Drinking And Me
Today, I got up at five and was able to drink my morning cup of tea very quickly.
In fact, I’ve been drinking cups of tea all day at a fast speed.
I’ve also drunk two bottles of Adnams 2.5 % alcohol Ghost Ship beer at a fast pace.
But on other days, I pour a lot away, as I just can’t force it down.
Is it the weather, as it is rather unusual today?
The Americans Who Think RFK Can Make Them Healthy Again
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
They are poor, sick, jobless and trust no one. But people in one of the most deprived parts of the US are putting their faith in a man who doesn’t believe in vaccines
These three paragraphs introduce the article.
The phone signal vanishes as you drive over the ridge into the purple valley and down to the town of Paw Paw, West Virginia, population 410.
Being born here deals a person a certain hand. A life six years shorter on average than those from California. A likelihood that you’ll be poor and suffer from disease (one in three adults here have a disability).
A high chance of addiction from the opioid epidemic that was brought here by rapacious pharmaceutical companies that has left the valley peppered with children brought up by grandparents.
It is a powerful piece from Louise Callaghan.
These are my thoughts.
As a coeliac myself, I do wonder if there is an epidemic of coeliac disease in Paw Paw.
Coeliac disease is genetic, so once it gets in a close community, it can spread through marriage and childbirth.
My coeliac disease came from my father, who was never diagnosed, but he got it through the generations from his great-great-grandfather, who was a tailor from Konigsberg in East Prussia.
If a coeliac is going to a country, where gluten-free foods are unavailable, they are advised by doctors to take steroids like Dexamethasone. American doctors regularly prescribe this steroid to coeliac patients, as it does work to a certain extent.
Everybody in Paw Paw should be tested for coeliac disease and those with the disease should go on a gluten-free diet.
But I suspect a plan like this wouldn’t go down well in Paw Paw.
‘No Constraints’ On Clapham Junction Tube Extension
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
There are no physical restrictions to extending the Northern line to Clapham Junction, an investigation has found.
These are the first three introductory paragraphs.
In a new report, Wandsworth council said there were “no engineering or geological constraints” that would prevent an extension.
The council is now carrying out a public consultation to see whether there is strong local support for the extension.
Clapham Junction, one of London’s busiest stations, is home to the Overground and National Rail services.
The Current State According To Wikipedia
This Wikipedia section, says this about the current state of the extension to Clapham Junction station.
Provision has been made for a future extension of the Northern line to Clapham Junction station, with a reserved course underneath Battersea Park. During the public inquiry into the extension in 2014, the inspector noted that although an extension to Clapham Junction would be desirable, it was unnecessary to meet the needs of the Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea regeneration area. Additionally, it was noted that an extension to Clapham Junction could overwhelm the extension, due to the high demand.
As part of consultations into Crossrail 2 in 2014, the developer of the Battersea Power Station site suggested that Battersea could be the location of a station instead of at King’s Road Chelsea. This would provide a link between the area and Clapham Junction station. Despite the proposal for the future Crossrail 2 project to serve the station, local residents and politicians have continued to request a future extension of the Northern line to Clapham Junction. In March 2023, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan stated that the “case for an extension is not readily apparent, given Clapham Junction’s existing high levels of connectivity”.
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the railways that lie between Battersea Power Station and Clapham Junction stations going via Battersea Park.
Note.
- Battersea Power Station station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Clapham Junction station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The rounded D-shape by the river is the Children’s Zoo in Battersea Park.
Going via Battersea Park is a rather roundabout and long route.
High Speed One and High Speed Two tunnels have and are being bored under existing railways.
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the railways that lie between Battersea Power Station and Clapham Junction stations.
Note.
- Battersea Power Station station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Clapham Junction station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The main line between Waterloo and Clapham Junction stations runs diagonally across the map.
- Branching North from this line is the line between Victoria and Clapham Junction stations.
Could an Underground sized railway be bored between Battersea Power Station and Clapham Junction stations?
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the railways around Battersea Power Station station.
Note.
- Battersea Power Station station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The orange line going North-South is the line between Victoria and Clapham Junction stations.
I suspect if they used the Irish Tunnelling Method or hand digging, as was used recently at Bank, twin tunnels could be dug from Battersea Power Station station to deep under the Waterloo and Clapham Junction line.
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the railways around Clapham Junction station.
Note.
- Clapham Junction station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Two deep underground platforms for the Northern Line would be built to the North-East of Clapham Junction station.
- Escalators and lifts would transfer passengers to and from the existing platforms.
- I suspect the Victorian infrastructure is fairly simple and elegant escalators can be threaded through, as they have been at London Bridge station.
I believe that a modern spectacular interchange can be built at Clapham Junction station to connect the National Rail lines with the Northern Line extension at Battersea Power Station station.
Large Scale Hydrogen Storage Sites Could Reduce Customer Energy Costs By £1bn Per Year
The title of this post, is the same as this press release from Centrica.
These four paragraphs summarise the report.
Centrica and FTI report finds that hydrogen storage would help balance the UK’s energy system and reduce bills.
A net zero scenario including large scale hydrogen storage – specifically, a redeveloped Rough gas storage facility – would reduce energy costs by an additional £1bn per year by 2050.
Report also finds that a UK energy system focused on renewable generation risks high levels of intermittency without an established hydrogen market. By 2050, electricity generation from renewables could exceed total demand around 15% of the time.
Electricity generation from renewables could also rise or fall by as much as 100GW over the course of a single day. More than twice current levels of peak demand on winter evenings and the equivalent energy output from over 30 Hinkley Point C nuclear power stations.
Note.
- Hydrogen Central entitles their article about the Centrica press release Centrica Says Hydrogen Can Reduce Household Bills by £35 a Year. That’s almost a bottle of my favourite Adnams beer a week!
- I talked about the redevelopment of the Rough facility into hydrogen storage in Aberdeen’s Exceed Secures Centrica Rough Contract.
- Generating hydrogen from excess electricity and storing it until it is needed, must be an efficient way of storing electricity or powering industrial processes that need a lot of energy, if storing hydrogen makes £1bn per year!
- It should be noted that Centrica have a large interest in HiiROC, who are developing an efficient way to generate hydrogen from any hydrocarbon gas from chemical plant off-gas through biomethane to natural gas. In a perfect world a HiiROC system in a sewage works could capture the biomethane and split it into hydrogen and carbon black. The hydrogen could be used to refuel vehicles and the carbon black would be taken away to someone, who has need of it.
In some ways, it is surely sensible to have enough energy in a store, if the renewables fail. As Rough is already there and functioning, it is surely one of the easiest routes to redevelop Rough, so that it is in top-quality condition.
It should also be noted, that Rough is not far from the Aldbrough Gas Storage, which SSE are converting to a second massive hydrogen store.
So Humberside will have two of the largest hydrogen stores in the world, which Centrica and SSE will use to maxise energy security in the wider Humberside and East Yorkshire area, and I suspect to maximise their profits as well.
This video shows the structure of AquaVentus, which is a pipeline system, that the Germans are building to bring much-needed hydrogen to German industry from electrolysers in the North Sea and other countries like Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.
I clipped this map from the video.
Note how a branch of AquaVentus makes landfall around the Humber estuary at a UK label.
Will Centrica and SSE be trading hydrogen from Rough and Aldbrough with the Germans through AquaVentus? You bet they will, as the Germans are short of both hydrogen and hydrogen storage.
An Unusual Advert
I clipped this advert from my on-line copy of The Times today.
It looks to me to be an advert placed by Heathrow Airport, that is telling Heathrow passengers to use the Elizabeth Line to get to the Airport.
This could be considered strange, as Heathrow Airport has an interest in Heathrow Express.
So why would the airport be urging passengers to use a competitive service?
Could it be because there has been engineering works on Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line to the airport in recent days and they wanted to assure travellers, that they wouldn’t have to use the Piccadilly Line on an airport bus?
It does look like services to Heathrow Airport are normal tomorrow.
Shoppers Slam ‘Joke Prices’ At Trafford Centre’s First Paid-For Car Park
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Liverpool Echo.
This is the sub-heading.
The new ‘Premium Parking’ zone will go live later this month as Christmas shoppers descend on the centre
These two paragraphs add more details.
Trafford Centre shoppers have been left fuming as the mall’s bosses confirm the pricing for its brand-new “Premium Parking” zone. The popular shopping destination has cordoned off a section of the car park, adjacent to Selfridges, to introduce its first-ever paid parking area with larger bays.
It’s been revealed that this Premium Parking will open for business on Wednesday, November 27, and the full price list has certainly turned heads among MEN readers. Weekday rates start at £4 per hour, while weekend parking will set you back at least £7 an hour at the Trafford Centre.
Note.
- Parking does seem expensive to me, at upwards of £4 per hour, but then I use a bus or the Underground for free with my Freedom Pass, when I go shopping.
- Doesn’t Manchester have a pass system for older people?
- By the way, MEN is a reference to the Manchester Evening News, from where the article was taken. Surely, the Echo can generate its own copy!
- But then shopping is such a chore anyway.
I must admit, that I now prefer to my food shopping on Ocado, as it is reliable and it is all done by 07:30 on Friday.
Wrightbus StreetDeck Ultroliner Next-Gen To Get Cummins Power
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Route One.
These three paragraphs give more details.
Wrightbus will utilise Cummins power in its StreetDeck Ultroliner diesel double-decker for the first time in a next-generation variant of that model.
Those vehicles will be powered by the six-cylinder B6.7 engine rated at 250bhp or 300bhp, driving through the Voith DIWA.8 seven-speed automatic gearbox. Such an approach will further reduce emissions, and the new model will be Ultra-Low Emission Bus accredited by Zemo Partnership, the manufacturer says.
The existing StreetDeck Ultroliner, which is powered by the Daimler OM 934 four-cylinder engine, will continue to be available. The first Cummins-powered examples are to be supplied to Isle of Man operator Bus Vannin.
As a hydrogen version of the the Cummins six-cylinder B6.7 engine is available, at some point in the future, these buses will be convertible to zero-emission hydrogen power.
Wrightbus have already set up a division called New Power to do the conversion of existing buses, as I reported in Wrightbus Launches NewPower In Bicester.
DOE Funds Research Into Long-Duration Energy Storage Using Lead-Acid Batteries
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Best Magazine.
This is the sub-heading
US federal cash is on its way to fund research into long-duration energy storage using lead-acid batteries.
These two paragraphs give more details.
A consortium backed by industry bodies Battery Council International and the Consortium for Battery Innovation, will conduct pre-competitive research aimed at improving lead battery performance. Companies participating in the consortium include Advanced Battery Concepts, C&D/Trojan, Clarios, Crown Battery, East Penn Manufacturing, EnerSys, Gridtential and Stryten Energy. The collaborating national laboratories are Argonne, Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest (PNNL).
The $5 million award from the US Department of Energy, announced on 27 September, will support work to develop lead batteries capable of 10+ hours of storage with a pathway to $0.05/kWh levelised cost of storage by 2030.
Note.
- The companies involved have names that indicate they could be battery makers.
- The collaborating national laboratories are world-class Premier League players.
- Over the nearly fifty years, that I drove cars, lead-acid batteries improved a lot and there might be more to come.
- The last paragraph is ambitious, unless they know more than I do about lead-acid batteries. Which is likely!
This is also said in one of Highview Power’s news items.
Highview Power, the global leader in long-duration energy storage solutions, is pleased to announce that it has developed a modular cryogenic energy storage system, the CRYOBattery, that is scalable up to multiple gigawatts of energy storage and can be located anywhere. This technology reaches a new benchmark for a levelized cost of storage (LCOS) of $140/MWh for a 10-hour, 200 MW/2 GWh system. Highview Power’s cryogenic energy storage system is equivalent in performance to, and could potentially replace, a fossil fuel power station. Highview Power’s systems can enable renewable energy baseload power at large scale, while also supporting electricity and distribution systems and providing energy security.
The battery researchers are saying $0.05/kWh levelised cost of storage by 2030 and Highview Power are saying $0.14/kWh for the same parameter.
Could Elon Musk’s Relationship With Donald Trump Be The Fly In The Ointment?
Would Musk want research to go on, that might weaken the use of his lithium-ion batteries for stationary applications?
Matchday Travel Made Easy With Lumo
The title of this post, is the same as that as this new item from Gateshead FC.
These three paragraphs outline the partnership between Lumo and Gateshead FC.
Lumo, our official rail partner, continues to offer Gateshead fans the perfect means for travelling to London and back on away days.
Operating exclusively electric trains, Lumo’s fleet run at times convenient for football matches, allowing fans to travel to London from Newcastle train station in just under 3 hours and vice versa. Lumo is committed to delivering sustainable travel without compromising on comfort, convenience, or cost.
Discover the tips and offers from Lumo below to make planning your next trip to t Capital easier, more affordable, and completely hassle-free.
Two tips and offers are listed.
- Plan Ahead – Tickets Available Until Spring 2025.
- Stay Flexible With LumoFlex
I have a few thoughts and observations.
Lumo Is Faster Than AI
According to the September 2024 Edition of Modern Railways, Lumo holds the record of two hours and 33 minutes from King’s Cross to Newcastle.
- Google’s AI-enhanced search engine gives three minutes longer.
- Looks like a stupid computer to me.
If Lumo could keep their record pace going to Edinburgh, they’d be in the Scottish Capital in three hours 43 minutes after leaving King’s Cross.
There Are Eleven Teams In The Same Division Of The National League As Gateshead, That Can Be Reached Easily From London
The teams are.
- Aldershot Town – Train from Waterloo
- Barnet – Underground and Bus
- Braintree – Train from Liverpool Street
- Dagenham & Redbridge – Underground and Bus
- Eastleigh – Train from Waterloo
- Ebbsfleet United – Thameslink
- Maidenhead – Elizabeth Line
- Southend United – Train from Liverpool Street
- Sutton United – Thameslink
- Wealdstone – Underground
- Woking – Train from Waterloo
Note.
- Maidenhead and Sutton United are probably the easiest.
- Woking could be the most difficult.
- Thameslink and the Elizabeth Line are useful.
If Lumo bring a train-full of passengers to London, that is 400 passengers per train at £18 each way, if all supporters get the best price.
So each train could produce £14,400, if it was full. If Lumo can run ten-car instead of five-car trains, that doubles the revenue to £28,800.
I think Lumo see this as a nice little earner and they are going for it.
Conclusion
Train companies could support fans a lot better than they do.
My First Ride In An Irizar ie tram
I took these pictures as we travelled from Orpington station to Crystal Palace.
These are my thoughts. In My Second Ride In A Wrightbus Single-Decker Hydrogen Bus, I talk about the Wrightbus single-decker hydrogen bus. Both buses are going for the single-decker zero-carbon market.
Design And Build Quality
The design and build quality of both buses is excellent, but then I suspect Irizar and Wrightbus are giving the bus companies, what they feel they need, within the various regulations.
Both buses had USB charging for phones and I particularly liked the seats in the Spanish bus for being very comfortable.
Road Holding
None of my rides in these two buses were at a particularly fast speed, but both vehicles handled the roads in and South of South London with very little difficulty.
Both vehicles felt much more like mini-coaches, rather than small buses, which is probably a good thing.
Battery Charging Of The ie Tram
I watched this at Crystal Palace. But for some reason my camera wasn’t recording the time. So I don’t know how long it took.
Hydrogen Or Battery Power
When you are in the bus, you don’t have any idea, what the fuel is. Both buses are mouse quiet, but I do feel that hydrgen’s longer range and greater power may mean it is better on some routes.
So some bus companies will go hydrogen and some will go battery.
The Anonymous Widower 