25 and 45%. In the United Kingdom during the five year period from 2011 to 2019 the annual capacity factor for wind was over 30%.

From that paragraph, 63 % seems to be extraordinarily good.

Conclusion

The TetraSpar  appears to be a powerful concept.

May 28, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ameresco And Envision Energy To Deploy 624MWh UK BESS For Atlantic Green

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Storage News.

These three paragraphs describe the project.

Developer-operator Atlantic Green has enlisted system integrator Ameresco and clean energy manufacturer Envision Energy for a 300MW/624MWh BESS project in the UK.

The Cellarhead battery energy storage system (BESS) project will be connected to National Grid’s Cellarhead substation in the West Midlands and have a maximum energy capacity of 624MWh. Construction is expected to begin this year, with final connection to the grid slated for the end of 2026.

The deal between the parties is worth £196.5 million (US$250 million). Ameresco will build the project via an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operation & maintenance (O&M) agreement while Envision Energy will supply the BESS units.

Note.

  1. It is another battery, that can provide full power for two hours.
  2. It is another battery, that is located near to one of National Grid’s substations.

As batteries seem to be made by different companies, it looks to me, that National Grid are possibly checking out, which batteries are best.

May 25, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , | 2 Comments

UK Unveils GBP 50 Million Fund To Boost Offshore Wind Supply Chain

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

This is the sub-heading.

The Crown Estate has initiated a Supply Chain Accelerator to stimulate early-stage investment in the UK offshore wind supply chain.

These are the first three paragraphs.

The accelerator is a new GBP 50 million (approximately EUR 58.7 million) fund created to accelerate and de-risk the early-stage development of projects linked to offshore wind.

An initial GBP 10 million round of funding is now open for Expressions of Interest for businesses looking to establish UK projects that could support the development of a new UK supply chain capability for floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.

The application process opens formally in mid-June and closes at the end of July. The final announcement will be made in October 2024.

This sounds like a very good idea.

This is the next paragraph.

Earlier this year, the Crown Estate published research, the Celtic Sea Blueprint, which predicted that 5,300 jobs and a GBP 4.1 billion economic boost could be generated through deploying the first floating offshore wind capacity, that will result from the current leasing Round 5 process, under which leases for up to 4.5 GW of generation capacity will be awarded in the waters off South Wales and South-West England.

It looks to me, that the £100 million could help prime the pumps to do the following for South Wales and South-West England.

  • Create 5,300 jobs
  • Create a £ 4.1 billion economic boost.
  • Develop up to 4.5 GW of generation capacity.

If we assume the following.

  • 4.5 GW of generation capacity.
  • Capacity factor of 50 %.
  • Strike price of £ 35/MWh.
  • A year has 8,760 hours.

We can say the following.

  • Average hourly generation is 2,250  MWh
  • Average yearly generation is 19,710 GWh or 19,710,000 MWh

This would be a yearly income of £ 689, 850 million.

 

May 25, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , | 5 Comments

Crown Estate To Spend £1.5bn On New Laboratories

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

These three paragraphs introduce the Crown Estate’s plan.

The Crown Estate is to spend £1.5 billion over the next decade building more laboratories nationwide and will start by redeveloping the old Debenhams store in Oxford city centre.

The King’s property company, which looks after the royal family’s £16 billion historic land portfolio, will invest £125 million to buy the former department store and will turn it into laboratory space.

The building has been empty for omore than three years, having closed down in early 2021 after Debenhams collapsed during the pandemic. The Crown has bought a long leasehold of the store from DTZ Investors, the freeholder, which is keeping the street-level retail units. Subject to planning, construction is expected to start at the site next year, with the labs expected to be fully operational in 2027 or 2028.

This looks very much like a smaller version of British Land’s plan for the Euston Tower, which I wrote about in British Land Unveils Plans To Transform London’s Euston Tower Into A Life Sciences And Innovation Hub.

These are my thoughts.

Helping Start-Ups

I have been involved with perhaps half a dozen start-up ventures. Two were very successful and the others generally scraped along or just failed.

One common theme, was the lack of small convenient premises, where perhaps up to a dozen people could work.

  • I don’t know Oxford well, but I would assume that the Debenhams site, is good for public transport and cycle parking.
  • I also hope there’s a good real ale pub nearby, for some productive group thinking!

If this venture from Crown Estate helps start-ups to get over the first difficult hurdle, then it will be a development to be welcomed.

Location, Location, Location

It has been said, that the three most important things in property development are location, location and location.

This 3D Google Map shows the approximate location of the Debenhams building.

Note.

  1. The red arrow indicates a pub called the Wig and Pen , which is on the opposite side of George Street to the Debenhams building.
  2. The railway with its excellent connections runs North-South down the Western edge of the map.
  3. I estimate that walking distance to the station is about 500-600 metres.

I shall be going to Oxford in the next couple of days to take some pictures of the building and the walk.

We Can’t Have Too Many Laboratories

The British and the sort of people we attract to these isles seem to be born innovators and inventors.

My father’s male line is Jewish and my paternal great-great-great-grandfather had to leave his home city of Königsberg in East Prussia for the sole reasons he was eighteen, male and Jewish. As both Königsberg and London, were on the trading routes of the Hanseatic League, he probably just got on a ship. As he was a trained tailor, he set up in business in Bexley.

My mother’s male line is Huguenot and somewhere in the past, one of her ancestors left France for England. My grandfather was an engraver, which is a common Huguenot craft. Intriguingly, my mother had very French brown eyes.

Why did my ancestors come here?

It was probably a choice between escape to the UK or die!

This Wikipedia entry, which us entitled  History of the Jews in Königsberg, gives a lot of detail.

Note.

  1. My ancestor left Königsberg around 1800.
  2. He probably brought my coeliac disease with him.
  3. In 1942, many of the Jews remaining in Königsberg were sent to the Nazi concentration camps.
  4. About 2,000 Jews remain in Königsberg, which is now Kaliningrad in Russia.

I am an atheist, but some years ago, I did a computing job for a devout Orthodox Jewish oncologist and he felt my personal philosophy was very much similar to his.

This Wikipedia entry, which is entitled  Huguenots, gives a brief history of the Huguenots.

Whatever you’re attitude to immigration, you can’t deny these facts.

  • Immigration increases the population.
  • As the population increases, we’re going to need more innovation to maintain a good standard of living.
  • Just as we need more places to house immigrants, we also need more places, where they can work.
  • Immigration brings in those with all types of morals, sexualities and intelligences.
  • Like the Jews and Huguenots of over two centuries ago, some emigrants will dream of using their skills and intelligence to start a successful business.
  • It is likely, that some immigrants, who came here to study, might also want to stay on and seek employment here, using the skills they’ve learned and acquired. Some may even start successful businesses.

I also wonder, if immigration is difficult, does this mean, that the intelligent and resourceful are likely to be successful migrants. I heard this theory from a Chinese lady, who started her immigration to the UK, by swimming from mainland China to Hong Kong.

I feel, that unless we are prepared to ban immigration completely, not allow students to come here and study and be prepared to accept our current standard of living for the future, then we will need more laboratories and suitable places for entrepreneurs to start new businesses.

Conclusion

The Crown Estate appears to be getting more entrepreneurial.

In UK Unveils GBP 50 Million Fund To Boost Offshore Wind Supply Chain, I describe how they6 are using funds to accelerate the building of wind farms in theCetic Sea.

Has the King changed the boss or the rules?

Or have they employed a world-class mathematical modeller?

It is my experience, that modelling financial systems, can bring surprising results.

May 25, 2024 Posted by | Energy, World | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment