Renewable Energy - The Saltire Prize Flop

[greenheatman]

So we now have a ship with paddles to take energy out of the waves to heat water in pressurised tanks onboard. We're getting a better picture slowly but surely.

 

Any sizes of such a system? To harness the amount of energy being talked about would require something fairly substantial.

 

Yes, one thing is certain is that any renewable energy system that can generate renewable base load, peak shaving or load following electrcity is not going to be cheap. However, building the vessels, berths and retro-fitting existing thermal power stations with new green heat sources will be about 10 times cheaper than building new nuclear, new 'clean coal' new carbon sequestration systems pumping liquified CO2 (@ -56C or lower) out into the North Sea, AND building millions of silly wind, and marine turbines over and above.

 

To convert Scotland's thermal power stations may cost a few tens of £billions but the cost of implementing all of the above will cost 100s of £billions plus you have to buy in the coal from Poland and beyond on top of the capital outlay.

 

So from a financial standpoint a few £billions is 'much cheapness' in the scheme of things.

[greenheatman]

 

Oh yes, here is another question you have failed to answer....

 

sjeunson wrote:

 

Any sizes of such a system? To harness the amount of energy being talked about would require something fairly substantial.

 

Say, you wanted to generate at 500MW continuously then the size of the ship's store would need to be 500,000m3. Using a 50 metre artificial beach on the vessel the thermal store will put 1383MWh(thermal) into storage every hour with a deep ocean wave amplitude of 4m: a 6m wave would put 3112MWh hourly. It would take just 7.5 hours to raise the store temperature through 40C.

 

The cube root of 500000 is 79.4m so the ship would need to be perhaps 80m wide and 200m long to accommodate the thermal store - part of which will form part of the vessel's displacement - to allow it to float!

 

The store itself will be very well insulated but any precalculated losses in transit back to its berth will be compensated by taking more waves on board - ie by 'overcharging' the store.

 

The onshore store will be 10 times larger with an internal dimension of 171m on each edge if it were a cube - which I hasten to add it will not be.

 

The onshore facility can generate at 500MW for 6.5 days without being recharged from the sea. Over this period the store temperature will drop by just 40C - while steam turbines continue to generate at full capacity by increasing the steam flow rate to compensate for the small drop in thermal efficiency.

[sjeunson]

Say, you wanted to generate at 500MW continuously then the size of the ship's store would need to be 500,000m3. Using a 50 metre artificial beach on the vessel the thermal store will put 1383MWh(thermal) into storage every hour with a deep ocean wave amplitude of 4m: a 6m wave would put 3112MWh hourly. It would take just 7.5 hours to raise the store temperature through 40C.

 

The cube root of 500000 is 79.4m so the ship would need to be perhaps 80m wide and 200m long to accommodate the thermal store - part of which will form part of the vessel's displacement - to allow it to float!

 

The store itself will be very well insulated but any precalculated losses in transit back to its berth will be compensated by taking more waves on board - ie by 'overcharging' the store.

 

The onshore store will be 10 times larger with an internal dimension of 171m on each edge if it were a cube - which I hasten to add it will not be.

 

The onshore facility can generate at 500MW for 6.5 days without being recharged from the sea. Over this period the store temperature will drop by just 40C - while steam turbines continue to generate at full capacity by increasing the steam flow rate to compensate for the small drop in thermal efficiency.

 

Thanks for that, will have a proper look at this later when I have more time. Champions League Final may take priority though.

[greenheatman]

Quiet here

 

http://i358.photobucket.com/albums/oo22/RAM-MAJOR_PAIN/tumbleweed.gif

 

Very, must be off-season.

[greenheatman]

Dearie me,

 

It now looks that Shetland will be generating 25% of the UK's electricity courtesy of a HUGE wind farm - by the time the cable comes ashore there will not be much of it left.

[TeeAyBee]

Dearie me,

 

It now looks that Shetland will be generating 25% of the UK's electricity courtesy of a HUGE wind farm - by the time the cable comes ashore there will not be much of it left.

 

So not satisfied with insulting people you're now making troll posts to try and get a response?

 

whatever.

[Ghostrider]

Dearie me,

 

It now looks that Shetland will be generating 25% of the UK's electricity courtesy of a HUGE wind farm - by the time the cable comes ashore there will not be much of it left.

 

[Heavy sarcasm]

 

Nah,

 

Hadn't you heard, the cable idea has been cancelled. Rumour is its going to be cheaper to tow Shetland south and run it ashore in the Dornoch Firth. The downside is there'll probably be extensive collateral damage to costal villages in the Firth when they run us ashore, but hey, that's okay, what a few broken whisky bottles, the rest of the UK gets cheap power, and we make Millions.

 

[/Heavy sarcasm]