O/T:- Heatwave weather [Re. Climate Opinions/Handbags]

[Old_pie]

Did you miss "storage" in there, or are you just ignoring it?

Please feel free to enlighten me as to what green storage systems you are suggesting when you respond to the questions I raised.

[SwalePie]

Please feel free to enlighten me as to what green storage systems you are suggesting when you respond to the questions I raised.

Sand and gravel batteries are looking reasonably promising. Great idea but not yet rolled out widely. Here's an article on the sand version...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61996520

[Old_pie]

Sand and gravel batteries are looking reasonably promising. Great idea but not yet rolled out widely. Here's an article on the sand version...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61996520

Yes I'm aware of this. The issues that I see are:

1) Energy security
2) Scale of solutions

So whilst such solutions can help with energy efficiency, mainly at a local level, they do not meet either of the two criteria I've mentioned. I have heard via a fairly reliable source that there are serious concerns about our ability to generate enough power this winter let alone have enought to put aside for low level storage.

I'd love there to be a magic bullet. Just take on board that for every kW of green energy produced we need on standby as many kW for when that green energy is not available. And our existing green energy 'benefits' wouldn't be viable if the more traditional (including nuclear) were not available. I wonder how long it will be before Ratcliffe-on-Soar gets an extension of life.

We've dithered over nuclear too long with unrealistic phobia causing delays and driving up costs. And we keep building thermally inefficient houses (remembering that in keeping folk warm in the increasingly mild winters may well cause people to boil in the increasingly warmer summers).

Meanwhile my initial questions have not been answered.

The world will implode just as we are about to be promoted

[magpie_mania]

Sand and gravel batteries are looking reasonably promising. Great idea but not yet rolled out widely. Here's an article on the sand version...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61996520

Don't think my garden is big enough to fit one of those in!

[Old_pie]

Don't think my garden is big enough to fit one of those in!

I've got a high bank as a back garden and worked out that I could just about embed an SMR in the garden if I could excavate back a bit more (need to both contain and have a heat sink). Hopefully a microreactor will be commercially available that will fit with less trouble and then I'll sell the surplus on to the rest of the community and the income will keep my pension going.

Of course a small fusion plant would be much more desirable. I've not yet perfected the design for one despite having it on my roundtuit list since the 1960's.

[keldsyke]

I've got a high bank as a back garden and worked out that I could just about embed an SMR in the garden if I could excavate back a bit more (need to both contain and have a heat sink). Hopefully a microreactor will be commercially available that will fit with less trouble and then I'll sell the surplus on to the rest of the community and the income will keep my pension going.

Of course a small fusion plant would be much more desirable. I've not yet perfected the design for one despite having it on my roundtuit list since the 1960's.

Sounds like a lot of a carbon foot print to implement that from manufacture to installation!

[Jampie]

The best grid-scale storage to date is pumped hydro. Can be build very large scale. Generally that'd be my preference.

[Old_pie]

The best grid-scale storage to date is pumped hydro. Can be build very large scale. Generally that'd be my preference.

Like Dinorwig you mean? Nearly 40yrs on and the only one in the UK. Someone (on another site) estimated that if the reservoir was the size of the whole of Wales it could possibly supply the UK with 6hrs of electricity. God only knows how long it would take to then replenish itself. Don't forget it also need a lower reservoir as well as the upper reservoir.

The Chinese seem to be building them at a fast rate but then they don't have to worry so much about planning permissions, space, mountains and the environmental impact.

Where would you build a very large scale unit in the UK? And what do you consider "large"?

[Jampie]

Like Dinorwig you mean? Nearly 40yrs on and the only one in the UK. Someone (on another site) estimated that if the reservoir was the size of the whole of Wales it could possibly supply the UK with 6hrs of electricity. God only knows how long it would take to then replenish itself. Don't forget it also need a lower reservoir as well as the upper reservoir.

The Chinese seem to be building them at a fast rate but then they don't have to worry so much about planning permissions, space, mountains and the environmental impact.

Where would you build a very large scale unit in the UK? And what do you consider "large"?

Don't know about the UK. Where I live in Australia, the grid I'm on is connected with every east coast state and SA, stretching thousands of kilometers. A recent study done identified a mere 22,000 or so possible large scale pumped hydro storage sites. Perhaps the solution for the UK is connections to Europe and storage there if you can't find a single suitable site on your hilariously tiny island.

[Old_pie]

Don't know about the UK. Where I live in Australia, the grid I'm on is connected with every east coast state and SA, stretching thousands of kilometers. A recent study done identified a mere 22,000 or so possible large scale pumped hydro storage sites. Perhaps the solution for the UK is connections to Europe and storage there if you can't find a single suitable site on your hilariously tiny island.

Ah Australia, well lots of space there, lots of sunshine. All of the UK is interconnected with the National Grid and has been for as long as I remember.

We have lots of interconnections with our neighbours, current and planned:

https://publications.parliament.uk/p.../121/12109.htm



and we can see exactly where our main power is coming from or at times being exported to:

https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

So at the moment I'm typing this we are exporting 3GW across the 4GW interconnector with France. Fortunately there is nothing connected to Russia or Ukraine.

When are you going to let WA join your interconnects? I don't know why they don't declare UDI.