Bidston Station – 4th May 2023
Bidston station is where I changed for Wrexham.
I look forward to going back to Bidston, when trains run directly to Wrexham on batteries.
Shell Joins VindØ Energy Island Consortium
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Global energy major Shell is joining the VindØ consortium which is aiming to take a leading role in developing and building Denmark’s first energy island.
This paragraph outlines the project.
The island will be able to connect 10 GW of offshore wind to Denmark and other neighboring countries, plus host an innovation zone with potential for large-scale Power-to-X production and energy storage. It would include accommodation and operation and maintenance services from onsite harbour facilities.
It looks spectacular in the visualisation.
Cummins And Accelera Showcase Broadest Portfolio Of Decarbonizing Technologies With An Emphasis On Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Cummins.
This is the first paragraph.
Cummins Inc. and Accelera™ by Cummins, Cummins’ zero-emissions technology brand, will showcase a variety of technologies in their booth at Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (May 2 to 4, Anaheim, California). The line-up emphasizes the role that hydrogen will play as part of Destination Zero, Cummins’ strategy to go further, faster to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and air quality impacts of its products and reach zero emissions by 2050. The company will showcase technologies across the hydrogen value chain, including electrolyzers to produce hydrogen that can power both a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) concept truck and a fuel cell electric powertrain.
The press release says this about their electrolysers for hydrogen production.
The hydrogen ecosystem is underpinned by green hydrogen production. Accelera’s electrolyzer technology is enabling the infrastructure scale-up needed to support hydrogen-powered vehicles.
They also say that they now have a 2.5 MW electrolyser module.
The press release has a section about the X15H Peterbilt Model 579 Concept Truck, which is a conversion of a standard Peterbilt Model 579 truck.
Cummins will reveal a heavy-duty concept truck featuring the X15H hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE). The proof-of-concept installation with ratings up to 500 horsepower (372 kW) features a 700-bar pressure 80 kg high-capacity hydrogen storage system. The H2-ICE conversion highlights the opportunity for heavy-duty truck applications to operate on zero-carbon hydrogen fuel with an operating range of more than 500 miles. The hydrogen conversion work is not expected to compromise truck performance, cargo capacity or payload. The substitution of the diesel engine with the 15-liter hydrogen engine and integration with the existing driveline highlights the ability of H2-ICE to offer a zero-carbon solution for fleets to deploy quickly with limited investment.
This footnote says a bit more about the X15H hydrogen internal combustion engine.
The X15H hydrogen engine with up to 1900 foot-pounds torque is an all-new engine platform featuring cutting-edge technology to enhance power density, reduce friction losses and improve thermal efficiency. As a result, performance is equivalent to that of a similar displacement diesel engine and compatible with the same transmissions, drivelines and cooling packages. A further benefit of the X15H is significantly quieter running than a diesel.
It looks to me, that Cummins will be going for both the new build and replacement market.
Werner Enterprises Signs Letter Of Intent Planning To Secure 500 X15H Engines From Cummins and Transport Enterprise Leasing To Integrate Cummins X15H Hydrogen Engine Into Heavy Duty Trucks show this sales philosophy at work.
The press release also says this about their hydrogen fuel cell engine.
Hydrogen fuel cell engines turn hydrogen stored onboard a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) into electricity to power the electric powertrain. This creates efficient, zero-emissions power for demanding applications with longer ranges and harder duty cycles. On display at ACT Expo is Accelera’s FCE150 Gen 4 fuel cell engine, powered to go the distance with superior performance and reliability and zero tailpipe emissions. It features increased power density, efficiency and durability with ease of system integration. It is available in 150 kW and 300 kW configurations with the flexibility to decarbonize a range of heavy-duty applications.
This looks to be a formidable beast.
After America, The World
It will be interesting to see what plans Cummins have for the rest of the world.
These posts contain some of my thoughts.
- Air Products, Cummins To Accelerate Hydrogen Integration In Fuel Cells Trucks
- Could London’s New Routemaster Buses Be Converted To Hydrogen Power?
- Cummins Fuel Cell Technology Powers Coradia iLint Fleet In Germany
- Daimler Truck North America And Cummins Collaborate To Drive Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks Forward In North America
- Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?
- Electrolyser System To Linde For Green Hydrogen Production In Niagara Falls, New York
- Ricardo Supports Industry Leaders To Develop Innovative Dedicated Hydrogen Engine
This must be one of the biggest conversions of a major corporation to zero-carbon thinking.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Did I Have A Close Brush With Covid-19?
Did I Have A Close Brush With Covid-19?
In January 2020, I went between Liverpool and Sheffield on a ramshackle train formed of several one-car trains.
At Manchester Piccadilly station, the train filled up with a large number of Chinese students, who’d recently arrived at Manchester Airport and were returning to university at Sheffield and possibly other universities in the East Midlands.
The students were happy and laughing, but no-one would have complained about them, as everybody would probably have reacted in the same way, after just arriving in a strange country at their age.
But there must have been twenty taking most of the available seats in my carriage. I shared a table with three!
At the time, Covid-19 had hardly started to invade the UK, with most cases starting in March.
But, after hearing someone’s story on the radio yesterday, I wonder about the health of those students.
I certainly, didn’t catch Covid-19 seriously after that train journey and haven’t had the virus since to my knowledge. But thinking back I may have felt slightly unwell with a possible temperature the next day.
Fugro To Monitor Offshore Wind Biodiversity By Using eDNA Samples
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Dutch geo-data specialist company Fugro has launched the BeWild project, aimed at measuring biodiversity at offshore wind farms.
I have a feeling that this fishing-for-DNA technique could have lots of uses, including some very unusual ones.
The article is worth a detailed read and Fugro and their partners certainly seem to be doing a full investigation.
These three paragraphs list the partners and the things they will provide or research.
Support will be provided by Wageningen University which will focus on the DNA sequencing methodology of marine eDNA, researching the governance of these new forms of automated data collection to provide guidance on the design principles for the expansion of nature-inclusive wind energy infrastructures.
Additionally, Stichting de Rijke Noordzee will explore how to integrate biodiversity monitoring with regular asset inspection; Mecal – ATS will develop an improved scour protection system with the potential to enhance biodiversity; Seekable will optimise cable burial monitoring solution; and CrossWind will provide access to an operational wind farm for testing and investigations.
The BeWild project is being developed with the Mission-driven Research, Development, and Innovation (MOOI) subsidy from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, and implemented by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
It certainly appears very comprehensive.
Ørsted Posts All-Time High Offshore Wind Earnings
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
World’s leading offshore wind developer, Ørsted, has reported DKK 6.9 billion (EUR 926 million) operating profit (EBITDA) for the first quarter of 2023, DKK 2.5 billion less compared to the same period a year earlier.
For those, who are sceptical about offshore wind, these results must surely pour cold water on your views.
The profits also appear to have in part been driven by the commissioning of the Hornsea Two wind farm.
Boralex Commissions BESS At Wind Farm In France In EU-Supported Demonstration Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Storage News.
These two paragraphs outline the project.
Canada-based renewable energy firm Boralex has turned on a 3.3MWh battery storage unit attached to a wind farm in France.
The battery storage project has been installed at the site of the Plouguin wind farm, an 8MW generating facility in the Finistere department of Brittany, northwest France.
Note.
- The project was co-financed by the European Union through its European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
- The project was launched to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a hybrid wind-plus-storage project.
- Boralex added in its announcement that the project will contribute to the stability of the French electricity grid.
There will be a lot of projects like this in the future.
This paragraph makes an interesting point about using batteries with solar and wind power.
Wind farms are less frequently hybridised with energy storage than solar PV because of the larger minimum project size and less predictable variability, with sharper peaks meaning heavier battery cycling and potentially faster degradation.
My control engineering knowledge and experience says that larger power sources and those that are highly variable will need batteries with more capacity for the same stability and quality of power output.
This sounds to me like a very good reason for developing larger and more affordable batteries, like those of Cheesecake Energy, Energy Dome, Gravitricity and Highview Power.
It also probably means that to stabilise several gigawatts of wind power, you need a very large amount of storage, that can only be provided by pumped storage hydroelectricity.
Conclusion
A very large amount energy storage is going to be needed.
Projects like these are essential to make sure we use them to their full possibilities.
Net-Zero Concept Aircraft: Which Designs Are The Current Front Runners?
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Simple Flying.
The article is a good summary of what may happen in the field of Net-Zero aircraft in the next ten or twelve years.
Old Street Station – 2nd May 2023
I took these pictures this morning, as my bus passed Old Street roundabout.
It’s still progressing as slowly as ever.
Nicholas Lane – 1st May 2023
Nicholas Lane is a lane in the City of London, that runs between Cannon Street in the South and Lombard Street in the North.
This Google Map shows the lane.
Note.
- Nicholas Lane tuns diagonally across King William Street.
- Cannon Street can be seen in the South-West corner of the map.
- The new entrance to Bank station is on Cannon Street.
- Nicholas Lane runs up the side of the new station entrance.
- There are two bus stops for the 21, 43 and 141 buses on King William Street.
The bus stops are within easy walking distance of the new station entrance, if you walk along the Southern section of Nicholas Lane.
These pictures show Nicholas Lane and King William Street.
Note.
- I suspect some coffee shops or a fast food joint will appear at the King William Street end of Nicholas Lane.
- The windows on the corner could be ready to be a shop.
- In Bank Station Upgrade – 6th January 2023, I described the eight storey building, that will sit on top of the station entrance.
The lane could also a preferred route for many, who are changing at Bank station to or from the buses.
The Anonymous Widower 