World’s Largest-Of-Its-Kind Power Line To Deliver Clean Power To 1.8m UK Homes And Boost Energy Security
The title of this post, is the same as that as this press release from the UK Government.
These are the three bullet points of the press release.
- LionLink power line between UK and Netherlands will deliver enough electricity to power more homes than Manchester and Birmingham combined.
- Agreement made as Grant Shapps leads delegation of leading businesses to key North Sea Summit.
- Part of renewed Government drive to work with business to help grow the economy.
These three paragraphs outline the project.
The world’s largest multi-use electricity power line will be built under the North Sea, boosting UK energy supplies with enough to power 1.8 million homes – more than Birmingham and Manchester combined.
The new LionLink will connect the UK and the Netherlands with offshore wind farms, providing clean affordable and secure energy to Britain which will help cut household bills and drive Putin’s Russia further out of the energy market.
The cross-border electricity line will be only the second of its kind in the world, with the first having been built by Germany and Denmark. However, it will be able to carry more than four times the amount of electricity as its predecessor – making it the largest of its kind in terms of capacity anywhere in the world.
Note.
- I suspect the LionLink will go via the Dogger Bank, where Danish, Dutch, German and UK territorial waters meet an we are already building 8 GW of fixed foundation offshore wind. The other countries are also active in the area.
- The press release doesn’t mention, where the LionLink will make landfall in the UK.
- Much of the connection will probably use the cables being laid for the Dogger Bank wind farms.
- There is also no mention of the North Sea Wind Power Hub, which could be an artificial island on the Dogger Bank.
There is also a press release on the National Grid web site, which is entitled National Grid And TenneT Collaborate On Proposed First-Of-A-Kind Anglo-Dutch Electricity Link, which gives more details.
- The capacity is stated to be 2 GW.
- Like the current BritNed interconnector, the project will be a cooperation between National Grid And TenneT.
- TenneT is a limited liability company owned by the Dutch government, that is a transmission system operator in the Netherlands and in a large part of Germany.
There is also a diagram, showing how the LionLink will work, which includes these components.
- On the Dutch side, there is an offshore AC>DC Converter Station, which is connected to the Dutch electricity grid and one or more offshore wind farms.
- Across the border between the Dutch and UK Exclusive Economic Zones, there will be a HVDC cable.
- The HVDC cable will terminate in an onshore DC>AC Converter Station in the UK, which will be connected to the UK electricity grid.
No details of the two landfalls have been given.
More information is given in this article on offshoreWIND.biz, which is entitled UK And Netherlands Unveil Multi-Purpose Interconnector Plans.
- This shows a map of the North Sea with an interconnector running in a straight line between possibly Rotterdam and Bacton in Norfolk.
- A wind farm is shown connected to this interconnector.
This paragraph describes the windfarm and the interconnector.
LionLink, a multi-purpose interconnector that was announced today at the North Sea summit, could connect a Dutch offshore wind farm with a capacity of 2 GW to both countries via subsea interconnectors.
If the wind farm has a capacity of 2 GW, I would assume it can supply up to 2 GW to the UK and The Netherlands.
This is a classic system, that can be optimised by the application of sound principles.
All electricity generated by the wind farm must be used, stored or converted into green hydrogen.
Electricity will be distributed as to need.
Energy storage or electrolysers could be sited at either end or even in the wind farm.
I would suspect that more wind farms could be connected to the interconnector.
The team, that write the control system for the grid will have a lot of fun!
BritNed
I have a feeling that National Grid and TenneT have taken a long hard commercial look at the electrical and financial performance of BritNed over the last year and decided, that a second connection would be to the mutual benefit of both companies, their customers and the UK and The Netherlands in general.
It would also be twice as difficult for terrorists sponsored by Putin to cut two cables.
Conclusion
This is a great leap forward for wind power in the North Sea and Europe.
Norway Has Room For 338 GW Of Offshore Wind, New Analysis Finds
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Norway has the potential to develop up to 338 GW of offshore wind in areas with a low level of conflict, according to a new analysis performed by Multiconsult and commissioned by the industry organisation Norwegian Offshore Wind, Equinor, Source Galileo, Hafslund and Deep Wind Offshore.
These two paragraphs are the main findings of the report.
The report, issued on 14 April, maps 28 areas as suitable for floating wind and 18 areas for fixed-bottom offshore wind, estimating the total potential installed capacity to be 241 GW at 5 MW/km2 and 338 GW at 7 MW/km2.
Of this, floating wind could account for 156 GW and up to 219 GW, while fixed-bottom capacity is between 85 GW and 119 GW.
So how does that figure look for the UK?
Consider.
- The UK has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 773,676 sq. kilometres.
- But if you include overseas territories, the UK’s area is 6,805,586 sq. kilometres and is the fifth largest in the world.
- Norway has an Exclusive Economic Zone of 2,385,178 sq. kilometres.
So taking the 338 GW figure for Norway and ignoring overseas territories, we could generate 109.6 GW.
Gravity-Based Green Energy Storage Tech Pioneer Eyes US Mineshafts
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Recharge News.
This is the sub-heading.
Gravitricity and IEA Infrastructure Construction to seek funding under government scheme for projects at ex-mining sites.
These are the first two paragraphs.
A pioneer in gravity-based energy storage technology aims to make its US debut after linking with a major American construction group.
Gravitricity, which uses giant weights hung in deep shafts to store energy, will partner with IEA Infrastructure Construction to jointly seek US funding for projects at former mines.
I wonder how many other companies will go chasing the money, that President Biden has put on offer in the US?
World’s First Unmanned HVDC Offshore Platform Installed At World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from the Dogger Bank wind farm web site.
These are the two bullet points.
- Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be first UK High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) connected offshore wind farm
- 70% reduction in topside weight per MW for offshore platforms
These are my thoughts.
High Voltage Direct Current
Wikipedia has an excellent entry on high voltage direct current, which is commonly referred to as HVDC.
The news item says this about how the electricity is brought ashore from the Dogger Bank wind farm.
The innovative offshore platform has a lean design and is the first unmanned HVDC platform which will be operated from shore and accessed only by a Service Operations Vessel. The platform will receive 1.2GW of AC power from Dogger Bank A’s 95 offshore wind turbines and convert it to DC, which will then be sent ashore to an onshore convertor station near Beverley in East Riding of Yorkshire.
Fitted with Hitachi Energy’s latest generation HVDC converter technology, Dogger Bank will be the first offshore wind project in the UK to use this technology to transmit the electricity produced back to shore, ensuring that the electricity is transmitted efficiently over long distances while minimising losses.
Note.
- Wind turbines generate AC.
- There will be conversion to DC on the substation and conversion back to AC onshore.
- It should also be noted, that large undersea interconnectors are generally built around HVDC technology.
Wikipedia says this about the advantages of DC transmission.
A long-distance, point-to-point HVDC transmission scheme generally has lower overall investment cost and lower losses than an equivalent AC transmission scheme. HVDC conversion equipment at the terminal stations is costly, but the total DC transmission-line costs over long distances are lower than for an AC line of the same distance. HVDC requires less conductor per unit distance than an AC line, as there is no need to support three phases and there is no skin effect.
Depending on voltage level and construction details, HVDC transmission losses are quoted at 3.5% per 1,000 km (620 mi), about 50% less than AC (6.7%) lines at the same voltage. This is because direct current transfers only active power and thus causes lower losses than alternating current, which transfers both active and reactive power.
It looks like cost is a big factor.
My knowledge of grid systems and AC power is limited, as I was more of a Control Engineering and Electronics student at university.
But could HVDC-connected wind farms have advantages, when it comes to providing a reactive power capability to the grid, as I wrote about in Dogger Bank C In UK Offshore Wind First To Provide Reactive Power Capability.
Extra income is another good reason to choose something.
Lightweight Platforms
I’ve always been a fan of lightweight structures and it does seen that the engineers of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm have gone down that route.
This is a paragraph from the news item.
The platform will be controlled from shore and by removing the need for personnel to stay on the platform meant it has been possible to eliminate elements such as the living quarters, helideck and sewage systems, resulting in a 70% reduction in weight (per megawatt) of the topside compared to previous platforms installed, and cost savings of hundreds of millions of pounds.
Again costs are being reduced and profits increased.
We should never rule out the importance of the finances of a project. Once by simulating a chemical process on the computer for ICI, I knocked ten metres off the height of a chemical plant. I got a nice little bonus for that!
If they have made a substantial reduction in substation weight, this surely means that the supporting structure can probably be smaller and less costly.
Conclusion
I suspect, a lot more wind farms will follow the Dogger Bank example.
Businesses Back Hydrogen Trials To Accelerate Net Zero Ambitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item on Centrica.
These are the three main findings of a business survey, to ascertain attitudes to hydrogen.
- Three quarters (77%) of businesses back hydrogen as part of their energy improvement strategy with a quarter (27%) intending to trial or implement it in the next two years.
- Almost one in ten (8%) respondents say they have already installed hydrogen-ready combined heat and power (CHP) units.
- A third (33%) of firms say energy costs are motivating them to adopt hydrogen.
This paragraph details who were surveyed.
We surveyed 500 executives in December 2022 and January 2023 across food and beverage manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality and travel, pharmaceutical manufacturing, heavy industry, horticulture and light industry. 24% of respondents were from the UK, 16% Ireland, 20% Netherlands, 20% Italy, 20% Hungary.
It certainly looks to be a well-constructed survey, with a wide range of respondents.
I have some thoughts.
Centrica And Combined Heat And Power
I was initially surprised that eight percent of respondents had already installed hydrogen-ready combined heat and power units.
But according to Centrica Announces Hydrogen Ready Combined Heat And Power Partnership With 2G, Centrica are preparing themselves for selling systems in this area.
Businesses Are Certainly Looking At Hydrogen
A figure of 77 % of businesses are looking at hydrogen and 27 % are investing in hydrogen.
But I don’t think the average man on the Clapham Omnibus would be so enthusiastic.
Costs Are Motivating Firms To Adopt Hydrogen
I would be surprised if costs didn’t have an effect.
But if costs are driving them towards hydrogen, then hydrogen must be more affordable.
Which is one in eye for hydrogen deniers, who always tell me it is more expensive.
Are Centrica Working To Drop Their Costs?
These posts would suggest they are.
- Centrica And Ryze Agree To Develop Hydrogen Pathway
- Centrica Announces Hydrogen Ready Combined Heat And Power Partnership With 2G
- Centrica Partners With Hull-Based HiiRoc For Hydrogen Fuel Switch Trial At Humber Power Plant
- Centrica Plan Green Energy Hub At Former Gas Power Plant
- Centrica Re-Opens Rough Storage Facility
- Lhyfe And Centrica To Develop Offshore Renewable Green Hydrogen In The UK
They are doing deals with start-ups and repurposing old plants and pipelines.
Conclusion
Centrica seem to be leading the charge to hydrogen in the UK.
Denmark Launches World’s First Power-to-X Tender
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Danish Energy Agency (DEA) has invited bids to build and operate Power-to-X projects with a deadline for applications set to 1 September. Through the tender – the first of this kind in both Denmark and the world – the country has made available DKK 1.25 billion (approximately EUR 167.7 million) in state support for the production of Power-to-X in the form of green hydrogen.
This paragraph outlines the deal.
The tender is being held to procure hydrogen produced by using renewable energy sources and is part of Denmark’s goal to reach between 4 and 6 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030 and its Power-to-X strategy, released in 2021, according to which the country’s offshore wind resources provide good conditions for the production of green hydrogen, which requires large amounts of green electricity.
These are the conditions.
- Only hydrogen that is produced from renewable energy sources and meets the EU’s documentation requirements for green PtX fuels is eligible for support.
- The winning bidder(s) must have the project(s) built to full capacity and start green hydrogen production within four years of signing the contract with the Danish Energy Agency.
The tender has been approved for state aid by the European Commission.
I can see all the large electrolyser builders getting their bids ready for what will be tough competition.
Overview – Siemens Energy Electrolyser Deal Dwarfs Rest In Q1 2023
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Renewables Now.
This is the first paragraph.
The global electrolyser market concluded the first quarter of 2023 with a variety of equipment supply deals, partnerships, framework agreements and even some firm contracts. Siemens Energy stood out with the news of its selection to equip a “world-scale” eFuels facility in Texas with a total capacity of 1,800 MW.
The article is a good summary of the electrolyser market.
SSE To Help Decarbonise 5000 Homes In Major London Retrofit Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item on SSE.
These three paragraphs outline the work.
SSE Energy Solutions has agreed a deal with Berkeley Homes that will help to decarbonise a heat network for up to 5,000 homes in London, thought to be one of the largest retrofits of its kind in the country.
An Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) system will be installed to supply the homes on an existing district heating network at the Woolwich Arsenal site after several options were considered, including the use of waste heat and ground and river source solutions. An ASHP was chosen as the best low carbon, low tariff option over the length of the supply contract.
The system will be installed in nearby Wellington Park where a new landscape will be created through a unique planting scheme that broadens the biodiversity of the area by responding to the microclimate. The ASHP will connect directly to the existing district heating network pipes, reducing the carbon content of the heat provided by the network.
It strikes me, that no new housing estates or blocks of flats, should be built without a district heating system.
In this example, SSE are able to decarbonise a large number of houses and flats, by just replacing a boiler with an air source heat pump.
Just imagine the hassle if five-thousand individual boilers had to be replaced.
Siemens Completes Study To Decarbonise Major UK Industrial Estate By 2038
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item on Siemens UK web site.
This is the sub-heading.
Siemens has proposed a road-map for decarbonising Trafford Park, one of Europe’s largest industrial estates, to support Trafford Council’s aims for the Greater Manchester borough to achieve net zero by 2038.
This three paragraphs outline the proposal.
The Low Carbon Trafford Park 2038 study, proposed by Siemens, aims to identify, cost and measure the impacts of low carbon technologies at the industrial estate. It covers a broad range of solutions, from waste to energy and heat recovery from energy intensive industrial players, to the potential for solar photovoltaics across the park to generate 147 GWh of clean energy.
The study acts as a blueprint for the council to consider as it works to eliminate the 714,000 tonnes of carbon emitted from Trafford Park each year. The estate is home to 1,330 businesses employing more than 35,000 people, with a dense population of industrial and commercial occupiers over an area of 4.6 sq miles.
The Council aims to use the roadmap to facilitate stakeholder engagement and collaboration across the industrial park, aligning business and environmental goals to different commercial segments across recommended technological and behavioural measures. It will then consider its broader recommendations as part of a long-term plan in partnership with occupiers.
This is decarbonisation on a grand scale!
- Siemens expects the decarbonisation of Trafford Park to attract new business to the Park and maintain and enhance its standing as a commercial and industrial hub in the region.
- The measures recommended would require £1.2 billion of private and public investment to achieve a 94% reduction in emissions.
- The study provided Trafford Council with modelling of an extensive range of measures for conserving gas and electricity and for generating clean energy on-site.
This page on the Siemens web site is entitled Smart Infrastructure For A Sustainable Future, outlines some of the company’s solutions.
Conclusion
It will be interesting to see how Trafford Park decarbonises.
Seaway7 Installs Final Foundation At Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Seaway7 has installed the final wind turbine foundation on Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, off the coast of Angus, Scotland, concluding the 18-month installation campaign.
Note.
- As 114 foundations have been installed in eighteen months or just over six installations in a month.
- According to Deepest Ever Fixed-Bottom Wind Turbine Foundation Stands Offshore Scotland, each foundation weighs two thousand tonnes.
- Some are also the deepest ever turbine foundations with a depth or is that height of nearly sixty metres.
- The Seagreen web site, says that phase 1 will be complete in the second quarter of this year.
- The first phase will generate 1075 MW.
We should raise a few cheers for the companies involved.
The Anonymous Widower 