Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

gefnew said:

Green energy from sewage to power homes | Newsroom | Thames Water
Like this one.

Possibly, but the vid talks about dealing with the solids. I did tour the (then) new Swansea sewage treatment works for work about 25yrs ago, and they were catching methane then, but the left over material went as fertilizer to farms (as mentioned in the vid), so these new schemes appear to be a step up but I'm not sure they are the same ....... which is itself fun and interesting.

gefnew

I think that the waste material is turned into some form of block that is then used to burn in additional biomass units.

Martyn1981

gefnew said:

I think that the waste material is turned into some form of block that is then used to burn in additional biomass units.

Yep, man-made coal, so to speak.

Just been playing with the numbers and Google. In the article it was suggested each human produces about 1lb of 'material' per day, so about 0.5kg. I'm assuming a lot of the weight is water, not sure, but I'll just go for 0.2kg per person per day, so around 14k tonnes per day, or 5m tonnes per year.

Next I googled how much coal a power station uses, and the figure suggested was 9,000 tonnes per day for a 1GW power station. Since the product here was referred to as being more like lignite than coal I'll just stick with 1GW for the 14k tonnes.

So equivalent to one big power station, but as the vid suggested co-firing (need to consider transporting it distances), then I assume it would go in a bio-mass thermal power station.

Interesting. Since it's biologically sterile, anyone fancy 'poo charcoal' for their BBQ's ........ no ...... OK fair enough.

Martyn1981

Big battery plans in India. They have 85MWh, are tendering for 1,000MWh more, and are modelling a need for 108,000MWh (108GWh) by the end of the decade.

Solar Energy Corporation of India launches ‘first-of-its-kind’ 1,000MWh battery storage tender

The government-controlled Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has launched a 500MW/1,000MWh pilot tender for large-scale standalone battery storage.

SECI issued a Request for Selection (RFS) document yesterday, seeking to procure the battery energy storage systems (BESS) through a tariff-based competitive bidding process. It is expected to be the first stage in a procurement drive for 4,000MWh of BESS in total. 

The corporation, as its name suggests, is responsible for promoting solar energy in India as an arm of the National Solar Mission, and is administered by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

In order to support the deployment and integration of 500GW of new non-fossil fuel energy capacity, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has modelled a need for 27GW/108GWh of battery storage by 2029-2030, in addition to 10,151MW of pumped hydro energy storage.  

Martyn1981

Long term storage idea, using phase change technology. The article stresses the two ever important competing issues for this storage sector to work economically, low number of cycles, low cost of storage capacity.

“Hibernating” Energy Storage Solves Seasonal Power Generation Problem

They have developed a long duration “hibernating” battery made with an electrolyte that can be chilled from a liquid to a solid when excess renewable energy is abundant, then thawed to release energy when needed.

According to PNNL, the freeze-thaw system can store energy for months at a time and lay idle without losing a significant amount of capacity.

So far PNNL has tested out the system on a prototype the size of a hockey puck. Over a 12-week period the system retained 92% of its capacity, which is impressive compared to the capacity loss that bedevils conventional lithium-ion technology when idled.

Coastalwatch

According to NREL's study the future of long term energy storage (to 2050) in the US can be limited to batteries of a max of ten hours duration with pumped hydro fulfilling twelve hours periods seen as the max duration required.

In addition they see Li Ion batteries available today as being capable of covering their needs until 2034 before longer duration of six hours are required and then eight in 2040. How lucky are they!

I suspect this is their take given that renewable installations of solar and wind turbines, compete with antifreeze for those harsh Texan winters, are built out at the required pace!

Just leaves us nations further from the equator in need of even longer duration storage then?

NREL’s eight storage projections through 2050

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) presents eight “key learnings” in a new report, often in the form of projections. Below is a condensed version.

NREL’s final report on the future of storage, drawing from a series of six in-depth studies, presents “key learnings” from across those studies.

Lithium-ion batteries will continue to have the highest market share “for some time,” as system costs for 4-hour storage, including all system components and installation, fall to $200 perkWh capacity by 2030, and continue to decline. Other technologies “could have new opportunities” if they can compete with battery prices.

The ability to provide firm capacity—which is the greatest value of storage—depends on the fit between storage duration and the duration of the region’s net peak load. Firm capacity enables storage to meet demand during system peak times and to replace gas turbines.

https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2022/04/15/nrels-eight-storage-projections-through-2050/?utm_source=USA+|+Newsletter&utm_campaign=09bd044312-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_80e0d17bb8-09bd044312-159341337

gefnew

Here is some news.
Energy suppliers warned over direct debit hikes - BBC News

Martyn1981

Article about a wind turbine project pushed through by the community. And it's a big one (for on-shore) at 4.2MW.

[Note - The article suggests the WT will bring in "at least" £100k a year, which seems extremely poor compared to the £4m+ price. I suspect this a typo, since a 4.2MW WT at just 25% capacity factor, selling at £40/MWh would 'earn' £368k pa. I also get a similar generation figure based on the comparison to 3,000 homes figure if I assume annual consumption of 3 to 3.5 MWh pa per property.]

Bristol community secures funding to build tallest wind turbine in England

A community group in one of the poorest parts of Bristol has met its funding target to build the tallest wind turbine in England, despite a lack of any central government funding for locally owned wind power generation.

The group of residents from Lawrence Weston, a deprived housing estate on the edge of the West Country city, have secured £4m, and expect to begin groundworks for the turbine, which measures 150 metres from its base to the tip of its blade, in June. The wind turbine, which has a maximum capacity of 4.2MW, will sell energy to the grid. The group estimates it will bring in at least £100,000 a year.

Mark Pepper, who grew up on the estate and helped found the Ambition Lawrence Weston charity to regenerate the area, said the turbine would make hundreds of thousands of pounds for community projects, including a new renewable energy skills training centre and a crisis fund to help local families trapped in fuel poverty.

“The fantastically exciting work begins soon. I feel proud of the residents as there have been a lot of challenges along the way and a lot of barriers put in our way,” he said. “Yet the residents have stayed resolute because they know this could be a gamechanger for Lawrence Weston.”

However, he added that the turbine, which will generate enough power for 3,000 homes, had taken eight years to build because the government had made it so difficult to get planning permission and provided no financial support for communities to generate their own power. “The government’s resistance to more onshore wind has been a problem,” he said. “It’s been a long slog but hopefully soon the residents will be able to reap the rewards of all their hard work.”

shinytop

Martyn1981 said:

Article about a wind turbine project pushed through by the community. And it's a big one (for on-shore) at 4.2MW.

[Note - The article suggests the WT will bring in "at least" £100k a year, which seems extremely poor compared to the £4m+ price. I suspect this a typo, since a 4.2MW WT at just 25% capacity factor, selling at £40/MWh would 'earn' £368k pa. I also get a similar generation figure based on the comparison to 3,000 homes figure if I assume annual consumption of 3 to 3.5 MWh pa per property.]

Bristol community secures funding to build tallest wind turbine in England

A community group in one of the poorest parts of Bristol has met its funding target to build the tallest wind turbine in England, despite a lack of any central government funding for locally owned wind power generation.

The group of residents from Lawrence Weston, a deprived housing estate on the edge of the West Country city, have secured £4m, and expect to begin groundworks for the turbine, which measures 150 metres from its base to the tip of its blade, in June. The wind turbine, which has a maximum capacity of 4.2MW, will sell energy to the grid. The group estimates it will bring in at least £100,000 a year.

Mark Pepper, who grew up on the estate and helped found the Ambition Lawrence Weston charity to regenerate the area, said the turbine would make hundreds of thousands of pounds for community projects, including a new renewable energy skills training centre and a crisis fund to help local families trapped in fuel poverty.

“The fantastically exciting work begins soon. I feel proud of the residents as there have been a lot of challenges along the way and a lot of barriers put in our way,” he said. “Yet the residents have stayed resolute because they know this could be a gamechanger for Lawrence Weston.”

However, he added that the turbine, which will generate enough power for 3,000 homes, had taken eight years to build because the government had made it so difficult to get planning permission and provided no financial support for communities to generate their own power. “The government’s resistance to more onshore wind has been a problem,” he said. “It’s been a long slog but hopefully soon the residents will be able to reap the rewards of all their hard work.”

Maybe 'bring in' means 'make a profit of' for the charity involved?

EDIT - just to be clear, that would be a good thing.

Martyn1981

No big surprise here. More on-shore wind helps bills. Having too little wind, for the role it should play, will increase bills in gas situations like we have now.

I am still baffled by the Gov's hostility. I get that before there was a small, but loud minority that made a fuss, but with so much support for on-shore wind now, including Tory voters, and crucially for wind both nationally and locally, I'd have thought their actions may now be against more of their voters, than for them. Perhaps not supporting on-shore wind isn't enough to upset their voters who support it from voting for them, but supporting on-shore wind would lose them a small number.

Hard to rationalise the situation anymore, and a minority position by some voters, shouldn't trump G&E RE deployment in the face of the climate crisis ........ if the Gov was genuinely trying to do the best for the country, people and environment ....... big IF?

UK onshore wind slowdown 'could cost billpayers'

UK energy customers could end up paying £125 (€150) more if the roll-out of onshore wind is not expanded, according to analysis from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

Following no new targets in the Government’s Energy Security Strategy and reported pushback from some MPs, the UK currently has 14GW of onshore wind, which will rise to 20GW with turbines that are under construction or have received planning consent.

If the sector were to stop at 20GW and not reach the mooted targets, the ECIU analysis finds that UK households could end up with higher energy bills.