Re: Strategies for CO2 reduction


David Hansen wrote:

> From the same report, page 6, "Winter anticyclones
> These, it is alleged, frequently becalm the whole country and will
> cause problems for the system operator, due to the absence of any
> wind power, especially at periods of peak demand. Two points need to
> be made:
> · Neither the Renewable Energy Foundation, nor any of the references
> cited by them, have ever produced evidence that this occurs
> regularly
> · The Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford,
> was quite clear, in appearing before a House of Lords Select
> Committee that 'we have looked at that [stationary anticyclones in
> the middle of winter over the British Isles] occurring in the wind
> data and the wind data does not show it.'"
>
Agree, but I'd expect the bulk of the capacity to be in the North Sea,
from the Thames to the Humber. This area could go calm. Unlikely, and
predictable, but would need to be planned for.

> While history is not necessarily a guide to the future, I think it
> can be looked at to give some ideas.
>
> >Not so much limit, but require additional standby capacity, either from
> >gas or from regulating nulcear plants.
>
> Some alternative forms of standby are biomass and hydro. Note that
> the combination of circumstances you outline will not suddenly
> occur, but be forecast at least some hours ahead (possibly days).
> Weather forecasts supplied to industries are rather better than one
> sees on the television and this gives time to wind up long lead time
> standby plant. Of course hydro plant can be started in minutes, even
> if not running in standby mode.
>
> Also note that tidal stream electricity will not all be off at the
> same time, because tide times vary around the UK.
>
> I am not suggesting zero gas fired plants BTW and one of the
> advantages of such plant is that it can be started from cold almost
> as fast as hydro plant. However, unlike hydro, it cannot run in
> standby without greenhouse gas emissions.
>
Agree. Also I expect quite soon domestic sized fuel cell plants, able
to produce about 8KW of heat and 4KW of electricity.

> Nuclear electricity has always been an economic basket case, as the
> attempt at privatisation demonstrated. In Scotland the recently
> ended Nuclear Energy Agreement obliged Scottish Power and Scottish
> Hydro Electric to take 74.9% and 25.1% respectively of the
> electricity that Torness and Hunterston B nuclear power stations
> generated, even when they could get electricity more cheaply
> elsewhere. I assume there was something similar down south.

Well we import a lot of electricity from France, but we're not obliged
to. Nuclear in the UK has been uncompettive, but then we're looking at
40 year old technology, badly applied. We're also looking at the past
few years when gas has been very cheap, and it's unlikely ever to be so
cheap again.

Alex

.

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