Bang goes the power
For anyone wanting a primer on the energy crisis facing the UK over the next couple of decades, the BBC Bang goes the theory broadcast on Monday 10th March paints a sobering picture.
The decommissioning of old coal and nuclear power stations could leave an energy gap of 20 to 30 gigawatts by the year 2020.
DG004 installed!
Finally after months of delay due to the record wet weather, site conditions improved enough to allow final erection of our wind turbine in Wanstrow, Somerset.
Despite some morning fog the turbine was craned into place in just two days. The turbine will now be fitted out internally and then commissioned hopefully by early next week.
Met Office links floods to climate change
The chief scientist at the Met Office, Julia Slingo, has said that the extreme weather that has hit Britain over the winter of 2013/14 is linked to climate change.
"All the evidence suggests there is a link to climate change."
More than 130 severe flood warning were issued in December 2013 compared to just 9 during all of 2012. According to Met Office data 4 0f the 5 top wettest years on record have all occurred since 2000.
While its true and single extreme weather evens do not by themselves prove climate change is happening, the increasing incidence rate of such events is alarming. Many of the record highs, lows, droughts and floods have been set in the last 10 years.
- 2014 and California is suffering the worst drought on record with severe flooding in the UK.
- 2013 was the 7th warmest year on record. The warmest ever was in 2010
- Autumn 2013 saw 13 major typhoons by November including Hiayan which killed over 6000 people
- August 2013 and 250,000 Sudanese were evacuated due to severe flooding
- June 2013 saw the hottest temperate ever recorded anywhere on Earth in Death Valley at 54 degC
- Summer 2013 saw the worst droughts for 50 years in north Brasil
- Jan 2013 was the hottest month ever recorded in south Australia
- June 2012 was the wettest in the UK since records began
- 1983 - 2012 was the warmest period in 1400 years
- Atmospheric CO2 levels now 39% higher than at the start of the Industrial Revolution
The IPCC has for years warned that the cost of climate change mitigation will rise steadily if we delay (or even postpone) carbon reduction measures. The £100M promised by PM David Cameron today for additional flood repairs will pretty soon look like a drop in the ocean. #NoPunIntended
2012/13 Scorecard
Since our very first wind turbine was commissioned in January 2012 we have now generated a total of 2,747,969 kWh of clean electricity and expect this to accelerate later in the year when our 4th, 5th and 6th sites become operational.
The table below shows the annual generation in killowatt-hours (kWh) from each of our three operational wind turbines.
DG001 - Faccombe
The wind turbine has run flawlessly throughout 2013 with no unscheduled service visits required. The electricity grid connection remains constrained at 300kW but work will soon start to design a private mini-grid system to allow generator output to increase dynamically as local demand increases. This in turn will see annual generation increase accordingly.
DG002 - Bere Regis
At Rogershill farm the wind turbine has exceeded all expectations and shot past 1,000,000 kWh total generation late in 2013. A number of unscheduled visits were required to sort out teething troubles early on in the year such as a broken radiator fan blade and a failed rotor RPM sensor.
DG003 - Westray
Our latest turbine on the Orkney island of Westray has proved a challenging site to both install and commission with the latter finally completed in late November. Due to an over-subscribed local grid new generators are required to participate in an Orkney-wide smart grid system which dynamically sets permitted generation levels. As a result it will be something of a learning process for all concerned as we head into 2014.
Brayton Park turbine granted at appeal (again)
Today the Planning Inspectorate have decided to allow our appeal for the mid-sized wind turbine at Brayton Park, Aspatria in Cumbria.
Previously we had already won an appeal for a similar sized wind turbine at this site but had not been allowed to make any modifications to the permission without submitting a new planning application - which predictably led to refusal by Allerdale planning committee members (despite another recommendation to allow by planning officers) and a hence another appeal.
Residents of Allerdale may perhaps be wondering whether the council is spending their money wisely in their continued obstruction of any and all wind energy related applications. Previously it was leaked that the council had spent 80 thousands pounds fighting (and loosing) multiple appeal cases.
Naturally we are delighted by this decision and look forward to Brayton becoming our 6th operational turbine.
The inspectors decision can be downloaded here.
Gov U-turn to add ££££'s on energy bills
According to a new report by the independent Committee on Climate Change (CCC) the average UK household could see annual energy bills rise by £8,000 if recent Government u-turns on CO2 reduction go ahead.
Key to the new findings are the decision by George Osbourne to delay new cuts in carbon emissions by 10 years - to 2030. The CCC estimate this will cost the UK economy an additional £100 billion because, as is well known, the earlier we tackle climate change the cheaper and vice versa.
If expected increases in fossil fuel prices occur the cost soars to £200 billion.
“This report shows the clear economic benefits of acting to cut emissions through the 2020s. This provides insurance against the increased costs and risks of climate-related damage and rising energy bills that would result from an alternative approach to reduce and delay action.” - Lord Debden, CCC chairman.
But, don't just take the CCC's opinion (although they are the official body setup by the Government in response to the Climate Change Act 2008) as 100 major companies have also called upon Osbourne and Cameron to stick to the original plan. Signatories include Sainsbury, Asda, Ikea, O2, Nestle and Unilever.
Speaking for the group, Lord Adair Turner, a former director-general of the CBI, said:
“The majority of the business world is clear that ambitious and stable action to tackle climate change makes business sense. A stable policy environment is critical to attracting investment in the low-carbon sector.”
Instead, subsidies for renewables are being cut and tax breaks awarded to anyone wanting to invest in 'fracking'. So the 'cut' of £50 off domestic energy bills announced last week should perhaps be viewed as nothing more than a pre-election 'bribe' because the warning from the CCC is clear..
Not acting fast enough to tackle climate change will cost each and every one of us dearly in the long run.
Eye of the storm
As storms battered the UK this week our wind turbine on the Orkney island of Westray was captured in this dramatic photo. We recorded sustained winds of over 76 mph with gusts of up to 100 mph causing widespread power cuts throughout the islands. Thankfully the problems were soon resolved and the turbine is up and running again.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bain.
Ironically the storm, which caused widespread flooding down the eastern coast, came in the same week the Government announced major cuts in support for solar and wind renewables together with tax breaks for fracking and a clear signal that the second "dash for gas" is well underway.
Rogershill blasts past 1GWh in 1st year
Our wind turbine at Rogershill Farm in Dorset is now one year old!
Despite a relatively wind-free summer DG002 has produced over 1,000,000 kWh of clean energy which amounts to a CO2 saving of 430,000 kg and met the annual electricity demands of 250 average households.
In June we made our first donation to Bere Regis Parish Council with 3% of all future gross income promised to community rewards.
In other news, our newest turbine (DG003) in Westray is now fully commissioned and operational. DG004 in Wanstrow (Somerset) is now under construction with foundation concrete being poured within days and DG005 in Tomarton (South Glos) scheduled for construction Spring 2014. Our first turbine in Faccombe (Hampshire) is approaching its second birthday and continues to run well.
SSE warns of blackouts this winter
Yesterdays Telegraph headline says it all:
Power crisis risk 'worse than feared' this winter, SSE warns
SSE head of policy conceded that blackouts were only likely if National Grid "really cocked things up". However, it is unclear whether counting on 2GW of supply from non-existent power stations represents a cock-up or not.
Let's hope this winters weather is not a repeat of last year just in case!
Tories turning against Solar? (UPDATED)
UPDATE
The Government announcements this week that subsidies for solar farms are to be cut drastically came as no surprise to many. Renewables of all types are under attack on multiple fronts from back-bencher sniping to DCLG interfering with the planning appeals system.
Meanwhile new tax breaks for tearing up the countryside with fracking sites were announced in the Autumn statement, together with a promise for thousands of new jobs and cheap(er) gas. Presumabley these are to replace the thousands that were shed last year when the solar industry almost imploded after cuts exceeding 50% or the thousands more that will be lost as onshore wind and solar developers simply give up on the UK. Only quite recently Danish giant Vestas pulled out of a major wind turbine assembly plant in Kent.
So just why is the Government so keen to break their 'green promise', destroy an industry and loose thousands of jobs in order to promote fracking as the only way forward? The cynical reader might suspect powerful lobbying by the oil and gas industry or perhaps even vested interests coming to the fore. Whichever, it is becoming clear that a change of government may be needed if the migration to a low carbon economy is to become a reality.
ORIGINAL
If attacking wind wasn't enough it now looks like the Conservatives have turned their attention to Solar PV. Planning Resource highlights a recent appeal case for a solar farm in Suffolk where the Planning Inspector independently ruled the proposals could go ahead only to be overturned by DCLG minister Eric Pickles who said:
This decision beggars belief and has caused warning bells to ring within the renewables industry.
It would appear this is further evidence of the current "fracking or bust" policy.