Re: 1GW (sic) Battery Energy Storage Systems

On 26/11/2024 03:15, john larkin wrote:

On Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:55:35 +0000, Martin Brown
<'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
 

There is some ageing nuclear still running and large scale biomass
greenwashed wood burning facilities like Drax (sounds like a Bond villain).
>
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68381160

 Having electricity used to be normal.

Most of the time we still do. But the final leg of the electricity distribution was sold off and the vulture capitalists found a cunning way to extract value by ceasing to do any preventative maintenance!
It meant that when storm Arwen hit the north a single electricity pole falling over took the next one down and then they fell over like dominoes (or nine pins). We are OK with solid fuel stove and back boiler and a generator but anyone who is entirely reliant on electricity for heating (like our Village Hall) was screwed. My village was only down for a couple of days more remote places were down for a fortnight.
UK electricity generation capacity is somewhat odd, but it has been completely screwed by the lack of investment by the previous government. There have been warnings of impending doom from experts now going back more than two decades Professor Ian Fells at Newcastle for example:
2003  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3154001.stm
2014 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-facing-blackouts-by-2014-338175
He has an axe to grind for the nuclear industry but what he said in every case was true and made good scientific and engineering sense.
Not by him but the same basic message this year
2024 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/10/14/blackout-prevention-plan-activated-britain/
(sorry behind paywall)
Each time we have somehow muddled through by skin of teeth. Paying people not to *use* electricity at absolute peak time is the latest wheeze. We are very very close to the wire (pun intended) in the UK due to decades of under investment in the electricity infrastructure.
At least there is some decent gas storage capacity again going into winter. They had decommissioned it as "unnecessary" prior to the Ukraine war. Talk about short sighted penny wise pound foolish!
https://www.centrica.com/media-centre/news/2023/centrica-bolsters-uk-s-energy-security-by-doubling-rough-storage-capacity/
Milder winters due to global warming have helped a bit. It was 10 degrees above the monthly average here not long ago.
--
Martin Brown