Building Inside Mountains: Global Demand For Pumped Hydroelectric Storage Soars
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Construction-Europe.
This is the sub-heading.
Pumped hydroelectric storage plants around the world have been secretly storing electricity in remote mountain lakes for the last century. But the switch to renewable energy sources is prompting a surge in new construction.
These two paragraphs introduce the article.
Looking out over the ragged beauty of the Scottish Highlands, Coire Glas, a horseshoe-shaped valley holding a clear mountain lake above the shores of Loch Lochy, seems like an unlikely spot to build a megaproject.
In this remote location, surrounded by clumps of pine trees, a team of construction workers from contractor Strabag are tunnelling their way through the rock which they hope will form part of a vast new power storage facility.
The article is a must-read that talks about pumped storage hydroelectricity in general and SSE Renewables’s 1500MW/30 GWh Coire Glas power station in particular.
The Future Of Pumped Hydroelectric Storage
These two paragraphs from the article give a glimpse into the future.
According to the International Energy Agency, global pumped storage capacity is set to expand by 56% to reach more than 270 GW by 2026, with the biggest growth in India and China.
Current pumped storage megaprojects currently in construction include the Kannagawa Hydropower Plant near Minamiaki in Japan which when fully completed in 2032 is expected to have a total installed capacity of 2,820MW; and Snowy Hydro 2.0 in New South Wales, Australia, which is currently expected to complete in 2028.
Note.
- I can count two Indian and ninety Chinese systems under construction. All have a capacity of upwards of one GW.
- The Kannagawa Hydropower Plant appears to be the largest with a capacity of 2.82 GW. The Japanese are keeping quiet about the storage capacity.
- The Snowy Hydro 2.0 has a capacity of 2 GW and a storage capacity of 350 GWh.
- The Wikipedia entry for Snowy Hydro 2.0 states that it is the largest renewable energy project under construction in Australia.
Against this onslaught of massive systems, SSE Renewables are pitching the 1500MW/30 GWh Coire Glas and the 252MW/25 GWh Loch Sloy systems.
Pumped hydroelectric storage will have a big part to play in decarbonising the world. Even in little old and relatively flat UK.
Singapore Nods To 1.2 GW Of Low-Carbon Electricity Imports From Vietnam
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) has granted conditional approval to Sembcorp Utilities (SCU), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sembcorp Industries, to import 1.2 GW of low-carbon electricity, including offshore wind power, from Vietnam
This is the first paragraph.
The conditional approval means the project by SCU has been preliminarily assessed to be technically and commercially viable. The approval facilitates the process of obtaining necessary regulatory nods and licences for the project.
So now the real planning can begin.
This map shows Singapore and Vietnam.
The article says this about the electricity connection.
The low-carbon electricity is planned to be transmitted from Vietnam to Singapore via new subsea cables that will span a distance of around 1,000 kilometres.
My only worry about this project, is will China object to wind farms in the South China Sea, which they seem to increasingly regard as solely belonging to them.
I have a few thoughts.
Singapore’s Energy Import Policy
These last two paragraphs of the article describe Singapore’s energy import policy.
In 2021, Singapore unveiled its plans to import up to 4 GW of low-carbon electricity by 2035.
To date, EMA has granted conditional approvals to projects from various sources, comprising 2 GW from Indonesia, 1 GW from Cambodia, and 1.2 GW from Vietnam.
Note.
- 4.2 GW of interconnectors will be available from Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam.
- In 2022, Singapore’s total electricity consumption was 54.9 TWh, according to the Singapore government.
- 54.9 TWh averaged out over the year is 6.3 GW.
- According to Wikipedia, 95 % of their electricity is generated by gas.
It looks like Singapore will will be needing to import more energy.
Will Developing Countries Benefit From Energy Exports?
Singapore is purchasing electricity from its neighbours in this example.
I believe that there are many countries around the world, who will be able to develop energy exports based on renewable energy.
Conclusion
We will see lots more projects like this.
UK Offshore Wind Pipeline Now At 98 GW, Second Only To China – Report
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK’s pipeline of offshore wind projects has reached 97,944 MW, up from 91,287 MW a year ago, while the global pipeline topped 1.23 TWh, an increase of nearly 400 GW in the last year, according to RenewableUK’s latest EnergyPulse market intelligence data report.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The pipeline includes projects at every stage of development, including operational, under construction, consented, or planned.
The UK total pipeline was second globally at 98 GW, second only to China with 157 GW, followed by the USA in third place with 82 GW, Sweden is fourth with 75 MW, and Brazil fifth with 63 GW.
These is also a pie-chart saying in which part of the UK, wind energy is being developed.
- North Sea (Scotland) – 41,977 MW
- North Sea (England) – 33,845 MW
- Irish Sea – 8,659 MW
- North Atlantic Ocean – 7,435 MW
- Celtic Sea – 4,428 MW
- English Channel – 1,600 MW
As Cilla would say. “What a lorra, lorra lot of wind!”
GE Developing 18 MW Haliade-X Offshore Wind Turbine
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
GE could soon join the list of wind turbine manufacturers who have passed the current 15 MW “threshold” by producing and/or announcing more powerful models. According to information recently shared with investors, the US-headquartered company is likely to climb up the offshore wind turbine output ladder, currently led by Chinese OEMs, with an up to 18 MW Haliade-X turbine.
Note.
- GE’s current largest turbine is a 14.7 MW example.
- GE are supplying the 3.7 GW of turbines for the Dogger Bank wind farms.
It does look like GE intend to put the Chinese in their place.
China Covid: Chinese TV Censors Shots Of Maskless World Cup Fans
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These two paragraphs outline China’s censorship of the World Cup.
The phrase “football is nothing without fans” has become so accepted as to be cliché among some commentators. But Chinese state TV has been testing that assumption to its limit throughout the World Cup.
On Monday, as Ghana beat South Korea in a classic World Cup clash, subtle changes to China’s coverage of the match ensured viewers were not exposed to images of maskless supporters – and to a world moving on from Covid restrictions.
Autocratic regimes who act like China and Russia are doing now, have always come to a sticky and violent end.
When will these idiots ever learn?
World’s First 16 MW Offshore Wind Turbine Rolls Off Production Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the subtitle and the first paragraph, that add some detail.
The first nacelle for a 16 MW offshore wind turbine jointly developed by China Three Gorges Corporation and Goldwind Technology has rolled off the production line at Fujian Three Gorges Offshore Wind Power International Industrial Park in China.
According to China Three Gorges, the unit has the largest single capacity, the largest rotor diameter, and the lightest weight per megawatt in the world.
The West, is going to push hard to make sure, we don’t give away another industry to the Chinese.
MingYang Turbines to Spin on Hexicon’s Floating Offshore Wind Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Hexicon has selected China-headquartered Mingyang Smart Energy (Mingyang) as the preferred turbine supplier for its flagship 32 MW TwinHub floating offshore wind project in the UK.
These two paragraphs add a bit more detail.
Hexicon has also awarded Mingyang the wind turbine generator Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contract for the project, which is located 16 kilometres off the coast of Cornwall, England.
TwinHub will use Hexicon’s TwinWind floating foundation technology which will allow two of Mingyang’s MySE 8.0-180 wind turbines to be placed on a single foundation, which could enable more energy to be generated in a given area while reducing the environmental impact compared with a single foundation.
Hexicon’s flagship project secured a Contract for Difference (CfD) in the UK Government’s most recent allocation round.
Royal Souvenirs Have ‘Platinum Jubbly’ Misprint
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first three paragraphs.
A spelling mistake on thousands of pieces of Platinum Jubilee merchandising, calling it the “Platinum Jubbly”, is proving a challenge for souvenir sellers.
The cups and plates were meant to mark the Queen’s 70-year reign.
Clearance website boss Karl Baxter said – “in classic Del Boy-style” – he will pitch them as collectors’ items.
It is so sad that Prince Philip is no longer with us. As a Greek he would surely have had some very appropriate jokes about plate smashing.
Green Light For Fossil-Free Steel In Oxelösund
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Market Screener.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Green light for fossil-free steel in Oxelösund The Land and Environment Court has decided to grant SSAB Oxelösund an environmental permit to convert its steelmaking operations and reduce carbon dioxide activities by 2025. This also means that we will take a step nearer towards fossil-free steel production across SSAB in 2045.
This is an historic decision in many ways. It is the first time that Oxelösund has applied for changes in production to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Use of sponge iron made through HYBRIT technology, together with scrap iron as feedstock instead of iron ore and coal, will enable SSAB to reduce emissions in Oxelösund by around 80%.
Hydrogen steelmaking processes are surely the future of steelmaking, as they can be made zero-carbon.
It will need a lot of hydrogen and I can see processes like Shell’s Blue Hydrogen Process being ideal to produce the hydrogen.
But will China and the other countries that produce cheap steel, turn to hydrogen steel-making?
Did I Have A Close Brush With Covid-19?
In January, this year, I wrote a post called Mule Trains Between Liverpool And Norwich, where I went between Liverpool and Sheffield on a train formed of of several Class 153 trains.
I didn’t think of it, at the time, I wrote the post, but at Manchester Piccadilly station, the train filled up with a large number of Chinese students returning to University.
The students were happy and laughing, but you wouldn’t have complained about them, 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 the covids seriously after that train journey and haven’t had the virus since, to my knowledge. But thinking back I may have felt unwell the next day.
But after reading the scientific paper from the University of Padua, that I wrote about in Risk of COVID-19 In Celiac Disease Patients, perhaps I was protected by a natural immunity provided by being a coeliac on a long-term gluten-free diet.
As my father said, I was born lucky!
The Anonymous Widower 