from Mark Z. Jacobson <jacobson reply-to Offshore windenergy <offshorewind@claverton-energy.com> to Windenergy <offshorewind@claverton-energy.com> date 8 April 2010 16:43 subject Re: [Offshorewind] Claverton Energy Group – wind farms mailing list offshorewind_claverton-energy.com.claverton-energy.com Filter messages from this mailing list unsubscribe Unsubscribe from this mailing list hide details 16:43 (18 minutes ago) The model run for that study is at […]
Read MoreGrid-Connected Intermittent Renewables Are The Last To Be Stored
( Note – this article will shortly be published in the Elsevier International Journal of Renewable Energy which owns all rights.) Abstract When hydro-electric power systems became wide-spread, associated developments for energy storage, using pumped water, soon followed. Many other methods of storage have since been considered. Today’s interest in other renewables, notably wind energy […]
Read MoreThe CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board) were not blinkered and recognised that wind had a capacity credit value
We weren’t blinkered in the CEGB. We were well aware that wind energy CAN be credited with firm capacity [see Swift-Hook, D. T., 1987 “Firm power from the wind” Wind Energy Conversion, Ed. J. M. Galt, (MEP : London) p. 33] and that the cost of off-setting the variability of wind is modest, see […]
Read MoreNorth Sea Supergrid Declaration
The declaration: 1. The Ministers of the North Seas Countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom Considering, 2. The crucial role which offshore wind energy is bound to play in order for Europe to meet the EU’s 20-20-20 targets. The major part of offshore wind energy development in […]
Read MoreThe costs of variability due to the presence of large quantities of intermittent/variable wind energy on the UK national grid.
Managing Variability – A report to WWF-UK, RSPB, Greenpeace UK and Friends of the Earth EWNI SUMMARY In order to comply with legislation from the European Union, the UK’s renewable energy target (to produce 15% of final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020) may require between 35 and 40% of our electricity to come […]
Read MoreWhat happens to wind power when there is no wind? Why it makes perfect sense that old, polluting and inefficient coal fired power stations should be retained and receive a capacity payment
This note argues that environmentalists will have to recognise that part (and a small price) of the price we pay for creating significant additional capacity of intermittent / variable renewables is the continued existence of coal fired plant, operating at a very low capacity factor. (And of course it will make us less vulnerable to […]
Read MoreFrom Dr John Constable. Note on the Renewable Energy Foundation
Dear Mr Andrews:
I posted the following response re. REF yesterday, but it seems stuck in the moderation queue. Could you please accelerate this.
Regards,
John Constable.
Note on the Renewable Energy Foundation
The postings concerning REF on the Claverton list have been drawn to my attention, and since there is a good deal of confusion in some of the remarks I thought it might be helpful if I, John Constable, Director of Policy and Research for REF, were to post a response. [More…]
1. Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) is a UK registered charity, and has been since 2004. It has no political affiliation, and publishes data and analysis on the renewable sector, as well as engaging in educational activities.
2. When first created Noel Edmonds kindly agreed to be chairman, and he remains in that role.
3. REF is guided by its board of Trustees, and advised by the Technical Advisory Group (see http://www.renewable-energy-foundation.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&Itemid=72). Those listed on TAG are not members of REF, but independent experts who have agreed to advise the Foundation on policy and the conduct of research.
4. REF does not, now, have members; it has Friends of the Foundation, and the charity is supported by private donation only. The identity of these donors is public information, though they are numerous and cannot all be listed here. Some of the largest charitable trust making donations to charities have given money, including the Rausing, and the Cadogan trusts. In addition, the entrepreneur Vincent Tchenguiz gave generously to support the creation of the Renewable Energy Data files, described in more detail below.
5. Renewable Energy Forum Ltd is the charity’s not-for-profit sister company, and was created at the same time as the charity.
6. The organisation has not recently divided, though in the last two weeks Renewable Energy Foundation has moved to a new web site, www.renewable-energy-foundation.org.uk, while Renewable Energy Forum has taken over www.ref.org.uk. For the time being the latter website will host the archive of the charity, while material is gradually transferred.
7. REF aims to improve understanding of the renewable sector by supporting and in some cases publishing technical research.
8. For example, in 2005 we supported two articles on Danish wind power in Proceedings of the ICE, both by Hugh Sharman.
‘Why Wind Power Works for Denmark’, Proceedings of ICE: Civil Engineering, 158 (May 2005), 66-72
‘Why the UK should build no more than 10 GW of Wind Capacity’, Proceedings of the ICE: Civil Engineering, 158 (November 2005), 161-169.
Read MoreUsing standby diesel generators for short term reserve to support main power grids – potentially good news from National Grid
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Hi Dave
Firstly apologies for not getting back to you about Bernard’s note sooner. I read the attached email above with interest as it’s always good to see that there is interest out there in providing Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR, previously known as “Standing Reserve”) from new sources, whether someone is interested in approaching us directly or through an aggregator. I did note that in your last line you said that if contracts could be made available for a longer period of time then this might elicit more interest from parties. On that front there is potentially good news, the changes that we introduced to the STOR contract form a year or two back, allow users to tender for a contract of up to 10 years duration, and as part of the STOR review that my colleague Craig Maloney is undertaking at the moment we may potentially be looking to extend that capability to even longer term contracts.
Read Morea regular up to date source of hard info on renewable energy- Renew
Need a regular up to date source of hard info on renewable energy? Renew is a 36 page newsletter on renewable energy developments and policy which has been produced by Open University Professor Dave Elliott without a break bi-monthly since 1979. It’s widely seen as a reliable and up to date source of information, news […]
Read MoreHas Professor MacKay FRS, Chief Scientific Advisor to DECC, underestimated Britain's potential for Renewable Energy?
Today, The Times has claimed that Britain’s potential renewable resources are insufficient to meet demand, and therefore that Britain needs new nuclear plants. This is reported as having been stated by the new Chief Scientific Advisor to DECC, Professor David MacKay FRS, the author of the free online book: Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air – though it appears that The Times invented this quote. Nevertheless, the claim that Britain cannot live on its own renewables, is also made in his book.
However, the claim is not true.
On the professor’s own (underestimated) calculation of Britain’s renewable potential, it is possible for Britain to power itself from wind and solar. Current energy demand (heat, transport & electricity), is 98kWh per person per day (245GW), and the professor’s book identifies 68kWh/d (170GW) of wind onshore and offshore, and 55kWh/d (137.5GW) from photovoltaics, which together gives 123kWh/d (307.5GW). That means that even ignoring wave, tidal, geothermal and biomass, Britain’s renewable potential supply just from solar and wind substantially exceeds our energy demand.
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