SeaTwirl AB Signs Agreement To Explore Ehe Feasibility Of Electrification Of Aquaculture In Chile
The title of this post, is the same, as that of this press release from SeaTwirl.
This is the sub-heading.
SeaTwirl AB has entered into an agreement to carry out a feasibility study for electrification of fish farms together with a global industrial supplier. The intention of the collaboration is to assess the use of SeaTwirl’s floating vertical-axis wind turbines to provide renewable electricity to offshore-based equipment at aquaculture assets in Chile.
These three paragraphs add more details.
The feasibility study will cover a comprehensive scope, including energy demand and power system requirements, environmental site conditions, cost assessments, supply chain opportunities, and logistics in Chilean waters with the intention to reduce dependence on diesel. The study is expected to be completed during 2026, and the results will help determine next steps.
Chile is home to one of the largest aquaculture industries in the world, and the sector is pursuing ambitious sustainability goals including lower emissions, increased use of renewable power and reduced risk of spills. While the contractual value of the agreement is limited, at approximately SEK 0,8 million, the engagement will generate revenue and represent an important step in SeaTwirl’s commercialization effort.
“This collaboration marks an exciting step towards our purpose to enable floating wind power wherever it is needed, and to expand the use of floating wind technology beyond traditional grid-connected applications. The aquaculture industry has a clear need for offshore renewable energy, and we believe our technology can deliver a robust and cost-effective solution. It is also a major milestone to become involved in the southern hemisphere where many of the challenges we try to address, such as limited availability of cranes, vessels, and yard infrastructure, may be more challenging than in the north. We see significant potential in the aquaculture segment and look forward to beginning this journey in South America”, says Johan Sandberg, CEO of SeaTwirl.
I do find it strange, that the two vertical wind turbines, that both seem to be more than prototypes are both Scandinavian.
The Ventum Dynamics turbine, that I talked about in Are These Turbines An Alternative To Solar Panels? is Norwegian and this one is installed on Skegness Pier.
IKEA could sell these for DIY-enthusiasts to assemble and erect. On my stud, I used to have a barn, that could certainly have taken two of these 1.5 KW VX175 turbines.
This link is video of a dancing and swimming SeaTwirl.
If you follow, the SeaTwirl video to its conclusion, you’ll see one being erected in the sea. I can assure you that in the 1970s, my 25-year-old self, did the calculations for a reusable oil production platform called a Balaena, which erected on the same principle. So, I’m fairly certain, that SeaTwirls can be an alternative to traditional wind turbines.
Conservatives Would Scrap Stamp Duty, Badenoch Announces
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The next Conservative government would abolish stamp duty on the purchase of main homes, Kemi Badenoch has said, in a surprise announcement at the end of her first conference speech as party leader.
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Badenoch received a standing ovation from Tory activists in Manchester as she declared: “That is how we will help achieve the dream of home ownership for millions.”
She said scrapping stamp duty – a tax paid by home buyers in England and Northern Ireland – will “unlock a fairer and more aspirational society” and help people of all ages.
Note.
- I have a degree in Control Engineering at Liverpool University and graduated in 1968.
- Badenoch has a degree in Systems Engineering at Sussex University and graduated much recently.
Our degrees are both very mathematically-based and probably surprisingly similar.
My feeling as a Control Engineer, is that to selectively remove stamp duty could be a good idea, as you are affecting the derivatives rather than the rates.
Only time will tell, but some thorough mathematical modelling will probably show the validity of the idea.
It is unlikely that I will move, but given the state of the buses, there is a small chance that I might.
- My current house is probably worth about a million.
- If I bought a similarly-priced house, I would pay tax of £43,750.
- But, if I bought a house at double the price, I would pay tax of £153,750.
Given the progressive nature of the tax, I think I’ll be staying put, occupying a three-bedroom family house with a garage, all by myself.
If the tax is removed, I would be more likely to move into a house, that suited me better!
25-Year-Old Danish Offshore Wind Farm Gets Approval To Operate For 25 More Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
After approving the production permit extension for the Samsø offshore wind farm earlier this month, the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) has now granted extended permits to two more of Denmark’s oldest offshore wind farms, Middelgrunden and Nysted.
These first two paragraphs add more details.
To support its decisions, the DEA has requested that the applicants for the production permit extensions deliver an impartial analysis of the remaining lifetime. After receiving the extensions, the owners are now obliged to carry out comprehensive annual service inspections.
The Middelgrunden offshore wind farm was built in 2000 and received its electricity production permit the same year, before full commissioning in March 2001. The DEA has now approved Middelgrunden to operate for 25 more years.
This must be a very good thing, if with a good well-planned maintenance regime, engineers can get a productive life of fifty years out of an offshore wind farm.
With nuclear power stations, engineers seem to be able to predict their life expectancy fairly well, so if we can do the same with wind farms, it must make the planning of future power capacity a lot easier.
I asked Google for an answer to how long do nuclear power stations last and got this AI Overview.
Nuclear power plants are typically designed to operate for 40 to 60 years, but some can be extended to 80 years or even longer with upgrades and maintenance. Early plants were often designed for 30 years, but many have been refurbished to extend their operational life, according to the World Nuclear Association. The actual lifespan can also depend on factors like financial viability, operating costs, and the need for decommissioning, according to the National Grid Group.
As I suspect that solar farms could remain productive for fifty or sixty years, a mix of nuclear, solar and wind should serve us well in the future. Especially, as every next generation of nuclear, solar and wind power should be better than the last.
As a very experienced mathematical modeller, I like it.
Berkeley Scientists Finally Solve 10-Year Puzzle Enabling Efficient CO2-to-Fuel Conversion With Major Climate Impact Potential
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainability Times.
This is the sub-heading.
In a groundbreaking advancement, scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have unveiled the critical mechanisms behind the degradation of copper catalysts, a revelation that promises to revolutionize the production of sustainable fuels by enhancing the efficiency and stability of CO2 conversion processes.
This paragraph gives more details.
Scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of artificial photosynthesis. By utilizing advanced X-ray techniques, they have uncovered the critical factors that limit the performance of copper catalysts in converting carbon dioxide and water into useful fuels. This revolutionary insight could significantly enhance the stability and efficiency of catalysts in CO2 conversion processes, potentially accelerating the production of ethanol and ethylene. The research, which tackles a decades-old puzzle, offers promising avenues for the development of more durable catalyst systems, paving the way for future advancements in sustainable energy solutions.
I first came across catalysts in my working life, when I was working at ICI. I was modelling a chemical process called sulphonation for a guy who was trying to find an efficient way to create the monomer of building block for a new engineering plastic.
Some feel that all plastics are bad for the environment, but I think that, if the plastic is designed to replace another material in a long-lasting application, then plastic is good for the environment.
This picture shows my wonderful Sheba cutlery.
Note.
- C and I bought it in the 1960s, when we got married.
- Some have been used every day for over fifty years.
- The important bits are Sheffield stainless steel, with the handles formed of black Delrin plastic.
- Some of the handles have been in the dishwasher too many times and have faded.
- From what I have seen on the Internet, the average worth of pieces could be as much as a tenner.
Perhaps, when I pass on, all the pieces should be divided between my grandchildren.
I have digressed and I will return to my modelling project with one of ICI’s catalyst experts.
I remember him telling me, that if you could improve the way catalysts worked, you would open up whole new areas of chemistry.
It looks to me, that the scientists at Berkeley may have opened up a route to turn carbon dioxide into fuel.
Whether that is a good route to decarbonisation is another long discussion.
UK Government Sets 8-Hour Minimum For LDES Cap-And-Floor Sheme
The title of this post, is the sa,e as that of this article on Energy Storage News.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK government has published a Technical Decision Document confirming crucial aspects of its long duration electricity storage (LDES) cap-and-floor scheme, which includes increasing the minimum duration required from six hours to eight
These paragraphs give full details.
The document, released by regulator Ofgem on 11 March, details the final overarching rules and requirements for the scheme as well as how it will be implemented, though significant detail still remains to be worked out.
The scheme will provide a cap-and-floor revenue protection for 20-25 years that will allow all capital costs to be recoverable, and is effectively a subsidy for LDES projects that may not be commercially viable without it. Most energy storage projects being deployed in the UK today are lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) of somewhere between 1-hour and 3-hour in duration (very occasionally higher).
One of the most significant new details of the scheme is that, following industry feedback, the minimum duration for projects to qualify has been increased from six hours to eight hours of continuous rated power.
The ‘continuous rated power’ aspect prevents shorter duration projects from bidding in a smaller section of their MW capacity in order to act like an 8-hour system.
Another interesting detail pointed out by several commentators is that the cap is a ‘soft’ one, meaning it will allow extra revenue to be shared between developers and consumers. Exact details on the ratio are yet to be determined.
As a Graduate Control Engineer from Liverpool University in the 1960s, I hope that the move from a six to eight hours minimum duration is feasible.
I wasn’t dealing with power systems, but with multi-vessel chemical plants.
These are my thoughts.
The biggest project, I was dealing with a few years later in the 1970s, was the modeling of all the the reservoirs and pipelines by the Water Resoures Board.
As the supply side of the water industry hasn’t had too many issues with the volume of water supplied, I feel that the main modelers must have done a reasonable job.
Six To Eight Hours Of Continuous Operation
The article says this about uprating from six to eight hours of continuous operations.
All the systems that have been proposed for cap-and-floor operation, seem to have some form of physical storage.
- Energy Dome appears to have tents of carbon dioxide.
- Energy Vault uses stacks of heavy weights.
- Form Energy has tanks of rust.
- Gravitricity has huge weights in disued mine shafts.
- Highview Power has large tanks of liquid air.
- Pumped storage hydro has two lakes, that hold water.
- Rheenergise has two large tanks, of a water-based slurry.
So to go from six to eight hours will hopefully just need some more storage.
Highview Power appears to use similar gas tanks to those used to store natural gas or hydrogen.
This image clipped from Highview’s web site, shows large tanks for liquified gas storage.
With tanks like these, which can hold GW-equivalents of liquid air, Highview could be building batteries with storage to rival the smaller pumped storage hydroelectric power stations. They are already talking of 200 MW/2.5 GWh systems, which would have a 12.5 hour continuous rating and would probably need two to three tanks.
Coire Glas Pumped Storage
I’ll use Coire Glas pumped storage hydro electric power station as an example.
As currently planned SSE’s Cioire Glas pumped storage hydroelectric power station is 1.5 GW/30 GWh, so it has a a 20 hour continuous rating.
In The UK’s Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity, I gave a rough estimate of the pumped storage hydroelectricity systems in operation or planed as nearly 11 GW/224GWh.
The Soft Cap
The article says this about a soft cap.
Another interesting detail pointed out by several commentators is that the cap is a ‘soft’ one, meaning it will allow extra revenue to be shared between developers and consumers. Exact details on the ratio are yet to be determined.
I seem to remember that when I was modeling a larger multi-vessel chemical plant at ICI, I was using sharing between vessels, to get the system to operate on a PACE-231R analog computer.
So I suspect a soft cap is possible.
Petition Calls Made To Scrap Blackwall And Silvertown Tolls
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A petition containing more than 37,000 signatures calling for proposed tolls on the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels to be scrapped has been presented at City Hall.
These four paragraphs give more details.
Toll charges of up to £4 per journey through the soon-to-open Silvertown Tunnel and the neighbouring Blackwall Tunnel were announced by Transport for London (TfL) on 26 November.
The Silvertown Tunnel will open next spring and will provide a new road crossing under the Thames between Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula.
The charges are “designed to manage levels of traffic using the tunnels”, TfL has said.
A TfL spokesperson added that without the tolls, “traffic would increase in both tunnels causing delays and congestion, which contribute to poorer air quality”.
Note.
- 37,000 is a large petition.
- If Transport for London wanted to reduce pollution, they could encourage greater use of hydrogen.
I have done some simple modeling using Excel.
- There are six vehicle crossings; Dartford Bridge, Dartford Crossing, Woolwich Ferry, Silvertown Tunnel, Blackwall Tunnel and Rotherhithe Tunnel.
- Matters are complicated by each crossing being a different size.
- There are several reliable rail crossings and a number of foot crossings, which offer alternatives, for those travellers on foot.
- Currently the worst disruption occurs, when more than one route is out of action at the same time.
It is a very complex river crossing,
I feel strongly that we aren’t going to get a true picture of traffic flow through the two new tunnels, until we see serious disruption on the Dartford Crossing.
But what worries me most, is that in the last few years, TfL have made decisions, where they must have done extensive mathematical modelling and they seem to have come up with answers, that are wide of the mark.
Congestion Prediction
I believe that we now have enough data, that by the use of modern computing, advanced vehicle detection techniques and a liberal dollop of artificial intelligence we should be able to accurately predict the traffic flow over the Thames between Dartford and Silvertown, better than we have done in the past.
But will this just mean, that everybody just takes the least-congested route?
How To Protect The UK Population From Future Pandemics
The Times today has an article, which is entitled Flu Jab: Single-Shot Vaccine ‘Within Five Years’ Could Stop Future Pandemic.
This is the introductory paragraph of The Times article.
A single-shot vaccine against flu that would provide a lifetime of protection even against future mutations could be available in “five years or less”, scientists have said after making a breakthrough.
The article is very much a must-read, but I believe if used alongside a simple proven medical test, it could be even more effective.
Since 1997, when I was diagnosed as coeliac and started eating gluten-free food exclusively, I have never had a dose of flu.
I may have had one very mild dose of Covid-19, but I have never had a serious dose.
Research At The University Of Padua
This partial immunity to Covid-19 has been shown in a peer-reviewed scientific paper, by the University of Padua in Italy.
I discuss the Padua research in Risk Of COVID-19 In Celiac Disease Patients.
Mathematical Modelling Of Pandemics
As a control engineer, mathematical modeller and statistician, I believe that our herd immunity to future pandemics could be increased, if all new entries to the UK population, like babies and migrants, were tested for coeliac disease.
These days the coeliac test is just a blood test, that costs just a few pounds and I believe that a high percentage of gluten-free coeliacs in the UK population, because of their low susceptibility to flu pandemics, would slow the spread of the pandemic.
In a nuclear reactor non-radioactive carbon rods are often used to control the speed of the reaction.
I believe that non-susceptible coeliacs on gluten-free diets would perform the same function in the UK population.
Should Diagnosed Coeliacs Be Forced To Be Gluten-Free?
I would not force coeliacs to go gluten-free.
They would have to face up to the consequences, if they didn’t.
My son was an undiagnosed coeliac, who refused to get tested.
He died at 37 of pancreatic cancer, as his immune system was useless.
Coeliac disease and a gluten-free diet is a good wingman, but undiagnosed it can kill you!
Why Should Migrants Be Tested?
I hope they are, as some might have something nasty.
But if everyone was tested for a wide range of health and genetic conditions, could it act as a deterrent to come to the UK?
Oxford And Cambridge Compared On COVID-19
In Oxford And Cambridge Compared On COVID-19, I compared the COVID-19 rates of the two University cities.
- Oxford and Cambridge are very similar-sized cities and both ae surrounded by similar counties and countryside.
- During the pandemic, Oxford had a much higher COVID-19 rate than Cambridge.
From my experiences and observations in Cambridge, I believe that the city has a high level of coeliacs.
Why Does Cambridge Have A High Level Of Coeliacs?
I doubt, it is due to the genetics of the local population, as if it was, my coeliac disease would have been picked up earlier.
The two most likely causes are.
- Someone in the Health Authority decided to have a Whack-a-Coeliac policy.
- Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in conjunction with Cambridge University and the Sanger Centre were testing the accuracy of the newly-develop genetic test for coeliac disease.
Note.
- Both routes would have needed a streamlined endoscopy unit to test all those thought to be coeliac.
- I was tested twice in such a unit to prove that I was coeliac, after the genetic test showed, I probably was.
- Fit, younger patients were pushed to have the endoscopy without a sedative, which cut the number and cost of recovery beds and staff.
- My endoscopies were performed without a sedative, by a doctor working alone.
- I was able to drive home, a few minutes after the procedure.
It was a classic case of applying good old-fashioned time-and-motion to a test that would have to be applied to a large number of patients.
If Cambridge’s army of coeliacs helped the city take the edge of the pandemic, what would a Whack-a-Coeliac policy, do for other cities?
Crown Estate To Spend £1.5bn On New Laboratories
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
These three paragraphs introduce the Crown Estate’s plan.
The Crown Estate is to spend £1.5 billion over the next decade building more laboratories nationwide and will start by redeveloping the old Debenhams store in Oxford city centre.
The King’s property company, which looks after the royal family’s £16 billion historic land portfolio, will invest £125 million to buy the former department store and will turn it into laboratory space.
The building has been empty for omore than three years, having closed down in early 2021 after Debenhams collapsed during the pandemic. The Crown has bought a long leasehold of the store from DTZ Investors, the freeholder, which is keeping the street-level retail units. Subject to planning, construction is expected to start at the site next year, with the labs expected to be fully operational in 2027 or 2028.
This looks very much like a smaller version of British Land’s plan for the Euston Tower, which I wrote about in British Land Unveils Plans To Transform London’s Euston Tower Into A Life Sciences And Innovation Hub.
These are my thoughts.
Helping Start-Ups
I have been involved with perhaps half a dozen start-up ventures. Two were very successful and the others generally scraped along or just failed.
One common theme, was the lack of small convenient premises, where perhaps up to a dozen people could work.
- I don’t know Oxford well, but I would assume that the Debenhams site, is good for public transport and cycle parking.
- I also hope there’s a good real ale pub nearby, for some productive group thinking!
If this venture from Crown Estate helps start-ups to get over the first difficult hurdle, then it will be a development to be welcomed.
Location, Location, Location
It has been said, that the three most important things in property development are location, location and location.
This 3D Google Map shows the approximate location of the Debenhams building.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates a pub called the Wig and Pen , which is on the opposite side of George Street to the Debenhams building.
- The railway with its excellent connections runs North-South down the Western edge of the map.
- I estimate that walking distance to the station is about 500-600 metres.
I shall be going to Oxford in the next couple of days to take some pictures of the building and the walk.
We Can’t Have Too Many Laboratories
The British and the sort of people we attract to these isles seem to be born innovators and inventors.
My father’s male line is Jewish and my paternal great-great-great-grandfather had to leave his home city of Königsberg in East Prussia for the sole reasons he was eighteen, male and Jewish. As both Königsberg and London, were on the trading routes of the Hanseatic League, he probably just got on a ship. As he was a trained tailor, he set up in business in Bexley.
My mother’s male line is Huguenot and somewhere in the past, one of her ancestors left France for England. My grandfather was an engraver, which is a common Huguenot craft. Intriguingly, my mother had very French brown eyes.
Why did my ancestors come here?
It was probably a choice between escape to the UK or die!
This Wikipedia entry, which us entitled History of the Jews in Königsberg, gives a lot of detail.
Note.
- My ancestor left Königsberg around 1800.
- He probably brought my coeliac disease with him.
- In 1942, many of the Jews remaining in Königsberg were sent to the Nazi concentration camps.
- About 2,000 Jews remain in Königsberg, which is now Kaliningrad in Russia.
I am an atheist, but some years ago, I did a computing job for a devout Orthodox Jewish oncologist and he felt my personal philosophy was very much similar to his.
This Wikipedia entry, which is entitled Huguenots, gives a brief history of the Huguenots.
Whatever you’re attitude to immigration, you can’t deny these facts.
- Immigration increases the population.
- As the population increases, we’re going to need more innovation to maintain a good standard of living.
- Just as we need more places to house immigrants, we also need more places, where they can work.
- Immigration brings in those with all types of morals, sexualities and intelligences.
- Like the Jews and Huguenots of over two centuries ago, some emigrants will dream of using their skills and intelligence to start a successful business.
- It is likely, that some immigrants, who came here to study, might also want to stay on and seek employment here, using the skills they’ve learned and acquired. Some may even start successful businesses.
I also wonder, if immigration is difficult, does this mean, that the intelligent and resourceful are likely to be successful migrants. I heard this theory from a Chinese lady, who started her immigration to the UK, by swimming from mainland China to Hong Kong.
I feel, that unless we are prepared to ban immigration completely, not allow students to come here and study and be prepared to accept our current standard of living for the future, then we will need more laboratories and suitable places for entrepreneurs to start new businesses.
Conclusion
The Crown Estate appears to be getting more entrepreneurial.
In UK Unveils GBP 50 Million Fund To Boost Offshore Wind Supply Chain, I describe how they6 are using funds to accelerate the building of wind farms in theCetic Sea.
Has the King changed the boss or the rules?
Or have they employed a world-class mathematical modeller?
It is my experience, that modelling financial systems, can bring surprising results.
UK Onshore Wind Capacity Hits 15GW
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on reNEWS.BIZ.
This is the sub-heading.
Milestone reached after 30MW West Benhar project entered operations.
These are the first three paragraphs.
RenewableUK has revealed the UK has installed 15,000MW of operational onshore wind capacity.
The project which enabled the UK to cross the threshold was EDF Renewables UK’s 30.1MW West Benhar onshore wind farm in North Lanarkshire, consisting of seven turbines.
The UK now has 2631 operating onshore wind schemes.
These are my thoughts.
I Am Surprised At The Total Of Onshore Wind
The title says it all.
But 15 GW is almost the same power as five big nuclear power stations, the size of the running-late Hinckley Point C.
Should Some Strategically-Placed Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) Be Added?
Some wind farms have been built with wind farms and I very much feel, that with some mathematical modelling some excellent BESS sites could be found.
We should also use batteries, so that no wind farm is ever shut down, because too much wind is being generated.
Where Is West Benhar?
West Benhar wind farm has a web site, where this is the sub-heading.
West Benhar is a 7 turbine wind farm capable of powering up to 18,000 homes located near Shotts in North Lanarkshire.
It was opened on 28 February 2024.
This Google Map shows the location of West Benhar between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
West Benhar is North-East of Shotts and just South of the M8.
There’s More Onshore Wind To Come
These onshore wind farms appear to have Contracts for Difference, but have not been completed.
- Arecleoch Wind Farm Extension – 72.8 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Broken Cross – 48 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Chirmorie – 81.6 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Cumberhead West – 126 MW – + 40 MW BESS – Completion 2024/25
- Douglas West Extension – 78 MW – Completion 2024/25
- High Constellation – 50 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Kilgallioch Windfarm Extension – 51.3 MW – Completion 2024/25
- North Kyle – 206 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Stornoway – 200 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Stranoch – 84 MW – Completion 2024/25
- Viking – 443 MW – Completion 2024
All of these are in Scotland.
But that’s another 1,440.7 MW of onshore wind.
Community Wind Funds
Scotland seems to be continuing to build onshore wind farms.
Could it be that communities have seen the benefits of Community Wind Funds?
This is said about the fund at Stronach.
When operational, EDF Renewables will provide a community benefit fund in line with the Scottish Government Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments. The fund value for the community benefit fund would be £5,000 per megawatt for the lifetime of the wind farm. In the coming months we will begin to form a Community Liaison Group with local interested parties to decide how the funds will be disseminated once the wind farm becomes operational.
If the fund is yearly, then £420,000 is not money to be sneezed at!
Conclusion
It looks like in Scotland that Community Wind Funds promote the building of onshore wind.
UK Set To Provide Record GBP 800 Million Support For Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK government has revealed the budget of over GBP 1 billion (approximately EUR 1.2 billion) for this year’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 6 (AR6) with the majority of it, GBP 800 million (around EUR 936 million), earmarked for offshore wind.
These three paragraphs explain the three pots.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) confirmed that over GBP 1 billion will be set aside for the budget, divided into three pots.
Within the overall budget, GBP 120 million is designated for established technologies like solar and onshore wind in Pot 1, while GBP 105 million is set aside for emerging technologies such as floating offshore wind and geothermal in Pot 2.
According to DESNZ, following an extensive review of the latest evidence, including the impact of global events on supply chains, the government has allocated a record GBP 800 million for offshore wind, making this the largest round yet, with four times more budget available to offshore wind than in the previous round.
I am glad to see the support for geothermal energy.
Whilst, these three paragraphs explain the pricing.
This follows the increase in the maximum price for offshore wind and floating offshore wind in November and will help to deliver the UK’s ambition of up to 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030, including up to 5 GW of floating offshore wind, according to the government.
Last year, CfD Round 5 attracted no investors with the former maximum strike prices set at GBP 44/MWh for offshore wind with fixed-bottom foundations, which was too low for the developers who were facing the consequences of inflation and supply chain challenges. The maximum bid price for floating wind was GBP 114/MWh.
Now, the maximum price available for offshore wind projects with fixed-bottom foundations has risen by 66 per cent, from GBP 44/MWh to GBP 73/MWh. The maximum strike price for floating offshore wind projects increased by 52 per cent, from GBP 116/MWh to GBP 176/MWh ahead of AR6 which will open on 27 March.
Prices have certainly risen, but this paragraph explains a limiting mechanism, which is straight out of the Control Engineer’s Toolbox.
The funding for the support will be sourced from energy bills rather than taxation. However, if the price of electricity surpasses the predetermined rate, additional charges will be applied to wind power, with the excess funds returned to consumers.
I would hope that extensive mathematical modelling has been applied to test the new pricing structure.
The Anonymous Widower 