E.ON, Superdielectrics Develop Polymer-Based Battery Tech For Residential Storage Applications
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Solar Power Portal.
These two introductory paragraphs outline the deal.
Energy supplier E.ON and energy storage technology firm Superdielectrics have joined forces to promote and develop a new battery technology for stationary storage applications.
The new BESS technology takes a unique approach by using a polymer-based technology, with the main component being a membrane similar to contact lens materials. According to the two companies, these polymer batteries are both more affordable and more environmentally friendly than their lithium-ion counterparts.
I believe that this battery could be a game-changer. Especially, for those like me, who have solar panels on their roofs.
Check out the Superdielectrics web site for more details.
I First Spotted Superdielectrics In 2019
I wrote about them in Is Cambridge Going To Save The World From Global Warming? in 2019.
This was my conclusion in that post.
I have been observing technology since the 1960s.
This is either one of those scientific curiosities , like cold fusion, that appear from time-to-time and then disappear into the scientific archives or become a game-changer.
I suspect we’ll know in a couple of years.
But even if it is isn’t the solution to affordable and massive energy storage,, that will save the world, I believe that one of the teams of men and women in white coats, somewhere in the world will crack the problem.
It looks like they’ve taken longer than I thought they would.
Note though, that in the linked post, they have a link-up with Rolls-Royce.
Conclusion
This is one of the great energy breakthroughs of my life-time.
New York Governor: ‘I Will Not Allow This Federal Overreach To Stand’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Following the order of the US Department of the Interior (DOI) to halt all construction activities on the Empire Wind 1 offshore wind project, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said she would fight the federal decision.
This fight could get very nasty.
In the green corner, we have the New York governor; Kathy Hochul, Østed, Denmark and probably a lot of workers who thought they’d retrained for a new growing industry.
And in the orange corner, we have Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and all the other useful idiots.
Interestingly, I may have met one of referees to this spat.
In The Lady On The Train, I describe a meeting with one of the most powerful justices in the United States.
As she either sat on the US Supreme Court or the New York State Supreme Court, it will be interesting how she would judge this case, given the liberal scientifically-correct conversation we had a few years ago.
The fight in the Courts would be very hard against a whole bench of formidable adversaries like this lady.
Chinese firm ‘Will Not Bid’ To Run Essex Nuclear Plant
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Sources no longer expect planning applications to be submitted by China General Nuclear Power Group for Bradwell B
These three paragraphs give brief details of the current situation.
Plans for China’s state-run nuclear company to develop and operate a proposed nuclear site in Essex will no longer go ahead, The Times can reveal amid renewed focus on Chinese involvement in Britain’s critical infrastructure.
Bradwell B, the proposed nuclear power station, was earmarked for investment by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) in 2015. CGN is the majority investor in the proposed development alongside French energy company EDF.
But government and industry sources told The Times and Times Radio they no longer expected planning applications to be submitted by CGN for the site, and EDF will look to take back the lease from the Chinese firm at the earliest opportunity.
So what will happen to the Bradwell Site?
This Google Map shows the Blackwater Estuary to the North of Southend.
Note.
- The Blackwater Estuary is at the top of the map.
- Bradwell Marina and Bradwell-on-Sea can be seen on the map to the South of the Blackwater Estuary.
- Southminster has a rail connection, which was used to handle the nuclear fuel and now has a passenger service to Wickford on the Southend Victoria to London Liverpool Street Line.
This second Google Map shows Bradwell-on-Sea and the North of the peninsular in greater detail.
Note.
- The remains of the three runways of the Second World War RAF Bradwell Bay can be picked out.
- The remains of Bradwell A nuclear power station are towards the coast to the North-West of the former runways.
- It is large site.
I wonder, if the site could be used for backup to all the offshore wind farms in the area.
This is a list of all the wind farms, that are planned in the sea to the North and East of the Bradwell site.
- The East Anglia Array is partly operational, but could grow to as much as 7.2 GW.
- Greater Gabbard is 504 MW
- Gunfleet Sands is 172 MW
- London Array is 630 MW
- North Falls is 504 MW
Note.
- That is a total of roughly 9 GW.
- There’s also plenty of space in the sea for more turbines.
All these wind turbines will need backup for when the wind goes on strike.
These are possibilities for backup.
Another Hinckley Point C Or Sizewell C
You can see why the government wants to build a big nuke on the Bradwell site.
The 3.26 GW of a power station, which would be the size of Hinckley Point C would provide more than adequate backup.
But the builders of these power stations haven’t exactly covered themselves in glory!
- Construction of Hinckley Point C started in the late 2010s and first power is expected in 2031.
- Hinckley Point C power station has all the stink of bad project management.
- The Nimbbies would also be out in force at Bradwell.
There are also all the financial problems and those with the Chinese, indicated in The Times article.
A Fleet Of Small Modular Reactors
Hinckley Point C will hopefully be a 3260 MW nuclear power station and Rolls-Royce are saying that their small modular reactors will have a capacity of 470 MW.
Simple mathematics indicate that seven Rolls-Royce SMRs could do the same job as Hinckley Point C.
The advantages of providing this capacity with a fleet of SMRs are as follows.
- Each reactor can be built separately.
- They don’t all have to be of the same type.
- The total 3260 MW capacity could also be built at a pace, that matched the need of the wind farms.
- Building could even start with one of each of the chosen two initial types, the Government has said it will order.
- I also believe that there could be advantages in the sharing of resources.
- The rail link to Southminster would enable the bringing in of the smaller components needed for SMRs by rail.
Hopefully, the power of a big nuke could be added to the grid in a shorter time.
A Number of Long Duration Energy Stores
Highview Power is building 4 x 200 MW/2.5 GWh liquid air batteries for Orsted in the UK ; 2 in Scotland and 2 in England. They are backed by the likes of Centrica, Goldman Sachs, Rio Tinto, the Lego family trust and others.
Each GWh of liquid air needs a tank about the largest size of those used to store LNG. I suspect like LNG tanks they could be partly underground to reduce the bulk.
A Hybrid System
Bradwell is a large site and could easily accommodate a pair of Highview Power batteries, two SMRs, and all the other electrical gubbins, which would total to around 1.5 GW/5 GWh. This should be sufficient backup, but there would be space to add more batteries or SMRs as needed.
Between North Greenwich And West Silvertown Stations Around 8 p.m.
In this trip, I went between North Greenwich and West Silvertown stations in the evening at about eight in the evening, to look at the traffic levels.
Luckily, I got the same seat alongside the driver as I was able to use, when I took the pictures in Is This The Best Seat On A Bus Through The Silvertown Tunnel?.
I took these pictures.
Note.
- I’d arrived at North Greenwich station on the Jubilee Line and it was very busy because of something at The O2, so I arrived at the 129 bus stop, just as a bus left for Gallions Reach.
- As sunset was about eight, I was still able to take pictures.
- I waited perhaps eight minutes for the next bus.
- There was perhaps a dozen passengers on the lower deck through the tunnel.
- From my position next to the driver, I was able to read the driver’s speedometer, which a lot of of the time showed 30 mph or just a few mph under.
- The tunnel wasn’t very busy with traffic.
- The only problem with my position at the front, is that you don’t have a view of the destination board, so I got down a bit early for my West Silverton stop, from where I took the Docklands Light Railway to Bank station.
After a quick supper in Leon, I took a bus home from Moorgate.
Does Innovation Get Mr. Ed Miliband Better Prices To Doncaster?
The East Coast Main Line has ticketing unlike any other in the UK.
Turn up at any LNER station to go to any station that is served by trains from that station and you will be given a choice of the best prices at the ticket machines or at the booking office.
Effectively, you are sold your choice of the cheapest Advance tickets for your journey, at the time of booking.
In the last few months, I have taken three trips from London to Doncaster. All were priced between £20 and £25, with one trip on each of Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER.
Some might argue it is because of the three Open Access operators on the route, that good value is available. But I would argue that it is down to the fact that because of the Open Access operators there is more seats on the route.
This ticketing model should be adopted on the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.
The ticketing has certainly modified my behaviour.
If I want to go to Sheffield, I go to Doncaster, as it’s a lot cheaper, then get a local train between Doncaster and Sheffield.
Ed Miliband Is A Doncaster MP
When he is going between his Doncaster North constituency and London, does he use last minute ticketing?
Silvertown Tunnel Increases Network Resilience But It Comes At A Cost, Says Logistics UK
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on UK Haulier.
This paragraph summarises the view of Chris Yarsley of Logistics UK.
Following the opening of the Silvertown tunnel in London, Logistics UK Senior Policy Manager – Road Freight Regulation Chris Yarsley says it will increase network resilience and make journey times more predictable, but feels the high toll charges penalise essential delivery vehicles who have no alternative means of servicing the capital.
Click this link to see all my Silvertown Tunnel posts.
Note.
- I have been through the Silvertown Tunnel a number of times now and I have only seen one large truck and a couple of vans in the tunnel.
- I have also seen no congestion at any of the entrances to the tunnels.
It certainly seems to have been well-designed.
FirstGroup Makes Last-Minute Open Access Plea
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railnews.
The article is definitely worth a full read.
A little bit of competition never hurt anybody, unless they weren’t very good.
I have already decided to give Great Socialist Railways a miss, unless I have a desperate need.
Cummins Unveils Integrated Powertrain
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Big Rigs.
These four paragraphs, describe what Cummins can offer to the world’s builders of large trucks.
In recent years, Cummins has gone through a remarkable transformation, becoming a genuine powertrain supplier – from engine to transmission to axles and brakes.
Now for the first time, Cummins will showcase its new integrated powertrain at the upcoming Brisbane Truck Show next month.
This world-first display will feature the integration of a Cummins X15 engine, Eaton Cummins 18-speed Endurant speed transmission, and Meritor driveline and axles.
Cummins’ acquisition of Meritor in 2022 was a critical step for the company to be able to roll out a completely integrated powertrain.
Note that the X15 engine has a hydrogen version numbered as X15H.
Another Headache For Fossil Fuels: Liquid Air Energy Storage
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Clean Technica.
This article is an honest American look at Highview Power’s liquid air batteries and a must-read.
This is the first paragraph.
Whatever happened to liquid air energy storage? The UK startup Highview Power was going to bring its new liquid air system to the US back in 2019, providing the kind of scaled-up and long duration energy storage needed to support more wind and solar power on the grid. Highview switched gears and headed back home where the grass is greener. Our loss is the UK’s gain…
They first wrote about Highview Power in 2011, which shows how long some of these projects take to come to fruition.
The article also has this view on the state of offshore wind in the United States today.
Perhaps it’s just as well that Highview dropped its US plans when it did. Offshore wind stakeholders in the US were just beginning to find their footing along the Atlantic coast when President Trump took office on January 20 and promptly sent the offshore industry into a death spiral.
If I lived in the US today, I’d thinking about leaving given Trump’s barmy energy policies.
This paragraph from Highview Power’s web site, discloses their backers.
The £300 million funding round was led by the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) and the British multinational energy and services company Centrica, alongside a syndicate of investors including Rio Tinto, Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital.
So at least some American companies believe in Highview Power. KIRKBI is the investment vehicle of the family, that invented Lego.
Eastern Green Link 2 Moves Up A Gear Using Low Carbon Fuel For Material Handling Trucks
The title of this post is the same, as that of this press release from National Grid.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), a high voltage direct current (HVDC) 436km subsea transmission cable connecting Scotland and England, is being delivered as a joint venture by National Grid Electricity Transmission and SSEN Transmission.
- Project sustainability efforts are accelerating by adopting Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuelled trucks to move materials in Yorkshire.
- The introduction of HVO fuel will deliver up to 90% reduction in direct CO2 emissions.
The use of HVO fuel is good and the carbon dioxide emission savings are to be welcomed, but there is only so much of this HVO fuel available.
If hydrogen-fueled trucks were available, then this would deliver up to 100% reduction in direct CO2 emissions.
This paragraph from the press release talks about where the HVO fuel will be used.
HVO, a low-carbon biofuel made from waste vegetable oils, will be used at the Wren Hall converter station site in North Yorkshire, where 20-tonne construction trucks will transport approximately 370,000 tonnes of quarry stone from a quarry 27 miles away. This switch from conventional diesel to HVO is expected to deliver up to a 90% reduction in direct CO2 emissions and an 80% reduction in other harmful emissions such as particulate matter.
This Google Map shows the location of Wren Hall with respect to Drax power station.
Note.
- The six large cooling towers of the Drax power station are in the North-West corner of the map.
- Google Maps indicate, where they think Wren Hall is, with a red arrow.The lane running North-South to the West of the red arrow is called Wren Hall Lane.
- There is a legend saying BAM Nuttall Ltd Eastern Green Link 2 on the opposite side of the square of lanes to the red arrow.
Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
It looks to me, that if hydrogen could be provided on the Drax site, then the 370,000 tonnes of quarry stone from a quarry 27 miles away could be brought to the site by hydrogen-powered 20-tonne construction trucks.
So how could hydrogen be provided on the Drax site?
- Drax is a 2.6 GW biomass power station, so I’m sure that some electricity could be used to generate hydrogen.
- Drax is a rail-connected site, so hydrogen could be brought in by rail.
- Depending on the amount of hydrogen needed, hydrogen could surely be brought in by road.
I feel that if hydrogen-powered 20-tonne construction trucks were available, this transfer of quarry stone could be performed carbon-free.
Conclusion
This project illustrates a problem with large infrastructure projects all over the UK.
Moving the large amounts of stone, concrete, sand and rubble into and out of construction sites generates a lot of carbon dioxide and pollution from the 20-tonne trucks employed.
If I were to be given Ed Miliband’s job of Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, one of my first actions, would be to say that all new 20 tonne construction and cement trucks would have to be zero carbon.
I suspect, that zero-carbon with trucks this size, will mean hydrogen, as the weight of the battery would destroy the mathematics of the truck.
This would obviously reduce carbon emissions, but more importantly, what would it do for the health of those working on large construction sites?
In MAN Expands Its Zero-Emission Portfolio, I show MAN’s heavy hydrogen trucks.
This is an articulated heavy hydrogen truck.
I’m sure that MAN could build a hydrogen-powered 20-tonne construction truck.
In Cummins Agrees To Integrate Its Hydrogen ICE Technology Into Terex® Advance Trucks, I talk about the solution to the cement truck problem.
This is a side view of the top-of-the-range monster.
Note.
- Front is to the right.
- I suspect the driver doesn’t have to get out of the cab to discharge the concrete.
- The engine is at the rear with vertical exhausts.
- All axles are driven.
You’d certainly notice one of these if they were to be used in the City of London.
And this is the baby of the range.
Three axles is normal for the UK. so I wonder if this machine will ever make it across the pond.
This last paragraph in the original article describes the X15H hydrogen internal combustion engine.
The X15H was showcased at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in May (2023), along with its hydrogen ICE-powered concept truck. The X15H features a 700-bar pressure 80kg capacity hydrogen storage system and a range of more than 500 miles, with up to 500 horsepower.
Could one of these trucks really deliver ready-mix concrete from London to Manchester and return?
The trucks would appear to be available, so let’s get a few over and try them out.
Incidentally, if someone had told me ten years ago, there would be rear-wheel drive trucks like Volkswagen Beetles, I’d have said they were wrong in no uncertain terms.
The Wren Hall substation would appear to be an ideal trial project for hydrogen-powered construction trucks and cement trucks.
The Anonymous Widower 