Denmark To Build ‘First Energy Island’ In North Sea
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first three paragraphs
A project to build a giant island providing enough energy for three million households has been given the green light by Denmark’s politicians.
The world’s first energy island will be as big as 18 football pitches (120,000sq m), but there are hopes to make it three times that size.
It will serve as a hub for 200 giant offshore wind turbines.
It seems to follow the bigger-is-better offshore principle, I talked about in Crown Estate’s Auction Of Seabed For Wind Farms Attracts Sky-High Bids.
The BBC article says this about the energy generation of the island and its turbines.
The new island would supply an initial 3 gigawatts, rising to 10 over time.
For comparison the coal-fired Fiddlers Ferry power station on the banks of the Mersey near Widnes was a 2 gigawatt station and the nuclear Hinkley Point C will hopefully generate 3.2 GW.
These are my thoughts.
The Location Of The Island
According to the BBC, the Danes are being secretive about the location of the island, but the BBC does say this about the location of island.
While there is some secrecy over where the new island will be built, it is known that it will be 80km into the North Sea. Danish TV said that a Danish Energy Agency study last year had marked two areas west of the Jutland coast and that both had a relatively shallow sea depth of 26-27m.
According to Wikipedia, Denmark has a sizeable offshore gas industry and I did wonder, if the island would be built near to a large worked out field, so that the field could be used for one of the following.
- Store hydrogen produced on the island from surplus electricity.
- Store carbon dioxide produced on the mainland.
But the gas fields are further than 80 km. from the shore being closer to where Danish, German, Dutch and British waters meet.
Hydrogen And The Island
In ITM Power and Ørsted: Wind Turbine Electrolyser Integration, I talked about a joint project between, electrolyser company; ITM Power of the UK and turbine manufacturer and developer; Ørsted of Denmark.
The post was based on this press release from ITM Power.
These were points from the press release.
- Costs can be saved as hydrogen pipes are more affordable than underwater power cables.
- It also stated that wind turbines produce DC electricity and that is ideal for driving electrolysers.
So will the island be connected to the mainline by a hydrogen gas line?
- Cost will play a big part.
- I don’t like the concept of electrical cables on the sea floor,
- Gas pipes have been laid everywhere in the North Sea.
- A hydrogen connection might better support different types of future turbines.
- If there is a worked-out gas-field nearby, the hydrogen can be stored offshore until it is needed.
I think it is a distinct possibility.
Hydrogen could be generated in one of two ways.
- Wind turbines based on the ITM Power/Ørsted design could generate the hydrogen directly and a gas network could deliver it to the island.
- Conventional turbines could generate electricity and an electrical network could deliver it to the island, where a large electrolyser would convert water into hydrogen.
Both methods would be better suited to a hydrogen connection to the mainland.
Connection To Other Islands
The Dutch are already talking about a North Sea Wind Power Hub on their section of the Dogger Bank.
So could we see a network of islands in the Southern North Sea?
- Some like the Danish island would support a network of wind turbines.
- Some would store energy as hydrogen in worked-out gas fields.
- Some would store captured carbon dioxide in worked out gas fields.
- Some would supply hydrogen to onshore hydrogen and carbon dioxide networks like HumberZero.
- Islands could be linked by electrical cables or gas pipelines.
- Gas pipelines would allow both hydrogen or carbon dioxide to be stored or moved
The North Sea could become the largest power station in the continent of Europe, or even the world.
Crown Estate’s Auction Of Seabed For Wind Farms Attracts Sky-High Bids
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the opening paragraph.
An auction of seabed rights to build offshore wind farms around England and Wales has attracted frenzied bidding that could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds a year to the Treasury and the Queen.
I don’t find this surprising.
Bigger Seems Better Offshore
Wind turbine technology is getting better and much larger. It also seems that the new larger floating turbines are much more efficient and generate power for a greater proportion of the day.
- Hywind Scotland is the world’s first commercial wind farm using floating wind turbines.
- It is situated off Peterhead.
- It consists of five 6 MW turbines.
- Wikipedia says it has a capacity factor of over 50 %.
My project management software helped to harvest North Sea Oil and I have been told by many in the industry, that North Sea Oil really took off when platforms and the equipment like cranes used to build them got truly enormous.
I feel, we could be seeing the same size effect happening as we harvest the wind!
Hydrogen And Wind Power
The latest development is not to generate electricity, but to use it in the turbine to generate hydrogen, which is then piped to the shore.
- The UK Government is funding this technology in part with a grant to ITM Power.
- I wrote about the technology in ITM Power and Ørsted: Wind Turbine Electrolyser Integration.
- Existing gas networks can be reconfigured to bring the hydrogen to the shore.
- Piping hydrogen costs less than cabling electricity.
- Hydrogen networks are being built at several places in the UK, to fuel homes, power stations and industry like steel-making and petrochemicals.
Could all this explain Big Oil’s involvement?
Do they want to exchange fossil fuels for green hydrogen?
They certainly know how to distribute it.
Energy Storage
For my own investments, I’m looking at energy storage, where the UK has at least three promising new ideas, all of whom have had Government grants.
- Gravitricity
- Highview Power
- ReEnergise
The Government has also indirectly-backed Cornish Lithium
An Unusual Hospital Appointment
I have just been sent an appointment from the local hospital for a routine echocardiogram.
What is unusual is that the appointment is for 18:40!
I am 73 and I’ve never had an appointment at a hospital outside of the normal working day.
How unusual?
I suppose it’s just that the hospital is catching up on work, delayed by the covids.
Inappropriate Language
My bank sends a six character code of three letters and three numbers to my phone, so that I can login.
Today, the three letters were KKK.
How inappropriate is that?
I have complained!
Cooking Multiple Cinties
My son and his husband came round for supper on Sunday, so I cooked a batch of Cinty’s French fish pies.
The method is detailed in Serial Cooking – Cinty’s French Fish Pie.
I cooked four, which was one for each of us and one for the freezer.
Note.
- Every pie got two pieces of haddock.
- The topping was a mix of gluten-free bread and parmesan, blended in one of Delia’s Little Choppers.
- I served them with baked tomatoes.
I cooked them in 0.6 litre Le Creuset dishes. You can never have too many of these.
From Silicon Roundabout To Bank – 4th February 2021
I was on top of a 21 bus, as I took these series of pictures.
Silicon Roundabout
Note.
- My bus Crossed from North to South down the East side of the roundabout.
- Work is now concentrating on creating the new road and pedestrian layout in the North-West corner of the roundabout.
- There will be a lift for passengers in this corner.
This map from Transport for London shows the future layout.
Note the Shoreditch Grind coffee house on the map.
20 Ropemaker Street
This will be a twenty-seven storey tower.
Moorgate Station
The road was blocked off yesterday, when I went earlier to Marks and Spencer. It still was when I took these pictures.
This screen-capture from a Crossrail video shows a possible future Moorgate.
Note the new buildings at 101 Moorgate and the current Moorgate station.There appears to be a gap, so will the station entrance be set back behind a small pedestrian area?
From Moorgate To Bank
The last two pictures show the works at Bank station.
The Southbound Northern Line Platform At Bank Station
These pictures show the Southbound platform of the Northern Line at Bank station.
Can there be a Metro, U-bahn, Underground or subway platform anywhere with such bad design and worse decor?
- There are no tiles or cladding on the walls.
- You can see all the cast iron linings dating from the nineteenth century.
- How do people get across the tracks to the passages in the wall?
- But above all there are no adverts.
The state of this tunnel only tells a one-sided story.
Some metres to the West of the existing tunnel a new larger Southbound tunnel has been dug.
This map from Transport for London, shows the route of the new tunnell.
Note.
- The continuous black line of the existing Northbound line.
- The dotted black line of the new Southbound line.
This sentence from this article on IanVisits, which is entitled Bank Tube Station Upgrade Reaches Tunnelling Milestone, explains how the new tunnels were built.
Part of the tunnelling work saw the project team cut through deep-level piled foundations of one building, which required careful excavation and the installation of a new load-support system to support the existing foundations while still allowing a tunnel to pass through them.
According to Ian, 1300 metres of new tunnels have been constructed. All have been dug by fairly traditional methods, uding men, shovels and small diggers and other machines.
The space between the two running tunnels will become a wide concourse. This picture taken at Angel station, shows a wide platform that could be delivered at Bank station.
The old Southbound tunnel will be filled in to form the concourse. Those curious doors will become through passages to the escalators, lifts and the other platform.
Piers Corbyn Arrested Over Vaccine ‘Auschwitz Leaflet’
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this article on the BBC.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Piers Corbyn has been arrested over leaflets comparing the UK’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout to Auschwitz.
The 73-year-old brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he voluntarily attended a police station on Wednesday.
He was then arrested on suspicion of malicious communications and public nuisance.
I am a confirmed atheist, but I do have Jewish ancestors. My great-great-great-grandfather was a Jewish tailor and came from Konigsberg in East Prussia.
As people related to my ancestor and therefore myself, were probably sent to Auschwitz and other similar camps and never came out, I feel very annoyed at what Corbyn has been involved in.
Corbyn and his collaborators should undoubtedly feel the full force of the law.
This
Hydrogen Ambitions For The Port Of Hamburg
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Seatrade Maritime News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
In January Hamburg announced that Vattenfall, Shell, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and municipal heat supplier Warme Hamburg had signed a Letter of Intent to develop a 100MW electrolyser to produce green hydrogen in the port area.
A few points from the article.
- Hamburg believes that ships will be running on green hydrogen.
- Buses and trucks will need the hydrogen.
- They may build a terminal to import green hydrogen, as the Japanese are doing at Kobe.
- The green hydrogen might be produced in places like Africa and Morocco.
100 MW strikes me as a large electrolyser.
Huge Step Taken As Greater Manchester Takes Over First Rail Station
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Today (1 Feb) marks a significant moment for Manchester’s long-term vision for rail as Transport for Greater Manchester takes over operation of Horwich Parkway Station.
These are some pictures of the station.
Horwich Parkway station is a fairly typical parkway station, that is also a destination in its own right, as Bolton Wanderers stadium, a shopping centre, a very much bog-standard Premier Inn and a University campus are nearby.
Services At Horwich Parkway Station
Currently, these services call at the station.
- Hazel Grove and Blackpool North
- Manchester Airport and Blackpool North
- Manchester Victoria and Preston
Note.
- All services are electric and run by Northern.
- All services are one train per hour (tph)
Some TransPennine Services also pass through on their way between Manchester Airport and Scotland.
My Thoughts
These are a few thoughts.
Local Authority Or Remote Management?
I like the concept of stations being managed by local authorities.
When I moved back to London from Suffolk nearly a dozen years ago, the stations in North East and East London were managed by Greater Anglia from Norwich.
- Many of these stations were very shabby.
- Many of these stations have now been taken over by Transport for London.
- Stations are now managed by either the London Overground or Tfl Rail.
- Stations seem to have improved and they are in many cases, a lot cleaner.
Perhaps, the shorter communication links to Senior Management mean, that problems get solved. Or does the local councillor know the right person to kick?
Hopefully, we’ll see a more efficient station at Horwich Parkway.
Facilities
Consider.
- There are ramps to the footbridge.
- There is a booking office.
- Previously, this station was managed by Northern
It is one of those stations that on a cold winter’s day can be a bit bleak.
Hopefully, Transport for Greater Manchester will be improving the station.
Four Trains Per Hour?
Birmingham, Liverpool and London seem to like the concept of Turn-Up-And-Go stations with a frequency of four tph.
Would Horwich Parkway station benefit from this frequency?
Two Trains Per Hour To And From Manchester Airport?
This may be beneficial,
Perhaps some of the TransPennine Express service between the Airport and Scotland could call?
Certainly, a sort out of train services at Horwich Parkway, led by Transport for Greater Manchester could be beneficial for passengers and train operating companies.
Conclusion
I shall be interested to see, if the station is improved.
The Anonymous Widower 