Ofgem OKs Transmission Investments Needed For UK’s 2030 Offshore Wind Target
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ofgem has approved the strategic electricity transmission reinforcements required to deliver the UK Government’s 50 GW offshore wind by 2030 target, set out as part of the regulator’s Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework.
A map then shows the principle new transmission reinforcements.
These include two 2 GW subsea HVDC links from Peterhead to England, both of which will be taken forward as joint ventures with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), a 2 GW subsea HVDC link from Spittal in Caithness, connecting to Peterhead, as well as a 1.8 GW subsea HVDC link from Arnish on the Western Isles to the Beauly area near Inverness.
The approval also implies 400 kV onshore reinforcements, between Beauly, Blackhillock, New Deer and Peterhead; between Beauly, Loch Buidhe and Spittal; and between Kintore, Tealing and Westfield; and uprating the existing Beauly to Denny line to enable 400 kV operation on both circuits.
All cables seem to lead to Peterhead.
Carbon Capture And Storage Projects Across Europe
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on rureporter,
Twenty separate projects are named in eleven different countries.
Some may believe carbon capture and storage is a waste of time and money, but there is a large amount of investment going into the technology.
Brown Seaweed Could Remove 550 Million Tons Of Carbon
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Carbon Herald.
This may seem like a story that has arrived a few months early.
But the report does come from the respect Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.
The research is detailed on this page on their web site, which is entitled Slime For The Climate, Delivered By Brown Algae.
It is introduced by this sub-heading.
In form of fucoidan, brown algae could remove up to 550 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.
Which is followed by this paragraph.
Brown algae take up large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air and release parts of the carbon contained therein back into the environment in mucous form. This mucus is hard to break down for other ocean inhabitants, thus the carbon is removed from the atmosphere for a long time, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen now show. They reveal that the algal mucus called fucoidan is particularly responsible for this carbon removal and estimate that brown algae could thus remove up to 550 million tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year – almost the amount of Germany’s entire annual greenhouse gas emissions.
Note that fucoidan has a Wikipedia entry.
The page says this about brown algae.
Brown algae are true wonder plants when it comes to absorbing carbon dioxide from the air.
It does seem to me that the Germans are on to something.
Vestas 15 MW Prototype Turbine Produces First Power
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Vestas’ V236-15.0 MW prototype wind turbine has produced its first kWh after being fully assembled at the Østerild National test centre for large wind turbines in Western Jutland, Denmark.
The first of the four wind farms in the Hornsea wind farm complex to be developed is Hornsea One.
- It has a capacity of 1218 MW.
- It is comprised of 174 Siemens SWT-7.0-154, which each have a generating capacity of 7 MW.
If 15 MW turbines could have been used on Hornsea One, it would have more than doubled the generating capacity to 2625 MW.
But obviously, larger turbines have longer blades, so they may need to be placed further apart.
In Vattenfall Boosts Capacity For Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone, I write about how Vattenfall are increasing the size of their Norfolk wind farms, by proposing to use larger turbines.
Conclusion
Turbines will get larger and 15 MW turbines will be commonplace.
A possible advantage is that you only need sixty-seven turbines for a GW, as opposed to a hundred 10 MW turbines, so there are possibilities to optimise the most profitable way to build a wind farm.
Neptune Energy, Ørsted And Goal7 Explore Powering Integrated Energy Hubs With Offshore Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Neptune Energy.
These four paragraphs outline the agreement.
Neptune Energy today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ørsted and Goal7 to explore powering new integrated energy hubs in the UK North Sea with offshore wind-generated electricity.
Integrated energy hubs have the potential to combine multiple energy systems, including existing oil and gas production assets, carbon storage and hydrogen production facilities. They could extend the life of producing fields and support the economic case for electrification with renewable energy, to keep carbon emissions low.
The agreement will see the companies examine the potential to supply renewable electricity from Ørsted’s Hornsea offshore windfarm projects to power future Neptune-operated hubs in the UK North Sea.
Goal7 will provide project management support and technical input.
Note.
- Neptune Energy has three oil and gas fields in the UK North Sea; Cygnus (operational), Isabella (exploration) and Seagull (development)
- Gas from Cygnus comes ashore at the Bacton Gas Terminal.
- Ørsted owns the Hornsea wind farm, which when fully developed will have a capacity of around 6.5 GW.
- Cygnus and Hornsea could be not much further than 50 km apart.
- Seagull and Isabella are further to the North and East of Aberdeen.
- Ørsted has an interest in the Broadshore wind farm, which was numbered 8 in the ScotWind Leasing round.
These are my thoughts.
The Cygnus Gas Field And The Hornsea Wind Farm
This could be like one of those stories where boy meets the girl next door and they hit it off from the first day.
This page on the Neptune web site says this about the Cygnus gas field.
The biggest natural gas discovery in the southern North Sea in over 30 years is now the largest single producing gas field in the UK, typically exporting over 250 million standard cubic feet of gas daily. Cygnus contributes six per cent of UK gas demand, supplying energy to the equivalent of 1.5 million UK homes. It has a field life of over 20 years.
Two drilling centres target ten wells. Cygnus Alpha consists of three bridge-linked platforms: a wellhead drilling centre, a processing/utilities unit and living quarters/central control room. Cygnus Bravo, an unmanned satellite platform, is approximately seven kilometres northwest of Cygnus Alpha.
In 2022, we plan to drill two new production wells at Cygnus, with the first of these expected to come onstream in 4Q. The second well is due to be drilled in the fourth quarter and is expected onstream in the first quarter of 2023, with both wells helping to maintain production from the field and offset natural decline.
Gas is exported via a 55 km pipeline. Cygnus connects via the Esmond Transmission System (ETS) pipeline to the gas-treatment terminal at Bacton, Norfolk. Neptune Energy has a 25% minority interest in ETS.
Note.
- Cygnus with a twenty year life could be one of the ways that we bridge the gap until we have the two Cs (Hinckley Point and Sizewell) and a few tens of offshore wind gigawatts online.
- The two extra wells at Cygnus will help bridge the gap.
- The gas field has a pipeline to Bacton.
So what can the gas field and the wind farm, do for each other?
Hornsea Can Supply The Power Needs Of Cygnus
Typically, ten percent of the gas extracted from the wells connected to a gas platform, will be converted into electricity using one or more gas-turbine engines; which will then be used to power the platform.
So, if electricity from the Hornsea wind farm, is used to power the platform, there are two benefits.
- More gas will be sent through the pipeline to Bacton.
- Less carbon dioxide will be emitted in recovering the gas.
Effectively, electricity has been turned into gas.
Electricity Can Be Stored On The Sea-Bed
The Hornsea One wind farm has an area in the order of 150 square miles and it is only one wind farm of four, that make up the Hornsea wind farm.
I would argue that there is plenty of space between the turbines and the wells of the Cygnus gas field to install some form of zero-carbon underwater battery to store electricity.
But does this technology exist?
Not yet! But in UK Cleantech Consortium Awarded Funding For Energy Storage Technology Integrated With Floating Wind, I described a technique called Marine Pumped Hydro, which is being developed by the STORE Consortium.
- Energy is stored as pressurised water in 3D-printed hollow concrete spheres fitted with a hydraulic turbine and pump.
- The spheres sit on the sea-bed.
- This page on the STORE Consortium web site, describes the technology in detail.
- The technology is has all been used before, but not together.
I think it is excellent technology and the UK government has backed it with £150,000 of taxpayers’ money.
I also believe that Marine Pumped Hydro or something like it, could be the solution to the intermittency of wind farms.
Excess Electricity Can Be Converted Into Hydrogen
Any spare electricity from the wind farm can drive an electrolyser to convert it into hydrogen.
The electrolyser could be mounted on one of the Cygnus platforms, or it could even float.
The hydrogen produced would be blended with the gas and sent to Bacton.
Carbon Dioxide Can Be Stored In The Depleted Cygnus Gas Field
As the gas field empties of natural gas, the gas pipes to the Cygnus gas field can be reversed and used to bring carbon dioxide to the gas field to be stored.
The Cygnus gas field has gone full circle from providing gas to storing the same amount of carbon that the gas has produced in its use.
These are two paragraphs from the press release.
Neptune Energy’s Director of New Energy, Pierre Girard, said: “The development of integrated energy hubs is an important part of Neptune’s strategy to store more carbon than is emitted from our operations and the use of our sold products by 2030.
“Neptune has submitted three applications under the recent Carbon Dioxide Appraisal and Storage Licensing Round, and securing the licences would enable us to develop future proposals for integrated energy hubs in the UK North Sea.
I can envisage a large gas-fired power-station with carbon capture being built in Norfolk, which will do the following.
- Take a supply of natural gas from the Cygnus gas field via the Bacton gas terminal.
- Convert the hydrogen in the gas into electricity.
- Convert the carbon in the gas into carbon dioxide.
- Store the carbon dioxide in the Cygnus gas field via Bacton.
- I also suspect, that if a Norfolk farmer, manufacturer or entrepreneur has a use for thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide, they would be welcomed with open arms.
Would the ultra-greens of this world, accept this power station as zero-carbon?
The Isabella And Seagull Gas Fields And The Broadshore Wind Farm
Could a similar set of projects be applied to the Isabella and Seagull gas fields, using the Broadshore wind farm?
I don’t see why not and they could work with the Peterhead power stations.
National Grid Avoids Emissions At London Power Tunnels Substation With Green Grid Technology
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
These are the main bullet points.
- £1bn project to rewire London will see the replacement of ageing high-voltage electricity cables and expand network capacity to meet the increasing electricity demand
- A new substation at Bengeworth Road in Lambeth is at the heart of the project and will be built by Linxon using Hitachi Energy’s SF6 free gas insulated switchgear technology in a UK first
- The project forms part of National Grid’s ambition to have no SF6 in electrical assets by 2050
- National Grid is investing a total of £1.3bn every year in electricity network infrastructure needed to help the UK decarbonise and reach net zero emissions
I’ll now expand some of these points.
The London Power Tunnels
This is said about the London Power Tunnels.
National Grid’s London Power Tunnels (LPT) project is a seven-year, £1 billion project, to rewire South London via deep underground tunnels. This vital work to replace ageing high-voltage cables will expand capacity and help keep Londoners connected to secure and reliable electricity supplies.
Note.
- In total, there are 32.5km of 3m diameter tunnels.
- They stretch between Wimbledon and Crayford.
- As part of the project, a new tunnel access shaft, substation and headhouse is being built at Bengeworth Road, Lambeth to connect to our London Power Tunnels (LPT) route.
The London Power Tunnels have their own web site.
Sulphur Hexafluoride
This is said about Sulphur Hexafluoride.
Sulphur Hexafluoride (SF6 ) is used in the electricity industry in substations to prevent short circuits and to keep the network safe and reliable, but it has a high global warming potential. National Grid’s ambition is to reduce its SF6 emissions by 50% by 2030 and remove all SF6 gas from electrical assets by 2050.
Linxon is building Bengeworth Road substation for National Grid and to support the business in its transition to SF6 -free solutions, in a UK first, Hitachi Energy will deliver EconiQ™ 400-kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and gas-insulated lines (GIL) containing no SF6, to enable the transmission of energy over long distances. Installation is expected to begin in 2023, subject to prior approval of the substation by Lambeth Council.
In the Wikipedia entry for sulphur hexafluoride, this is said.
SF6 is 23,500 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas but exists in relatively minor concentrations in the atmosphere. Its concentration in Earth’s troposphere reached 10.63 parts per trillion (ppt) in 2021, rising at 0.39 ppt/year.[8] The increase over the prior 40 years was driven in large part by the expanding electric power sector, including fugitive emissions from banks of SF6 gas contained in its medium- and high-voltage switchgear. Uses in magnesium, aluminium, and electronics manufacturing also hastened atmospheric growth.
As I have a lot of experience of HF, my view is that we’re well shot of the SF6, but I’ll be 103, when National Grid eliminate it.
Low Carbon Construction Of Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station
Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station is going to be built on the Suffolk Coast.
Wikipedia says this about the power station’s construction.
The project is expected to commence before 2024, with construction taking between nine and twelve years, depending on developments at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, which is also being developed by EDF Energy and which shares major similarities with the Sizewell plant.
It is a massive project and I believe the construction program will be designed to be as low-carbon as possible.
High Speed Two is following the low-carbon route and as an example, this news item on their web site, which is entitled HS2 Completes Largest Ever UK Pour Of Carbon-Reducing Concrete On Euston Station Site, makes all the right noises.
These three paragraphs explain in detail what has been done on the Euston station site.
The team constructing HS2’s new Euston station has undertaken the largest ever UK pour of Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) – a material that reduces the amount of carbon embedded into the concrete, saving over 76 tonnes of CO2 overall. John F Hunt, working for HS2’s station Construction Partner, Mace Dragados joint venture, completed the 232 m3 concrete pour in early September.
The EFC product, supplied by Capital Concrete, has been used as a foundation slab that will support polymer silos used for future piling works at the north of the Euston station site. Whilst the foundation is temporary, it will be in use for two years, and historically would have been constructed with a more traditional cement-based concrete.
The use of the product on this scale is an important step forward in how new, innovative environmentally sustainable products can be used in construction. It also helps support HS2’s objective of net-zero construction by 2035, and achieve its goal of halving the amount of carbon in the construction of Britain’s new high speed rail line.
Note.
- Ten of these slabs would fill an Olympic swimming pool.
- I first wrote about Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) in this post called Earth Friendly Concrete.
- EFC is an Australian invention and is based on a geopolymer binder that is made from the chemical activation of two recycled industrial wastes; flyash and slag.
- HS2’s objective of net-zero construction by 2035 is laudable.
- It does appear that this is a trial, but as the slab will be removed in two years, they will be able to examine in detail how it performed.
I hope the Sizewell C project team are following High Speed Two’s lead.
Rail Support For Sizewell C
The Sizewell site has a rail connection and it appears that this will be used to bring in construction materials for the project.
In the January 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled Rail Set To Support Sizewell C Construction.
It details how sidings will be built to support the construction, with up to four trains per day (tpd), but electrification is not mentioned.
This is surprising to me, as increasingly, big construction projects are being managed to emit as small an amount of carbon as possible. Sizewell C may be an isolated site, but in Sizewell B, it’s got one of the UK’s biggest independent carbon-free electricity generators a couple of hundred metres away.
The writer of the Modern Railways article, thinks an opportunity is being missed.
I feel the following should be done.
- Improve and electrify the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Saxmundham Junction.
- Electrify the Aldeburgh Branch Line and the sidings to support the construction or agree to use battery-electric or hydrogen zero-carbon locomotives.
Sizewell C could be a superb demonstration project for low-carbon construction!
Sizewell C Deliveries
Sizewell C will be a massive project and and will require a large number of deliveries, many of which will be heavy.
The roads in the area are congested, so I suspect rail is the preferred method for deliveries.
We already know from the Modern Railways article, that four tpd will shuttle material to a number of sidings close to the site. This is a good start.
Since Sizewell A opened, trains have regularly served the Sizewell site to bring in and take out nuclear material. These occasional trains go via Ipswich and in the last couple of years have generally been hauled by Class 88 electro-diesel locomotives.
It would be reasonable to assume that the Sizewell C sidings will be served in the same manner.
But the route between Westerfield Junction and Ipswich station is becoming increasingly busy with the following services.
- Greater Anglia’s London and Norwich services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Cambridge services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Felixstowe services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Lowestoft services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Peterborough services
- Freight services serving the Port of Felixstowe, which are expected to increase significantly in forthcoming years.
But the Modern Railways article says this about Saxmundham junction.
Saxmundham junction, where the branch meets the main line, will be relaid on a slightly revised alignment, retaining the existing layout but with full signalling giving three routes from the junction protecting signal on the Down East Suffolk line and two in the Down direction on the bidirectional Up East Suffolk line. Trap points will be installed on the branch to protect the main line, with the exit signal having routes to both running lines.
Does the comprehensive signalling mean that a freight train can enter or leave the Sizewell sidings to or from either the busy Ipswich or the quieter Lowestoft direction in a very safe manner?
I’m no expert on signalling, but I think it does.
- A train coming from the Lowestoft direction needing to enter the sidings would go past Saxmundham junction on the Up line. Once clear of the junction, it would stop and reverse into the branch.
- A train coming from the Ipswich direction needing to enter the sidings would approach in the wrong direction on the Up line and go straight into the branch.
- A train leaving the sidings in the Lowestoft direction would exit from the branch and take the Up line until it became single track. The train would then stop and reverse on to the Down line and take this all the way to Lowestoft.
- A train leaving the sidings in the Ipswich direction would exit from the branch and take the Up line all the way to Ipswich.
There would need to be ability to move the locomotive from one end to the other inside the Sizewell site or perhaps these trains could be run with a locomotive on both ends.
The advantage of being able to run freight trains between Sizewell and Lowestoft becomes obvious, when you look at this Google Map, which shows the Port of Lowestoft.
Note.
- The Inner Harbour of the Port of Lowestoft.
- The East Suffolk Line running East-West to the North of the Inner Harbour.
- Lowestoft station at the East side of the map.
I doubt it would be the most difficult or expensive of projects to build a small freight terminal on the North side of the Inner Harbour.
I suspect that the easiest way to bring the material needed to build the power station to Sizewell would be to do the following.
- Deliver it to the Port of Lowestoft by ship.
- Tranship to a suitable shuttle train for the journey to the Sizewell sidings.
- I estimate that the distance is only about 25 miles and a battery or hydrogen locomotive will surely be available in the UK in the next few years, that will be able to provide the motive power for the return journey.
In The TruckTrain, I wrote about a revolutionary freight concept, that could be ideal for the Sizewell freight shuttle.
In addition, there is no reason, why shuttle trains couldn’t come in from anywhere connected to the East Suffolk Line.
Zero-Carbon Construction
Sizewell C could be the first major construction site in the UK to use electricity rather than diesel simply because of its neighbour.
Conclusion
I shall be following the construction methods at Sizewell C, as I’m fairly sure they will break new ground in the decarbonisation of the Construction industry.
Vattenfall Hails Uncrewed Vessels
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Swedish energy company Vattenfall conducted large-scale seabed surveys with uncrewed surface vessels at several of its offshore wind farms in Denmark, Sweden, and the UK earlier this year.
The article is a must-read and is describes how automation will be used in the future in the offshore wind industry.
Scotland’s Renewable Energy Jackpot: Hydrogen Exports Alone Could Be worth £25 Billion A Year By 2045
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Edinburgh News.
This is the sub-heading.
Scotland is a phenomenally energy rich country. For decades the largest oil-producing nation in the European Union, it is now set to trail-blaze as a leader in renewable energy.
The title and sub-heading say it all for Scotland.
But these words could equally well apply to Anglesey, Cornwall, Devon, East Anglia, Humberside, Liverpool and Morecambe Bays, the Severn Estuary and Pembrokeshire.
We also mustn’t forget the Dogger Bank!
Second Life Energy Storage Firm Smartville Inc On Modules vs Packs, Ramp-Up Plans And Tesla’s Approach
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Storage News.
I like the concept of taking the life-expired batteries out of electric vehicles and giving them a second life as grid batteries.
Smartville seem to have taken this simple and useful idea to a new level.
These are my thoughts.
The Internet Of Batteries
By the use of clever software, it appears, that they can control different types of battery packs, in a manner that could be called the Internet of Batteries.
They can also measure the state and performance and calculate the replacement date of each battery pack.
The Mother Of All Batteries
The implementation of this concept in their MOAB product allows the controlling software to manage a number of battery packs precisely to deliver a battery of the precise number of MWh, that the customer ordered.
- Provided an interface driver can be written, any type and make of battery pack can be incorporated.
- Nearly new, salvaged or elderly battery packs cab be used.
- The operating system can predict, when a battery pack must be replaced.
- Smartville are planning to install a 4MWh grid battery in central California that will be co-located with an existing power plant.
In some ways, the controlling software, is like the Chief Coach of a tug-of-war team, of mixed sexes, weights and strengths, that by asking for the right level of power from each member, gets the required performance.
Working With Tesla
The article talks about why, they don’t work with Tesla, where this is said.
Our experience in the US is that Tesla does not seem to be interested in working with outside partners. They’ve also publicly stated that they’re not focused on battery repurposing, not in their current business model at least, which I think might change over time. But that’s their public stance at the moment. We’re absolutely open to working directly with them but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself.
Does this indicate, that Tesla and Elon Musk are not the easiest people to deal with?
Conclusion
I shall be following Smartville.
The Anonymous Widower 