Shetland windfarm - Viking Energy

[MuckleJoannie]

It might not need much to break a cable. The Faeroese one was damaged by a fishing boat in 2014.

 

http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2014/01/03/cable-break-leaves-customers-with-no-broadband

[Ghostrider]

....and so, a bogeyman must be created......

 

Yes, undersea cables are vulnerable to attack, but no more so than they were in WWI or WWII, when it wasn't a significant problem, despite the submarine threat being there then as well.

 

All this guy has got here are theoretic ramblings, unless coupled to a credible actual threat. In which case it opens up the question, many decades ago our military claimed to know within a reasonable tolerance of error what foreign vessels, both surface and submersible were roughly where in UK territorial water at any give time. Were we lied to back then, or have we since lost that capability, if so, we need to get it back, as with it our military should be able to identify whenever submerged facilities are "at risk", and take action - that's if they have anything left these days to take any with.

[Zero waste]

https://youtu.be/Mfoerm8zLHk

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

"With a little help from the European Union" - err nope, it won't be the future Shetland model.  Besides, Shetland deserves and needs reliable affordable energy generation, not subsidised over and over and over again by consumers.

Edited August 12, 2018 by Suffererof1crankymofo

[Nigel Bridgman-Elliot]

I'd love to see us our produce our own electricity, making sure of course we have enough backup supply with an oil fired power station.. (After all, doesn't Orkney have 4 such power stations itself..)

I know we have kinda a backup gas power station, but isn't that being used at the moment and doesn't have enough capacity to supply the whole of the islands ?

Be nice to see some solar farms, geothermal plants, and perhaps reduced electricity prices for island folk..
(Maybe even a free ration..)
 

Some nice examples such as the Yell Wind Farm owned by locals I hear.
 

[Hobbiniho]

I know we have kinda a backup gas power station, but isn't that being used at the moment and doesn't have enough capacity to supply the whole of the islands ?

if you are talking about the sullom voe power station, it already supplies about 40% of the grid and could power all of shetland with some upgrades and an upgrade to the local grid

[Nigel Bridgman-Elliot]

> could power all of shetland with some upgrades and an upgrade to the local grid

That would get my vote !

It would be cheaper to run than an oil powered station wouldn't it ?
(Though, wasn't part of the reason for the new oil power station was so it didn't have to run on expensive oil from Norway, but could use cheaper local stuff ?)
 

[BGDDisco]

I watched this on BBC's Click recently

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-44549962/surplus-energy-rides-the-gravity-train

and it got me thinking. Fine if you have vast areas of high unused hills, with no snow or ice, leaves on the line etc etc. But using gravity storage is vastly better than chemical batteries.

Potential Energy = Mass in kg x Gravity (9. x Height

So, a 20 ton concrete block (roughly 8 foot cube) raised 500m would store almost 100 million Joules (~ 0.1 Megawatts) minus any inefficiencies

What we have, in some abundance in the UK, are redundant mines, and soon to be redundant oil rigs. Using these vertical shafts we could winch 8' cubes of concrete up and down very efficiently storing surpluses and feeding demands as required.

Shetland may not have any disused mines to speak of, but we do have some of the highest cliffs in UK... and the continental shelf isn't all that far away to give us 2000m depth to play with.

Edited August 26, 2018 by BGDDisco

[BGDDisco]

Also using the same calculation on a more household scale. A 100 kg (4 six inch blocks) weight raised 10 metres will store roughly 10kw, minus any inefficiencies... A physical (as opposed to chemical) Powerwall possibly?

[George.]

Also using the same calculation on a more household scale. A 100 kg (4 six inch blocks) weight raised 10 metres will store roughly 10kw, minus any inefficiencies... A physical (as opposed to chemical) Powerwall possibly?

If the Tories heard anything about anybody generating or storing any form of energy they would make it illegal. Then they would blame Tesla, regardless of the fact that they had no proof.

[BGDDisco]

Can I retrace my steps a bit.

100kg 10m at 9.8m/s/s actually only makes 10kws (Kilowatt Seconds! - bummer!!)

So to make a 10(ish) kw gravity powerwall would need a 360000kg weight, and much heftier winch gear.

But 360 tons isn't inconceivable is it...

... a concrete block of 5.4m cubed

... or steel block of 8ft cubed or equiv. volume would do it

 

(34 years since I did Physics, but this is basic High School stuff - I still think there's Potential here...)

Edited September 12, 2018 by BGDDisco

[Urabug]

Seems to me that with massive amounts of gas available from the west side,should we not  be diverting attention from wind to a proper gas fueled power station say at Sullom voe.

 

Daft to send all this fuel south,and build massive wind farms when we should and could use the gas reserves to our own benefit. After all it is on our doorstep so to speak.

 

I'm not against wind farms in moderation but this gas is going to be used anyway so lets us use it first and by the time we have used it all, technology will be a step further ahead possibly eliminating the need for unsightly wind farms.

Edited September 26, 2018 by Urabug

[George.]

Seems to me that with massive amounts of gas available from the west side,should we not  be diverting attention from wind to a proper gas fueled power station say at Sullom voe.

Burning gas pollutes, whereas farming wind.....                                                                                 

[Urabug]

 

True but it is going to be used somewhere ,so why not here so we could reap some of the profits rather than it all going elsewhere.

 

It's going to cause pollution anyway.

 

Think about it with that  interconnector cable ,we could be exporting a massive amount of power and no wind turbines to upset those who object them.

[Ghostrider]

Anything that's on our doorstep, we're not allowed to have. So it is written......somewhere.

 

Or, at least thats how it always feels.

 

Got to send it all to the big mannie doon sooth, who will sell back to us a meagre ration of it at an extortionate price.

 

The old Lairds didna dee oot, they just moved a bit further away and reinvented themselves.