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Alternative Energy Production - Tidal / Wave etc.


mgb2010
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I don't give a monkey's about what people think about my invention - I have had it confirmed by academia that it will work and will reduce CO emissions on a grand scale - unlike wind and marine turbines

 

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand that the one thing you need to generate base load electricity is very hot water. You can get this hot water by nuclear fission or by burning coal and other substances.

 

However, most people know that you cannot create nor destroy energy and like Tony Hancock's Mum's gravy, you can 'move it about a bit'. (convert it into other media)

 

We have all been distracted just when the kettle boils and then gone back later to re-boil the kettle - notice just how little time and energy it takes to bring the water back to boiling point. This is because the water in the kettle has been preheated. It is not unreasonable to preheat the water in an existing coal fired power station -using Gentec venturi or some close relative, before it goes into the boiler.

 

For example a typical thermal station uses steam at 540C and 166 bar, i.e. it uses superheated steam. A LOT of energy goes in at the superheating stage. Any preheating of the boiler water would have to be in the sub-critical range.

 

The enthalpy of superheated steam at 540C is 3402 kJ/kg. Assume a boiler input at 80C which is water at 335kJ/kg, so the boiler has to provide 3067kJ/kg, and a preheat from 80C to (an optomistic) 250C would take about 750 kJ/kg off this. This is a 24% reduction in energy requirement at the turbine.

 

This, however, is NOT a 24% reduction in coal burn! How this translates into coal saved need some thought - watch this space!

 

So my conclusion is the same - generating worthless and random units of electricity to feed onto the grid subject to the vagaries of renewable energy sources is a futile endeavour and leads to a dead end.

 

Using all renewable energy sources to preheat water to save coal burn rates in existing fossil thermal stations will reduce carbon emissions because less coal will need to be burned to bring the already green heated water up to operational temperatures.

 

Is really is that simple!

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Globally, what % of existing power stations are sited close to powerful tidal streams?

 

Not very many but 100% of them have access to some form of renewable energy source or sources. Solar, wind, wave. river flow, and tidal. A hybrid system could be established for each power station based on its location.

 

Different camps spend more of their time slagging each other off rather than actually facing the problems and as a result NOBODY saves the bloody planet.

 

Quite!

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  • 3 years later...

A marine atlas has been created to highlight Shetland's potential as a source of wave and tidal power.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-13387958

 

The atlas is based on a major study aimed at promoting the islands as an ideal location for the development of marine renewable energy.

 

It features resource maps allowing would-be developers to identify the best sites for generating electricity.

 

The study is to be presented at the UK's largest renewable energy event in Aberdeen next week.

 

It was commissioned last year by Shetland Islands Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), supported by European funding.

 

Data and mapping contained in the study will become part of the marine atlas of the Shetland Islands marine spatial plan.

 

The resource maps cover major tidal energy sites at Bluemull and Yell Sound and wave energy resources available up to 500m off the Shetland coastline.

 

David Priest of HIE said: "This is a really useful piece of work and fills in a missing gap of information available on the seas around Shetland making it easier for developers to plan.

 

"It clearly demonstrates where the best wave and tidal energy is and shows how good resources are in and around Shetland waters."

 

HIE said the atlas would help inform planning decisions in the seas around Shetland and more accurately demonstrate the links and interactions between different economic activities and the priorities of marine users.

 

The atlas also outlines existing constraints, designations and issues that might arise when applying for planning permission or a marine works licence.

Shetland Islands wave and tidal resource assessment map of Bluemull Sound (Courtesy of British Crown and Seazone Solutions Ltd - derived in part from material obtained from the UK Hydrographic Office with the permission of HM Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office) The resource maps cover major tidal energy sites at Bluemull and Yell Sound

 

It is designed to help marine energy developers identify the most appropriate locations for future marine energy developments and reducing duplication of work in providing quality information.

 

The Shetland Islands marine spatial plan is one of four pilot projects under the umbrella of the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI) initiated by the Scottish government to inform future marine policy.

 

The study, which was undertaken by specialist technical consultancy Natural Power, will be promoted next week at the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference in Aberdeen.

 

The event will feature more than 570 exhibitors from 20 countries, who specialise in all forms of clean and renewable energy.

 

Josie Simpson, chairman of the Shetland Islands development committee, commented: "Shetland has a huge untapped marine energy resource.

 

"Finding ways to exploit this resource sustainably is very important for Shetland's future prosperity."

 

Would-be developers are being asked to contact HIE or Shetland Islands Council for copies of the marine atlas.

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The sad reality is that the best Tidal Stream Generators (TSGs) convert no more than 5% of the resource into electricity. This is because these machines operating velocity is based on the mean Neap tide velocity which is approximately 1/2 of the Mean Spring Tide. Velocity in the power equation is cubed that means that 1/2 x 1/2 x1/2 =1/8 of the tidal resource is made available for conversion. Only a maximum of 40% of this remaining 1/8 can be converted into variable pulses of electricity dependant on the phases of the moon.

 

Another point worth making is that the maximum capacity factor is 22% which means that a TSG has to have backup for 78% of the time.

 

Perhaps a new term needs to be used when describing an intermittent renewable energy scheme such a Back up Required or BR of 78% for a TSG, BR of 50% for a Shetland windfarm, or a BR of 80% for a near shore wave energy convertor.

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  • 4 months later...
Bad news for Proven Energy Ltd now in the hands of the receivers. :-

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/270626-wind-turbine-firm-in-receivership-with-loss-of-55-jobs/

Seems problem is with their 15kw P35-2, don't know if any in Shetland but plenty of the smaller ones.

 

 

I think the 15kW has always been plagued by problems, I think I noticed the Sandwick Social Club one was not operating today, I think that is a 15kW. Coincidence?

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@ greenheatman

 

i would like to know how your trip to NZ went? u said u would be making a trip there in oct 07 but u have not given anymore info on that trip.

 

if this gentec venturi invention of yours works as well as u claim it to, then i would assume that it has funding now and atleast a computer model if not a full scale demonstrator has been built, and if not why not?

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On Radio Orkney this morning, Council are to spend £645,000 installing solar PV panels on 65 of it's houses, comes just under £10,000 per property.

Cost reduction per tenant said to be £270 and £1000 to Council annually through the feed in tariff scheme, total payback time of 8 years.

Any reason why our cutting edge SIC cannot do something similar ?

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Gv is not for sale because it is my gift to the planet.

 

Seems to be for sale now... Any bids?

 

 

Gentec venturi

 

Tidal stream device capable of generating base load electricity 24/7 at the same rating across the whole lunar month. Requires anchoring and seabed cables unlike Gentec WaTS above

 

Status: For sale to highest bidder.

 

 

http://www.greenheating.com/page-1.html

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On Radio Orkney this morning, Council are to spend £645,000 installing solar PV panels on 65 of it's houses, comes just under £10,000 per property.

Cost reduction per tenant said to be £270 and £1000 to Council annually through the feed in tariff scheme, total payback time of 8 years.

Any reason why our cutting edge SIC cannot do something similar ?

 

i am honestly wary that solar pv panels could do so well in shetland, in winter its dark alot and in summer although light the whole time we dont loads of lovely sunny days (my lack of suntan speaks for itsel :( ) is the annual payback based on average uk sunlight or orkney's?. am sure/hope the council would have already looked at the figures for such a scheme, and worked out it wasn't worth it.

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Seems to be for sale now... Any bids?

 

 

i doubt it, it seems a good idea from what was explained but i fear the design was flawed/incorrect as nobody has bought the "solution to the worlds energy problem" which obviously nobody is interested in.

 

i will pay £1 for it on the condition that he comes back and explains how hes getting on.

 

i eagerly await to be outbid!

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