X1 Wind – Disrupting Offshore Wind
The X1 Wind web site talks about disrupting offshore wind.
On the home page, they have this statement.
Oceans Contain The Largest Energy Resource On The Planet, Which Remains Untapped
They back it up with this reference.
We estimate the total global technical potential of offshore wind as 71 TW (World Bank, 2021), of which 70% is in deep waters, suited to floating wind.
The home page also has a continuous video of their floating wind turbine, which they call a PivotBuoy.
- The wind turbine is mounted on a triangular float.
- The turbine nacelle is supported on a tripod.
- The turbine faces downwind.
- The float is held in place by a single point mooring.
The float and the turbine automatically align with the wind.
This article on offshoreWIND.biz is entitled X1 Wind Installs Downwind Floating Prototype and gives more details of the turbine.
It’s certainly different.
Centrica Re-Opens Rough Storage Facility
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
It has this sub-heading.
Rough Operational For Winter And Increases UK’s Storage Capacity By 50%.
On the face of it, this sounds like good news and these two paragraphs give more details.
Centrica has announced the reopening of the Rough gas storage facility, having completed significant engineering upgrades over the summer and commissioning over early autumn.
The initial investment programme means the company has made its first injection of gas into the site in over 5 years and is in a position to store up to 30 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas for UK homes and businesses over winter 2022/23, boosting the UK’s energy resilience.
Note.
- The Rough gas storage facility has been able to hold up to 100 billion cubic feet of gas in the past.
- Rough is a complex field with two platforms and thirty wells transferring gas to and from the facility.
- Additionally, there is an onshore gas-processing terminal at the Easington Gas Terminal, where it connects to the UK gas network.
It appears to be a comprehensive gas storage facility, that should get us through the 2022/3 winter.
These two paragraphs from the press release, which are the thoughts of the Centrica Chief Executive are significant.
Centrica Group Chief Executive, Chris O’Shea, said “I’m delighted that we have managed to return Rough to storage operations for this winter following a substantial investment in engineering modifications. Our long-term aim remains to turn the Rough field into the world’s biggest methane and hydrogen storage facility, bolstering the UK’s energy security, delivering a net zero electricity system by 2035, decarbonising the UK’s industrial clusters, such as the Humber region by 2040, and helping the UK economy by returning to being a net exporter of energy.
“In the short term we think Rough can help our energy system by storing natural gas when there is a surplus and producing this gas when the country needs it during cold snaps and peak demand. Rough is not a silver bullet for energy security, but it is a key part of a range of steps which can be taken to help the UK this winter.”
Note.
- Effectively, in the short term, Rough is a store for gas to help us through the winter.
- In the long-term, Rough will be turned into the world’s largest gas storage facility.
- It will be able to store both methane (natural gas) and hydrogen.
Having worked with project managers on complex oil and gas platforms and chemical plants, I wouldn’t be surprised to find, that when the design of this facility is released, it will be something special.
Centrica certainly seem to have upgraded Rough to be able to play a significant short term role this winter and they also seem to have developed a plan to give it a significant long-term role in the storage of hydrogen.
Aldbrough Gas Storage
A few miles up the coast is SSE’s and Equinor’s Aldbrough Gas Storage, which is being developed in salt caverns to hold natural gas and hydrogen.
Blending Of Hydrogen And Natural Gas
I believe that we’ll see a lot of blending of hydrogen and natural gas.
- Up to 20 % of hydrogen can be blended, without the need to change appliances, boilers and processes.
- This cuts carbon dioxide emissions.
I wrote about this in a post called HyDeploy.
It might be convenient to store hydrogen in Aldbrough and natural gas in Rough, so that customers could have the blend of gas they needed.
With two large gas stores for hydrogen under development, the HumberZero cluster is on its way.
Why BMW Chair Oliver Zipse Says Hydrogen Cars Will Be The “Hippest Thing” On The Road
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
BMW Chair Oliver Zipse recently spoke at an interview in Goodwood, England, underscoring that hydrogen cars will soon be the most desirable zero-emission passenger vehicles to drive, not battery electrics.
He made these points and predictions.
- Electric vehicles will hit their peak in about ten years, then H2 will take over.
- After the electric car, which has been going on for about 10 years and scaling up rapidly, the next trend will be hydrogen.
- When it’s more scalable, hydrogen will be the hippest thing to drive.
I agree with him, but I do find anybody called Zipse to take seriously, because of the character in the Tom Sharpe novel; Porterhouse Blue.
Moorgate To Grosvenor Square On The Elizabeth Line
The Grosvenor Square area of Central London is shown by this Google Map.
Note.
- Grosvenor Square is the green square in the middle of the map, with the former US Embassy at its Western end.
- A block to the East of Grosvenor Square is Davies Street, which runs North-South to and from Oxford Street.
- It is mainly an area of expensive houses, some offices, embassies and luxury hotels.
- There are at least half-a-dozen four or five-star hotels on this map, with the former US Embassy being converted to another.
- So as most of its residents and visitors are well-heeled, there has generally been little need for public transport.
- But on the other hand luxury hotels, expensive houses and embassies are large employers of staff and services.
So do many travelling to the area, have to use a taxi or walk from public transport on Oxford Street or Park Lane?
At the top of this map, just on the West side of Davies Street is a building site, which is labelled Cavendish Buildings. This building site is now the Western or Davies Street Entrance to the Elizabeth Line at Bond Street station.
This morning I took an Elizabeth Line train between Moorgate and Davies Street and then walked to Grosvenor Square,
Note.
- There are two triple escalators and a lift at Moorgate station.
- Travel in the front of the train to be positioned correctly for a quick exit.
- There are two triple escalators and a lift at the Davies Street entrance to Bond Street station.
It took me twenty-two minutes for the whole journey.
Will The Elizabeth Line Have Any Effects On The Grosvenor Square Area?
This is a difficult question to answer, but I’m sure that there will be changes.
Staff Will Have An Easier Journey To And From Work
The manager of a luxury hotel in London told me that good staff is a problem, especially, where public transport is not good.
So I do feel that the new Bond Street station will widen the pool of employment for staff commuting to the area.
I would certainly feel, that if your hotel, restaurant or club was within walking distance of an Elizabeth Line, you might well find, that the quality of your staff improves.
Will Light Cargo And Services Use The Elizabeth Line?
Some years ago, I had handrails fitted by a company from Sheffield. The salesman/designer came by train and walking and only for the fitting did the company use a vehicle.
It was certainly a job done well and efficiently.
I can see all sorts of goods moved into Central London, using the step-free and level features of the Elizabeth Line.
If the other Underground lines had improved step-free access, there would be more opportunities for improved services for Central London businesses.
The Hotels In The Grosvenor Square Area Now Have A Fast Comfortable Connection To The City And Canary Wharf
Since the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf station opened in the last years of the last century, there has been a reasonably fast Underground service to between Bond Street station, various stations in the City of London and Canary Wharf station.
But the Elizabeth Line brings this link to a much higher level.
- It is faster.
- It has much more comfortable trains.
- Access to trains is step-free and with level access.
- Soon, the trains will have wi-fi and 4G signals.
- The trains connect to Heathrow Airport and with a simple change to City, Stansted and Gatwick Airports.
I suspect that hotels on the Elizabeth Line will see an increase in business.
Conclusion
The Elizabeth Line is going to change London more than anyone would think.
Bond Street station will improve the Grosvenor Square area.
What will your local Elizabeth Line station, do for your area?
National Grid Invites Local Community To Comment On Proposals For Green Electricity Projects Needed To Boost Home-Grown Energy Supplies And Progress Towards Net Zero
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
These are the four main bullet points.
- New interconnector with Netherlands and subsea cable between Suffolk and Kent will strengthen electricity supplies and transport low carbon power to homes and businesses.
- 8-week public consultations will introduce the plans and ask for views of local communities.
- The proposals include possible co-location of infrastructure (buildings and underground cables.) to reduce the impact on local communities.
- Projects form part of the electricity network upgrades identified across the UK to help deliver the government’s energy security strategy and net zero targets.
Note.
- Eurolink is a subsea electricity cable between Great Britain and the Netherlands.
- Sea Link is a subsea electricity cable between Suffolk and Kent.
- The consultations will start on October the 24th.
This paragraph from the press release describes Eurolink.
Developed by National Grid Ventures, the Eurolink multi-purpose interconnector (MPI) is designed to harness the increasing volumes of offshore wind power in the North Sea and has the potential to power approximately 1.8 million homes. It will enable the connection of offshore wind farms to both the British and Dutch electricity grids via an interconnector, enabling the transport of clean electricity from where it’s produced to where it’s needed most.
And this paragraph describes Sea Link.
Developed by National Grid Electricity Transmission, Sea Link will add additional capacity to the electricity network in Suffolk and Kent, enabling low carbon and green energy to power local homes and businesses and be transported around the country. The proposals outline a preferred route of 10km of onshore and 140km of undersea cables, together with potential landfall and converter station locations at the proposed Friston substation in Suffolk and in Richborough in Kent.
These two new interconnectors would appear to open up the delivery of green electricity to the South-East of England and the Continent.
As I’ve said before, there doesn’t be any shortage of money to build wind farms and interconnectors between Great Britain, Belgium and The Netherlands.
How Much Wind Capacity Is Lined Up Around The South-East Of England?
Wind farms listed in the area include.
- Operation – Dudgeon – 402 MW
- Operation – East Anglia One – 714 MW
- Operation – Greater Gabbard – 504 MW
- Operation – Gunfleet Sands – 184 MW
- Operation -Kentish Flats – 140 MW
- Operation – London Array – 630 MW
- Operation – Rampion – 400 MW
- Operation – Scoby Sands – 60 MW
- Operation – Sheringham Shoal – 317 MW
- Operation – Thanet – 300 MW
- Proposed – East Anglia Three – 1372 MW
- Proposed – Norfolk Boreas – 1386 MW
- Exploratory – East Anglia One North – 800 MW
- Exploratory – East Anglia Two – 900 MW
- Exploratory – Rampion 2 Extension – 1200 MW
- Exploratory – Norfolk Vanguard – 1800 MW
- Exploratory – North Falls – 504 MW
- Exploratory – Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon Extensions – 719 MW
Note.
- These wind farms total to 12.3 GW.
- As the UK needs about 23 GW, these wind farms can power about half the UK.
- But no matter, as the East Anglian Array is planned to go to 7.2 GW and only 4.7 GW is so far operational or planned.
- So there could be up to another 2.5 GW to come.
This is not bad news for Rishi Sunak’s first days in office.
There’s More To Come
The National Grid press release finishes with these two paragraphs.
Last year, National Grid Ventures also ran a non-statutory consultation on Nautilus, a proposed MPI linking Britain and Belgium, which proposed a connection at Friston. National Grid Ventures is now investigating the potential to move the Nautilus MPI project to the Isle of Grain in Kent.
Much of the UK’s electricity network was built in the 1960s when the country was more reliant on fossil fuels. Today, we need to connect huge volumes of renewable power, such as offshore wind, to the network, to help deliver the government’s energy security strategy and net zero targets and to transition to a cleaner, more affordable, and more independent energy system. New infrastructure, and network upgrades are necessary to get the new clean energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed.In addition to these proposals in Suffolk and Kent (and the East Anglia GREEN proposals which are currently being consulted on) the need for new network infrastructure has also been identified in North and South Wales, the Scottish Islands and West Coast, the East Coast of Scotland and Aberdeenshire, Lancashire, North-East England, and Yorkshire & Humber.
National Grid have numerous plans to connect up all the renewable energy being developed.
Rishi Sunak To Reimpose Fracking Ban
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Telegraph.
This is the first paragraph.
The new PM made the commitment during his first session of PMQs on Wednesday, reversing Liz Truss’s controversial decision to overturn it.
I think it is the right call.
Here’s why!
Cerulean Winds Massive Decarbonisation Project
Consider.
- At present ten percent of our gas is used to power the oil and gas rigs in the seas around our coasts. The gas is fed into gas-turbines to generate electricity.
- One simple way to increase gas production by this ten percent, would be to decarbonise the rigs by powering them from nearby wind farms with green electricity and green hydrogen as the Norwegians are proposing to do.
- A British company; Cerulean Winds has proposed under the Crown Estate INTOG program to decarbonise a significant part of the oil and gas rigs, by building four 1.5 GW wind farms amongst the rigs.
- The majority of the energy will be sold to the rig owners and any spare electricity and hydrogen will be brought ashore for industrial and domestic users.
- This massive project will be a privately-funded £30 billion project.
- And when the oil and gas is no longer needed, the UK will get another 6 GW of offshore wind.
We need more of this type of engineering boldness.
This page on the Cerulean Winds web site gives more details.
INTOG
This document on the Crown Estate web site outlines INTOG.
Other Projects
Decarbonisation has also attracted the attention of other developers.
I can see Rishi Sunak being offered several projects, that will increase our oil and gas security, by some of the world’s best engineers and most successful oil companies.
Rishi Sunak’s ban on fracking will only increase the rate of project development.
We live in extremely interesting times.
Simply Blue Group And Marine Power Systems To Pursue INTOG Innovation Project Opportunity
The title of this post, is the same as this of this press release from Simply Blue Group.
These two paragraphs explain the proposals.
Marine Power Systems (MPS) have partnered with Simply Blue Group to develop a project proposal for the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing round run by Crown Estate Scotland.
The collaboration between Simply Blue Group and MPS would see six wind turbines deployed on the MPS floating platform, PelaFlex, in waters between 60 and 100m in depth, delivering a total capacity of 100MW.
The INTOG proposal, that I outlined in What Is INTOG?, seems to have got engineers and financiers thinking.
Simply Blue Group are quoted saying this about the PelaFlex platform.
MPS has been selected as the preferred technology partner based on the strengths of their structurally efficient tension legged platform which delivers significantly reduced system mass and a smaller mooring footprint than its peers. The technology has been designed to optimise local content delivery through a decentralised logistics model, and those benefits help utility scale developers minimise costs whilst maximising local economic benefits and accelerating industrial scale farm development.
That sounds good to me!
There is also more on the PelaFlex web page including a video.
The Turbine Size
The press release talks of six turbines totalling up to 100 MW, which is probably around 17 MW per wind turbine.
These are no ordinary wind turbines!
About INTOG
The press release also says this about INTOG.
The INTOG leasing round aims to support projects that will directly reduce emissions from oil and gas production (up to a total capacity of 5.7GW) but also drive commercialisation and innovation in offshore wind (up to a total capacity of 500MW) as well as support supply chain development. This forms part of the Scottish Government’s drive to reach net zero emissions by 2045 where the decarbonisation of oil and gas installations is seen as playing an important role in the transition to net zero.
Decarbonisation of our oil and gas fields, will obviously be a good thing because of a reduction of the carbon dioxide emitted. but it will also mean that the gas that would have been used to power the platform can be brought ashore to power industry and domestic heating, or be exported to countries who need it.
Conclusion
INTOG seems to be a good idea, as it is provoking new and innovative designs.
‘Ryanair Of Rail’ Lights Up The East Coast On Fast Track To Profit
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the first paragraph.
A cut-price rail service between London and Edinburgh, dubbed the Ryanair of rail, is on track to turn a profit after a year in service and has helped to reverse the airlines’ previous dominance of the travel market between the capitals.
Other points from the article.
- Lumo will carry its millionth passenger in November.
- The average one-way fare has been less than £40.
- Rail is now claiming 63 % of the London and Scotland travel market.
Will this success lead to more trains attracting more rail travellers between England and Scotland?
Can Lumo Carry More Passengers?
Lumo use five-car Hitachi Class 803 trains for their services.
- Their fleet consists of five cars.
- Each five-car train can carry 402 passengers.
- Lumo run five trains per day (tpd) in both directions.
There are various ways that the number of passengers could be increased.
Could Lumo Run More Services?
This may seem to be a solution, but only a fixed number of trains can be run in every hour, between England and Scotland.
- Other train operators may also want to run more services.
- It would also mean Lumo would need to buy more trains.
On the other hand it may be possible to squeeze in perhaps one extra service.
Could Lumo Run Longer Trains?
Lumo’s Class 803 trains are unusual among the Hitachi AT 300 trains, that handle long distance services all over the UK, in that they have no diesel engines and rely on battery power for emergencies.
As the trains’ computer work out which cars are present, I wouldn’t be surprised that these trains can be lengthened or even run as a pair, as GWR’s and LNER’s five-car Hitachi trains often do.
Platforms at King’s Cross, Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh are probably already longer than is needed for a five-car train.
I could even see Lumo adding coaches as required to satisfy the need of the day. On a day like the Calcutta Cup, they might even run ten or twelve car trains, which is the longest formation possible with the Hitachi trains. But they’d have to have enough coaches!
Lumo use a very simple catering option, which I suspect can be modified to serve a longer train.
I am fairly certain, that LUMO’s fleet has been designed for gradual lengthening to expand capacity.
Would The Lumo Model Work On The West Coast Main Line?
As the Lumo model seems to work to Edinburgh, would it work to Glasgow?
I don’t see why not! And it might improve the service from Avanti West Coast?
Grand Union have lodged an application to run four tpd between London and Stirling via at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert with InterCity 225s.
This proposal seems to be stalled at the moment, but I do feel it is a good idea.
I would certainly use it, as the air-conditioning on the Class 390 trains, used by Avanti West Coast, makes me ill!
Five Million Britons Invited To Take Part In World’s Biggest Health Study
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
These two paragraphs outline the study.
Five million Britons are set to be invited to take part in one of the world’s most ambitious health projects as scientists seek ways to catch and treat disease earlier.
Our Future Health programme, a collaboration between the NHS, academics and the private sector, is an attempt to find ways to make a difference to people’s health sooner by monitoring millions of people as they age.
Note.
- Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford will lead the project.
- Three million invitations are set to go out this autumn.
- The aim is to recruit five million participants by 2025.
Count me in!
Elizabeth Line Bond Street Station And South Molton Street
South Molton Street is one of my favourite streets in London.
- It runs between Bond Street station on Oxford Street in the North and Fenwick’s department store on New Bond Street in the South.
- Many times, I bought my late wife; C’s Christmas or birthday present on that street, on New Bond Street or in Fenwick.
- One of her last purchases had been an Armani suit for work on New Bond Street.
- She also usually bought her shoes in Salvatore Ferragamo at the Southern end of New Bond Street.
- I would usually travel there by taking the Central Line to Bond Street station or the Victoria or Piccadilly Line to Green Park station.
C and I spent many hours happily shopping in that small area of the West End of London.
- We used to shop together for clothes, shoes and many other things.
- One day at a party in her barristers chambers in Cambridge, one of her colleagues expressed surprise that the following day, I was going clothes shopping with her in London.
- C replied to everyone’s amusement, that I was a transvestite-by-proxy. In other words, I am a man, who likes dressing ladies in appropriate clothes.
- I am also lucky, that my mother taught me to sew and in the early years of our marriage, I used to borrow my mother-in-law’s sewing machine and make some of C’s clothes.
- When long coats became fashionable in the 1960s, C had the first of any of her friends. Because I had made it!
So today, I just had to go and see how the new Elizabeth Line Bond Street station fitted in with my favourite shopping street.
I travelled to the new Davies Street entrance of the station.
- I walked through the tunnels to the original Underground station.
- I emerged onto Oxford Street.
- I walked down South Molton Street to Fenwick, with a couple of diversions.
- I then walked through Medici Courtyard to the Hanover Square entrance to Bond Street station.
Finally, I took the Elizabeth Line back to Moorgate for a bus to my house.
Note.
- There are two banks of escalators to the surface at the Davies Street entrance at Bond Street station.
- The tunnel between the Davies Street entrance at Bond Street station and the original Underground station has a seat at halfway.
- South Molton Street connects to Oxford Street.
- South Molton Passage connects the Davies Street entrance at Bond Street station and South Molton Street.
- C had her unusual wedding dress made in Haunch of Venison Yard.
- The Medici Courtyard sign also says it leads to the Elizabeth Line.
- I couldn’t find a coffee shop selling a cappuccino and a gluten-free cake in Medici Courtyard. That is poor!
One of the station staff at Hanover Square indicated, that there may be additional passages to the West of New Bond Street, that will connect to the Davies Street entrance at Bond Street station.
I feel this could make the area even better.
The Anonymous Widower 