Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

World’s tallest turbines to grace Aberdeen bay wind farm

Sitting nearly 15 miles off the Aberdeen coastline, the development will see eleven 191 meter turbines able to operate at 8.8MW.

Capable of powering one household for an entire day in one turn, once finished the development will be capable of delivering 70% of Aberdeen’s total energy demand.

I don't know what the scientific units for 191m* is - perhaps double decker buses (probably not olympic swimming pools, or Wales'), but at a rough guess I think that's equal to a 60 storey building. Wow!

*191m from base to tip of vertical blade.

Martyn1981

Australia starting to look at replacing gas for space heating and cooking.

1st “Gas Free” Suburb In Australian Capital Territory, Part Of 100% Renewable Energy Goal

The Australian Capital Territory is to trial its first “gas-free” suburb as part of the next step in its push for 100% renewable energy in the nation’s capital.

The ACT is expected by 2020 to have commissioned enough wind and solar farms to reach the equivalent of 100% renewable energy for its electricity supply; now it wants to turn its attention to another major fossil fuel — gas.

The new master-planned Ginninderry development will trial a gas-free residential precinct in stage 1 of the suburb. It will affect the first 350 homes.

Rather than being connected to the gas-grid, each home will include mandatory solar panels and smart meters, and be equipped with efficient electric heating and cooling, and induction cooktops.

The government expects the switch to electric appliances will save households $14,000 over the life of the equipment.

Martyn1981

Too much news today, but this is easily the best.

It's an article not only suggesting that 100% RE electricity is possible, but that it would be the cheapest option. Just a note, but the breakdown of energy source is obviously a global average, I doubt the UK will be getting anything like 69% of leccy from PV.

100% Renewable Electricity Worldwide Is A New Cost-Effective Reality

Some snippets, but the article is well worth a proper read:-

According to financial analysts, by 2020 renewables will have become the cheapest form of power generation.

The first of its kind study* simulates a global electricity system based entirely on renewable energy on an hourly basis throughout a whole year. Its results prove that the existing renewable energy potential and technologies, including storage, are able to generate sufficient and secure power supply worldwide by 2050. Under favorable political conditions, a full decarbonization and nuclear phase-out of the global electricity system can succeed even earlier than that.

The study shows that there is no reason to invest any single dollar in fossil fuel or nuclear power production. It also proves that energy transition is no longer a question of technical feasibility or economic viability, but of political will.

The study is part of a larger study analyzing the entire energy system, including electricity, heat, mobility, desalination, and industrial demand. Lappeenranta University of Technology and the Energy Watch Group will publish the findings of the entire study in 2018.

Martyn1981

Cheeky article that doesn't quite say what the prices agreed are, but they must be very good as a company looking to buy 300GWh of leccy (up to 2030) has gone for 800GWh instead!

Powershop Australia “Stunned” By Low Prices In Solar & Wind Purchase

“There are many non-believers out there … but we were surprised at the prices we saw for wind, and shocked at the prices we saw for solar.”

Asked if the prices for these new projects matched recent PPAs such as the sub $55/MWh obtained by Origin Energy for the 530MW Stockyard Hill wind farm in Victoria, and reports of below $70/MWh for solar projects, McManus said:

“We saw prices that were at or around what had been reported in the media as one-offs,” he said. “If you said two and a half years ago that this is where solar will be, we would not have believed it.”

Powershop had been seeking around 300GWh of wind and solar capacity when it started its tender process, but because of the low prices, it has signed up for nearly 800GWh. The PPAs last until 2030.

silverwhistle

Martyn1981 wrote: »

I don't know what the scientific units for 191m* is - perhaps double decker buses

The article says 19 double deckers!

I recently crossed France by car and was musing at the capacities of the different wind turbines we saw. Then browsing a French magazine at the ferry port I saw an article on a new wind farm to be installed over there where the turbines were 8Mb. Looks like that size is the new norm, which must make a significant impact on improving load factors.

Martyn1981

silverwhistle wrote: »

The article says 19 double deckers!

I recently crossed France by car and was musing at the capacities of the different wind turbines we saw. Then browsing a French magazine at the ferry port I saw an article on a new wind farm to be installed over there where the turbines were 8Mb. Looks like that size is the new norm, which must make a significant impact on improving load factors.

Hiya. If you are interested, this article is pretty good, explaining the rise in off-shore wind capacity factors, and de-bunking the myth that older WT's are losing efficiency (the newer ones are simply better).

I like quoting this site because he's not exactly a fan of RE, preferring nuclear, so it's harder for the NAACB (nuclear-at-any-cost brigade) to attack the info on the Guardian.

UK offshore wind capacity factors – a semi-statistical analysis

The average capacity factor at 28 operating UK offshore wind farms is 33.6% (most recent 12-month average) and 34.5% (lifetime), increasing to 36.1% and 37.5% when four demonstration projects are discarded. There is a dependence of capacity factor on age, with older farms showing capacity factors of around 30% and younger ones factors of around 40%. This is interpreted to be a result of increased turbine sizes, with taller modern turbines accessing higher wind speeds at higher elevations. There is no evidence for significant degradation of turbine performance with time. A “generic” UK offshore wind farm coming on line in 2017 can be assumed to have a capacity factor of around 41%, although projections indicate that the turbines planned for the Hornsea II farm discussed in previous posts could have capacity factors exceeding 60%.

Summary

Two basic conclusions emerge from these results:

1. Capacity factors are lower at older UK offshore wind farms than at newer ones primarily because the turbines at newer wind farms are larger. Degradation is not a significant factor.

2. Larger turbines are more efficient than smaller ones primarily because they are taller and capture higher wind speeds at higher elevations, not because of increased rotor diameter or other technological advances.

One of my main purposes in doing this work was to estimate what capacity factor should be assumed for UK offshore wind farms coming on line in the future. The trend line for all 24 wind farms (Figure 2) intersects zero time at 41%, and this would be a good number to use for a “generic” UK wind farm coming on line now. For future wind farms, however, we can expect that capacity factors will be higher, particularly in the North Sea where over 80% of proposed new projects are located, although the capacity at any one installation will depend largely on turbine size.

Martyn1981

Researchers Claim Lithium-Ion Batteries Can Be Safely Recharged 5 Times Faster

During testing on commercially available 18650 lithium-ion cells, the researchers determined that those cells could be safely charged up to five times faster than previously thought possible without damage. The technology can be used during normal battery operation without impeding a cell’s performance.

Martyn1981

Interesting success and future targets for S. Australia, especially as Australia as a whole isn't doing too good. Interesting paragraph mentioning price reductions for customers.

South Australia’s Labor plans 75% renewables and 25% storage targets

Ahead of a March election, the South Australian Labor government has said it will increase its renewable energy target to 75% by 2025 and implement 750MW of “renewable storage” if re-elected.

South Australia has already more or less surpassed its previous 50% renewable energy target – the government tabs it at 48.9% - and is in the midst of a major investment surge in alternative energy technologies, including energy storage. The new target includes wind, solar, pumped hydro and hydrogen among others.

A South Australian Labor release claimed that power bills in the state will fall by AU$300 over the next two years due to increased competition from new renewable energy projects coming online.

NigeWick

With this technology, we won't need so much Lithium or even regular batteries:- Gravitricity https://buff.ly/2CbKgpg

NoRemorse

Sorry if this is the wrong way to go about doing this but I’m new on here.
Does £11K sound too expensive for a 4kw system installed with lifetime warranty seem too high. Only just had chance to start looking at other guided prices but they don’t stipulate a warranty length. I’m wife had provisionally agreed at the £11k should we cancel?