How Leeds Bradford Airport Can Be Catalyst For Green Aviation
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Yorkshire Post.
The article was written by a geography student from Yorkshire, who is studying at Cambridge University.
He makes some interesting points.
- Leeds Airport is not a good customer experience.
- Manchester Airport will take passengers away from Leeds.
- Leeds is the biggest financial centre in the UK outside London.
- Leeds Airport should be improved to the highest environmental standards.
- Aviation biofuels should be provided.
- Short haul flights should be replaced by a train journey if possible.
- By 2030, a lot of short haul flights will be replaced by electric aircraft.
I agree with a lot of what he says.
There will still be a need to fly and we must make it as environmentally-friendly as possible.
If we don’t find ways of making flying carbon-neutral, we’ll hurt the economy.
The Debate Over Burning Dead Trees To Create Biomass Energy
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Wired.
This is the sub-title.
Critics worry about the risks of overcutting and wood smoke. But supporters say the practice will prevent megafires—which release even more carbon dioxide.
For those who worry about the ethics of biomass, it is a must-read.
South Korea Is On The Hunt For An Overseas Hydrogen Production Location
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
It is an interesting article, which talks about how both South Korea and Japan are looking to source hydrogen from another country and how Australia is in prime position.
This Wikipedia entry, which is entitled Energy In South Korea, has this breakdown of electricity production in South Korea.
- Thermal – 65.3%
- Nuclear – 31.1%
- Hydro – 1.6%
- Other – 2%
Note that at the time of writing the UK is producing 39.0% of electricity from renewables and 15.9% from low-carbon sources.
Consider.
- As South Korea imports a lot of liquified natural gas and has no oil or gas resources of its own, importing hydrogen is just replacing a carbon-dioxide producing fuel with a zero-carbon one, that is produced from renewables.
- Other than Australia, other possible sources of hydrogen mentioned include Saudi Arabia and the United States, but is their hydrogen produced from renewables or steam-reforming of methane?
- I suspect another could be South Africa, as they can develop a lot of wind power around the Cape.
I think we’ll see more countries going down the same route as Japan and South Korea and importing large quantities of hydrogen.
- Countries with lots of renewables like geothermal, hydro, solar and wind will benefit.
- Countries with plenty of gas can use steam-reforming to create hydrogen.
But surely, the biggest beneficiaries will be world-class companies, like ITM Power in Rotherham, who build electrolysers.
Hydrogen To Become A Source Of Cleaner Power On A Massive Scale
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Power Technology.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Hydrogen is light, storable, energy-heavy and does not produce direct carbon emissions or greenhouse gases (GHG). Sectors such as soil refining, ammonia production, methanol production and steel production use hydrogen extensively. Hydrogen will likely play a crucial role in clean energy transition with an increase in its use in sectors such as transportation, buildings and power generation. Interest in the use of hydrogen technology is increasing in a range of niche transport market segments, besides other applications. In the short to medium term, hydrogen technology could be used to replace compressed natural gas (CNG) in some areas with minor changes to the existing infrastructure.
The article is very much a must-read.
Restoring Your Railway Fund Could Provide A Toolkit For Town Transformation
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Business.
The article talks a lot of sense and is a must-read for improving a town, that is on its uppers.
It uses the Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington in the North East as an example and describes how the fund can be used with the Towns Fund.
This paragraph gives a few examples of rail lines that could be improved using the fund!
Potential priorities for future rounds of funding could include the South Yorkshire Joint Line, a freight line serving 50 000 people between Doncaster and Worksop; the Leamside Line, a disused line which would serve 70 000 in Washington; March to Wisbech, a disused line which would connect 35 000 people in Wisbech to the network; and the line from Yate to Thornbury, another freight line which would connect 15 000 people in Thornbury to Bristol and beyond.
In the early sixties, I lived in the crap town of Felixstowe, with a sparse rail service to civilisation (London). Now the town has an hourly rail service to Ipswich in a smart new train and the town is more successful.
There’s a lot of chicken-and-egg syndrome at work here, but sorting the rail routes could be a good start.
In some cases, it’s not necessarily rebuilding infrastructure, as that is there for freight or an inadequate passenger service using a scrapyard special. But why not use refurbished trains powered by battery or hydrogen, on these routes to provide an hourly service. The curiosity value of the unusual propulsion, might even be a selling point to those reluctant to give up their PPVs, (Personal Protective Vehicles)!
An Untidy Railway
I took these pictures as I returned from Eridge.
You see it all over the railways and not just in the UK; general untidiness!
When I joined ICI in 1968, I went on a thorough and excellent induction course.
One very experienced engineer, gave a Health and Safety Lecture and one thing he said, was that a neat and tidy chemical plant was less likely to have silly accidents.
Some years later, I went to the United States to see some of Metier’s clients, of whom some were nuclear power stations. This must have been just after the Three Mile Island accident, which is described like this in Wikipedia.
The Three Mile Island accident was a partial meltdown of reactor number 2 of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station (TMI-2) in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg, and subsequent radiation leak that occurred on March 28, 1979. It is the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history.
Artemis was involved in maintenance at the nuclear stations I visited. I can remember at AEP Donald C Cook nuclear station being shown a database of work to do and many of the actions were referred to as TMIs and checking them had been mandated by the US regulatory authorities.
I should say, the site on the shores of Lake Michigan impressed me, but another I visited later didn’t. I won’t name it, as it is now closed and it was the most untidy industrial plant of any type I have visited.
As we left, I gave my opinion to our support engineer and he told me they had a very large number of TMIs to process. I wasn’t surprised!
So why are railways generally so untidy?
Two UK GDNs Considering New Fleet Of Zero-Emission Hydrogen Vehicles
This title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Two UK gas distribution networks (GDNs) are investigating the potential of operating fleets of zero-emission hydrogen vehicles. The goal would be to use H2 fuel to shrink the carbon output from their fleet, aligning with the UK government’s Net Zero 2050 targets.
This surely is a good idea, as it says all the right things to their customers.
Who Needs Offices? Zopa Doesn’t!
opa’s update to all their investors yesterday.
It had a sub-heading of At Zopa!
Finally, a quick update on where we’re at as a company. All of our staff are still working remotely. Our diligent preplanning for a situation in which we could lose access to our offices has meant we’ve been able to continue to serve our customers throughout the pandemic, while also implementing new solutions to adapt to this unprecedented situation. Like other businesses, we’ve been planning for what a return to our offices looks like. But as we’ve been able to keep serving your needs while operating from home, we are in no rush. Being in this position allows us to stay focused on supporting your needs during this challenging moment.
How many companies after we are through the COVID-19 pandemic will decide to downsize their office requirements considerably?
A Statue Without Explanation In Islington
Every time I go between my house and the Angel, I pass this statue on Islington Green.
It is of Sir Hugh Myddelton, who was very much a hero to generations of North Londoners prior to the Second World War.
Wikipedia introduces him like this.
Sir Hugh Myddelton (or Middleton), 1st Baronet (1560 – 10 December 1631) was a Welsh clothmaker, entrepreneur, mine-owner, goldsmith, banker and self-taught engineer. The spelling of his name is inconsistently reproduced, but Myddelton appears to be the earliest, and most consistently used in place names associated with him.
So why did my parents and others, born in the early years of the twentieth century, hold Myddelton in such high esteem?
Both my parents were born close to his most famous creation; the New River. Wikipedia explains his part in the project.
Myddelton is, however, best remembered as the driving force behind the construction of the New River, an ambitious engineering project to bring clean water from the River Lea, near Ware, in Hertfordshire to New River Head in Clerkenwell, London. After the initial project encountered financial difficulties, Myddelton helped fund the project through to completion, obtaining the assistance of King James I.
I do wonder, if the generation of my parents felt affectionately about the New River because in their first few decades, it was probably the source of most of the water they drunk and used for cooking and washing.
Wikipedia doesn’t give any clue to the character of Myddelton, but I’m sure that in today’s climate, some would find him not worthy of having a statue in such a prominent place.
I do feel though, that the statue needs a display to fill out the story of a man, who did so much for London over four hundred years ago and is still benefiting from his creation.
Greater Manchester Illegal Raves: Man Dies, Woman Raped And Three Stabbed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A 20-year-old man has died, a woman has been raped and three people have been stabbed during two illegal “quarantine raves” that attracted 6,000 people.
What the hell was going on?
There have been some exuberant parties in Hackney Marshes, but they didn’t appear to be the on the scale of the Mancunian troubles.
Last night on Stephen Nolan’s program, there was some very heated debate on what went on in Manchester. Some, who had been present, should have been arrested, if what they alleged they’d done was true.
If you look at total COVID-19 cases in London and the North West on June 15th, they are as follows.
- London 27, 330 – 306.8
- North-West 26,759 – 367
The second figure is a rate per 100,000 of the population. Although the Government data doesn’t give the legend on the chart! Poor presentation again from the Government statisticians!
I have been on public transport a lot in London and the behaviour of passengers seems to follow the rules. Especially, on the Overground, which seems to be busier than the buses and the Underground. Today on a trip out, everybody I saw on public transport was masked!
The Anonymous Widower 