New battery charging technology to make OHLE redundant?

[najaB]

I've heard conflicting information about the performance of wind power. My understanding is that off-shore is more effective than on-shore, but how consistent is the output?

That is correct - offshore winds tend to be less turbulent and more consistent.

Is it good enough that we can do without any alternative sources? Would we need batteries in every home or localised diesel generators to cover the transient peak demand?

No. High/low pressure systems affect offshore as well - as evidenced by sail ships getting stuck in the doldrums for days/weeks at a time.

 

[TheKnightWho]

I've heard conflicting information about the performance of wind power. My understanding is that off-shore is more effective than on-shore, but how consistent is the output?

Is it good enough that we can do without any alternative sources? Would we need batteries in every home or localised diesel generators to cover the transient peak demand?

Output generally hovers in in 3-6GW range, which depending on the time of year and day of the week can be anything from 5% to 20% of demand. I'd say it averages around 10% - higher in the summer due to lower demand.

It would be inappropriate to go 100% wind power for exactly the reason you state, but it's good to cover demand above immediate base load (nuclear and hydro), with CCGT making up the difference to cover variations in demand. CCGT can be easily switched on and off at very short notice, so it's a good technology for that.

At this time of year variations in wind power are nothing to worry about since demand is quite high and so CCGT (and coal) will always make up the difference. In the summer, coal output is negligible (this summer it hit 0 a few times actually), and CCGT output is very low in comparison to winter. On days with very high wind output and very low demand (say, a Sunday in June) we may encounter issues of overproduction from wind. That day hasn't come yet though, as the lowest I can see CCGT getting down to last year (at a quick glance) is around 6-7GW.

UK installed wind capacity has skyrocketed from 2.974GW to 13.602GW between 2008 and 2015. I think a lot of the misconceptions on this forum about wind power being negligible come from not realising just how much of an increase has occurred in the last few years. Even if only 25% of the capacity can be realised at any one time due to varied winds, that is still more than 4 times the electricity generation it was producing only 8 years ago. 26.9GW of additional offshore capacity is in planning as we speak, with 1.4GW under construction right now.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

UK installed wind capacity has skyrocketed from 2.974GW to 13.602GW between 2008 and 2015. I think a lot of the misconceptions on this forum about wind power being negligible come from not realising just how much of an increase has occurred in the last few years. Even if only 25% of the capacity can be realised at any one time due to varied winds, that is still more than 4 times the electricity generation it was producing only 8 years ago. 26.9GW of additional offshore capacity is in planning as we speak, with 1.4GW under construction right now.

Wow - did not know that - huge.

 

[LDECRexile]

Wow - did not know that - huge.

I'll have binocs on our day out on 29th. If it's reasonably clear, five minutes looking over Liverpool Bay towards N Wales, and possibly round Barrow if its very clear, will knock you for six. The new masts being erected on http://www.burbobankextension.co.uk/en are said to be the world's biggest. The number of masts off N Wales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwynt_y_Môr is stunning.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I'll have binocs on our day out on 29th. If it's reasonably clear, five minutes looking over Liverpool Bay towards N Wales, and possibly round Barrow if its very clear, will knock you for six. The new masts being erected on http://www.burbobankextension.co.uk/en are said to be the world's biggest. The number of masts off N Wales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwynt_y_Môr is stunning.

Actually I fly over that every time I come back from the USA. Not this time though as I am flying westbound all the way - my longest amount of flying yet - going RTW to get home.

 

[paul1609]

This afternoon is a good example of the shortcomings of wind power . Total wind production barely 1GW or 2 per cent. Will Gas get to 60 in the evening peak.

 

[TheKnightWho]

This afternoon is a good example of the shortcomings of wind power . Total wind production barely 1GW or 2 per cent. Will Gas get to 60 in the evening peak.

No-one is suggesting we go 100% wind. You can't just sweep aside statistics in favour of extreme outliers (no wind in the middle of winter on a Friday night). You're also ignoring the Dutch interconnector, which usually supplies us with surplus wind energy (currently 1GW).

 

[Trog]

No-one is suggesting we go 100% wind. You can't just sweep aside statistics in favour of extreme outliers (no wind in the middle of winter on a Friday night). You're also ignoring the Dutch interconnector, which usually supplies us with surplus wind energy (currently 1GW).

No you have to cover the extremes or the lights go out whenever something non average happens. Time we installed some reliable renewable energy like large scale tidal, otherwise we just end up paying for expensive plant to sit idle.

 

[Mordac]

No you have to cover the extremes or the lights go out whenever something non average happens. Time we installed some reliable renewable energy like large scale tidal, otherwise we just end up paying for expensive plant to sit idle.

Isn't that what gas is for? No one is suggesting we get rid of it.

 

[TheKnightWho]

Isn't that what gas is for? No one is suggesting we get rid of it.

Precisely...

 

[najaB]

Isn't that what gas is for? No one is suggesting we get rid of it.

The point was (I think) that reliable large scale renewables (e.g. tidal barrages) would mean that we could fewer (but not no) gas plants sitting idle when the less reliable renewables (e.g. wind) were at peak capacity.