Conferences | Claverton Group

The Sahara Forest Project – A new source of fresh water, food and energy

The world is running short of fresh water. With agriculture accounting for some 70% of all water

used, the water shortage is closely linked to food production and economic development. The

provision of clean water is a pre-condition to life, health and economic development and the lack

of water in many parts of the world is the root cause of much suffering and poverty. Present

methods of supplying water in arid regions include: over-abstraction from ground reserves,

diverting water from other regions and energy-intensive desalination. None of these methods are

sustainable in the long term and inequitable distribution leads to conflict. To make matters

worse, global warming is tending to make dry areas drier and wet areas wetter. Since the 1980’s,

rainfall has increased in several large regions of the world, including eastern North and South

America and northern Europe, while drying has been observed in the Sahel, the Mediterranean,

southern Africa, Australia and parts of Asia.

Where Does The Wind Come From – And How Much Is There?

Introduction: The source of the wind is the sun. The winds come from the suns energy falling on the earth’s surface. Due to the orientation of the earth’s surface to the sun’s rays near the equator the rays strike the surface at more optimum angles. The effect is that the air near the surface in tropical regions is heated more than the air near the surface of the polar regions. This leads to convection currents in the atmosphere, ie the movement of air due to changes in its density and pressure. This air movement is the principal cause of the winds.

How to Turn Standby Generation Into Profit-Making Assets

It does not make sense to ignore assets, leaving them idle, collecting dust and slowly degenerating (excuse the pun). Ask yourself why we spend thousands of pounds on standby generation just to have it lying dormant, gathering dust? Surely it makes much more sense to generate a profit from at least some of these assets.

With the continued expansion of wind energy the national grid need to increase their ability to cope with power fluctuations. They are already discussing ways in which they can encourage increased participation in Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR).
What is the solution? One solution is to increase use of embedded generation

European Super Grid – press release

At the fourth Claverton Energy conference, hosted by Wessex Water, Bath, international energy expert Dr Czisch outlined his strategy for a European-wide super grid that would supply all of Europe with entirely renewable electricity. Speaking at the conference Dr Czisch of Kassel University, Germany, also said the move to a renewable electricity system could cost the UK consumer the same as what is currently being paid, and, if there is the political will, he added that it could in theory be achieved in decades.

UK ENERGY SYSTEM COULD SUFFER SAME FATE AS BANKS, EXPERTS WARN

Representatives of an independent group of over 250 international energy and financial experts are meeting this week to reveal how the UK, Europe and other continents can run on renewable electricity for a similar price to that currently paid for fossil-based electricity. The Claverton Energy Research Group is also warning on the eve of its conference, which runs in Bath from 24-26 Oct, that current world governments’ energy policies are inadequate to meet growing global energy demands, and says serious action needs to be taken now!

High Profile EU Speaker at 2008 Claverton Conference!

Dr. Gregor Czisch is a confirmed speaker for this years Claverton conference, with a paper titled “Common Affordable and Renewable Electricity Supply for Europe and its Neighbourhood – Optimal solution: 100% Renewable HVDC-Supergrid To Save Our Climate”

Where Does The Wind Come From and How Much Energy is There?

Brian Hurley, M.Sc.

2008 Conference Paper Synopsis: The source of the wind is the sun. The winds come from the suns energy falling on the earth’s surface, giving rise to heating of the atmosphere. This leads to convection currents in the atmosphere, ie the movement of air due to changes in its density and pressure. We can gain an understanding of how global circulation works by developing simplified models of the processes that produce the global system. The physical drivers of the wind at a global scale and at the level of a wind farm are examined.

Squaring the Circle on Coal – Carbon Capture (CCS)

By Chris Hodrien

2008 Claverton Conference Paper Synopsis: Huge global reserves of coal remain, well-distributed among relatively stable supplier nations, and its production is increasing. With the recent rapid increases in oil and gas prices, especially in the UK, it is again becoming the minimum cost option for power generation and heavy industry. Large thermal (steam turbine) powerplant is also the global utilities’ preferred generating option because of its predictability/reliability, operational characteristics, retrofit to existing powerplant sites and “fit’ to the existing grid structure.

Biomethane as a Vehicle Fuel – It’s the Vehicles, Stupid

By John Baldwin

2008 Conference Paper Synopsis:

1. Development of NGVs 2000 to 2008
2. 3rd generation NGVs launched in Q1 2009 – VW Passat on biomethane is the world’s best car in well to wheel CO2 terms
3. Potential biogas resource – The UK’s largest 3rd generation bio-fuel
4. Production of biomethane – Clean-up technologies and costs
5. Injection of biomethane into gas grids
6. EU Renewable Energy Directive
7. UK RTFO, ROCs and renewable heat support
8. Biomethane Eco-leadership projects
9. Conclusion – it’s the vehicles stupid

Desert Rose – Fresh Water & Forest Cover

Desert Rose – Fresh Water & Forest Cover
By Dr Richard Lawson

2008 Conference Paper Synopsis: Desert Rose is a conceptual approach to using two resources – sunlight and seawater – that coastal tropical areas have in abundance to supply two resources that are in short supply and dwindling – fresh water and forest cover. It suggests that once past a critical point, the growth in forest and water tend to become a self-propagating system. Energy costings relating to developing this concept are addressed.