The report is at: http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/WhlMkts/Discovery/Documents1/Project_Discove ry_FebConDoc_FINAL.pdf News articles at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8494899.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/household- bills/7144386/British-households-risk-unaffordable-energy-bills-Ofgem- warns.html http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/sse-says-customers-using-less-gas-electricity-reuters_molt-20a544628846.html A little interpretation: Quote: “There is a need for unprecedented levels of investment to be sustained over many years in difficult financial conditions and against a background of increased risk and uncertainty.” To translate, “the fat cats and their shareholders have […]
Read MoreCommercial Opportunities for Back-Up Generation (including diesel generators) and Load Reduction via National Grid, the National Electricity Transmission System Operator (NETSO) for England, Scotland, Wales and Offshore.
This article written by: Mark Duffield Senior Account Manager Contracts and Settlements UK Transmission – Network Operations National Grid National Grid House Warwick Technology Park Gallows Hill Warwick CV34 6DA
Read MoreClaverton Group's comment on BBC Radio 4 "You and Your's" on the Energy Gap 13th October 2009 – its cheaper to save than to build.
David Porter of the AIP (founded originally by David Andrews as the AIEP to counter the monolithic anti market and anti chp bias of the CEGB – Ed.) needs reminding that grants for A++ fridges etc (say we offer £30 to reduce baseload from 600 to 120 kWh/yr = £750 to save 1 kW) are cheaper […]
Read MoreWhat square of land area of wind turbines would be needed in reasonable sites in the UK to in one year generate all UKs power demand?
Data
A 5 MW turbine rotor diameter is 126m ( from the Repower website http://www.repower.de/index.php?id=12&L=1 )
According to Martin Alder, a wind farm owner and developer:
Across wind turbine spacing = 3 x dia (Assume tower to tower)
Down wind turbine spacing = 5 x dia
According to Colin Palmer, of Wind Prospect, a leading wind farm developer, load factors of 30 – 35% onshore, and 40% offshore are readilly achievalbe.
So assume 33%.
Calculation
Take a 70 mile by 70 mile square. This equals 112 km by 112 km
So downwind, turbine spacing (tower to tower) will be 126 x 3 = 378m. Thus in 70 miles / 112 km we can accommodate (112 x 1000 / 378 ) +1 = 297.3 towers (allowing half blade length to protrude out of area at edges).
Similarly, cross wind, we need 5 x 126 = 630 m. Thus in 70 miles / 112 km we can accommodate (112 x 1000 /630) +1 = 178.8 towers (again allowing half blade length to protrude out of area at edges).
Thus a 70 mile by 70 mile square can accommodate 297.3 x 178.8 = 53,157 turbines..
At 5 MW each, these will generate at peak 265.7 GW.
Assuming reasonable sites and a 1/3 , 33% load factor, this will generate on average 79.73 GW.
Read More"Nuclear power stations can't load follow that much" – Official
A note from Professor Elliot of the Open University: Nuclear can’t load follow that much Quotes from EDF’s submission to the UK governments renewable energy staretry consultation: Â Â ‘As the intermittent renewable capacity approaches the Government’s 32% proposed target, if wind is not to be constrained (in order to meet the renewable target), it […]
Read MoreA very significant admission by the US FERC chairman that the issue of integrating variable sources of power is not such a big issue
Wind Power and Reliability: The Roles of Baseload and Variable Resources Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff has stated that “baseload capacity is going to become an anachronism” and that no new nuclear or coal plants may ever be needed in the United States. Quote from Press Release: “1. This fact sheet explains […]
Read MoreIntermittent energy source – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Latest version – feel free to comment or edit – strangely, has a large number of refrences from the claverton site. Jump to: navigation, search Erie Shores Wind Farm monthly output over a two year period An intermittent energy source is a source of electric power generation that may be uncontrollably variable or more intermittent than […]
Read MoreIs Wind Power Reliable? Capacity Credit of Wind Energy
Is Wind Power Reliable The following is a commentary on David Milborrow’s article in “New Power UK/Issue 1/February 2009”. As David says, you would not design a thermal power generating system which did not have built in reserve. He has answered his comment about those letter writers being unconcerned (or unaware) that there […]
Read MoreUK Windless Days – Fact or Fiction
Article in IET queries role of wind power and balancing costs in the UK
David Millborrow is a Claverton participant…. Thanks to Hugh Sharman for forwarding this piece. This article from David Millborrow seems to pretty much demolish this article.. .. http://tx1.fcomet.com/~claverto/cms/download/316/ …………………………………. Quote ” Today, the UK is committed to European Union targets to deliver 35 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2020. Starting from a base of […]
Read More