Energy Matters Global and Domestic

[NewcastleFalcon]

I watched this this morning, bit off the wall but "many a mickle makes a muckle" and the humble water tank as a energy storage medium comes out the woodwork. Tried to start the vid at the relevant bit, but maybe best viewed as an overall content which in the main considers the energy efficiency of the "Smart Water Tank". UK Product.



Extract from it what you can

Regards Neil

[bobins]

Hydro pumped storage a la Cruchian springs to mind which is only one of several pumped storage schemes already available and don't really affect the environment to any massive degree as well as being easy to replicate to a larger or smaller scale to suit. Anything we do will have an effect on the environment somewhere along the line.

Yep, that would work fine for the 3 week 'battery backup' storage facility. My fag packet calculations* reckon you'd need just over 230 more Cruachans to provide that facility, and then a bit more surplus energy at the end of the draining phase in which to refill them all. A couple of issues to throw in with that though - that's using Cruachan's current specs and hasn't allowed for improvements in technology giving better efficiencies, and there's two reservoirs with each pumped storage facility - the one at the top, and the one at the bottom, so that's an awful lot of water

* my fag packet calculations are worth exactly what you paid for them

[Dormouse]

Have you seen the Archimedes Screw variants. Now there is inefficiency for you.

[bobins]

More worthless facts and figures - run the construction cost of Cruachan through an inflation calculator and it comes to just over £550,000,000 in today's money.

[Dormouse]

how many fag packets have you got? I bet you count on your fingers too. Yes, very expensive. Which is why they haven't been replicated more

[bobins]

Oh No ! A major flaw in my thinking We don't actually need another 230-odd Cruachans, we just need another 230-odd Cruachan equivalent standard river / meltwater / runoff fed reservoirs to make up for Hinkley C. There'd be no need for a 'battery storage' facility as the reservoirs could more or less be relied upon to supply 24/7. Simples !

[bobins]

how many fag packets have you got?

Only one, and my writing is having to get very very small

[Dormouse]

Simples my erk!
power to your pencil
makes you think though

[myglaren]

More worthless facts and figures - run the construction cost of Cruachan through an inflation calculator and it comes to just over £550,000,000 in today's money.

Oh goody, I'll have one of those and save putting in a new boiler.

[bobins]

The most telling screenshot from the entire 2 part documentary was this.

By comparison, and one hell of an eye-opener for me, "During two days in January 2018 when the wholesale spot price for electricity in South Australia rose due to hot weather, the ( Tesla made backup facility at Hornsdale in Australia) battery made its owners an estimated A$1,000,000 (US$800,000) as they sold power from the battery to the grid for a price of around A$14,000/MWh."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornsdale_Power_Reserve

A$14,000 is roughly equivalent to £7600.

[NewcastleFalcon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornsdale_Power_Reserve
A$14,000 is roughly equivalent to £7600.

Another line from that same article for the same year 2018

By the end of 2018, it was estimated that the Power Reserve had saved A$40 million in costs, mostly in eliminating the need for a fuel-powered 35 MW Frequency Control Ancillary Service.

The Value to the Grid of that Power Reserve, in spite of that huge price/MWh on that occasion, appears to result in a significant saving in costs.

REgards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

I like the "Just have a think" you tube channel of Dave Borlace.
Nice title, and fits in with my own approach, and with the purpose of the thread. Have a think, and a listen, have an open mind and find out about the innovations in an exciting time of change.

https://www.youtube.com/c/JustHaveaThink/videos

He does the research, and comes up with some interesting video's on all things energy. Seeing as we have been giving the Nuclear side of things its moment in the sun, here is Dave's assessment. Yes when you get used to him, he does explain things well, and covers a lot of ground in his 10 to 15 minute, well-illustrated and well researched and referenced video's.





Regards Neil

[Dormouse]

More worthless facts and figures - run the construction cost of Cruachan through an inflation calculator and it comes to just over £550,000,000 in today's money.

Oh goody, I'll have one of those and save putting in a new boiler.

You could have a Gravity Weight version like the test version in Leith Docks. Problem is you need one heck of a hamster wheel to wind it back up!

[NewcastleFalcon]

Another bit of innovation



Regards Neil

[bobins]

Ever wondered what the energy generation split is like in the UK at any one time ? Thought not

For those with nothing better to do, you can see a 'live' dashboard of energy demand and generation split here -------> https://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/

....apologies if it's been popsted before and I missed that