Readers letters
Writing of research, Robin Trow, refers to “simulation of a variety of energy mixes to meet the energy demand”.
I worked in the ESI (electricity supply industry) for three decades, London, Eastern and South-Eastern Electricity Boards. I was involved in the operation, maintenance, design and management of high and low voltage systems down to the customers’ terminals, including customer consultation about problem loads (in, inter alia, Thameside industry just up the road from Snodland).
The only times Energy was a problem was in the Ted Heath 3-hour shuts, and in 1947/8 when coal stocks in power station yards were frozen solid. But Power, or the lack of it was near the top of the agenda every day.
Every day, equipment is taken out of service for maintenance, replacement, upgrading, additions, whatever, risking a problem on the backup circuit. Sometimes equipment just failed – much of the equipment was of some antiquity. Further, contractors digging in public roads and footpaths, driving cranes into overhead lines, swans crashing into overhead lines (the Grain peninsula, Robin?), villains after copper, trees falling on lines, lightning, and, and... Zero power for someone.
Now I see a worse problem.
An anticyclone blanketed Britain and Europe in early 2012, and at teatime on 6th Feb, published data shows our wind fleet was delivering 0.78% of its installed Power capacity at teatime, peak load time that day. One per cent wind output occurs every winter.
In 2020, when we may have the 33,000MW of wind turbines that some people wish for, 1% is 330MW, equivalent to one half of one Sizewell 660MW generator. Published data showed no solar Power at all at that 6 Feb 2012 peak– it was dark.
Denmark’s published data shows they were similarly affected, Fossil fuel supplied 60% of their own power demand, and the equivalent of 12% being exported.to Germany where they have 30,000MW of wind turbines, and a few closed nukes.That same anticyclone covered Ireland and Eastern Europe - see UK Met Office Surface Pressure charts for the widely spaced isobars.
Before you say “storage”, look at our published half hourly readings. I’ll just quote one: on 24th May at 0330h, our wind fleet was clocking a Power output of 0.17% of its installed Power capacity. Our Reliables, whose fuel supply we can ensure, were meeting 98% of our Power demand. What should we store?
Please please distinguish carefully between Power and Energy – they are not the same.
Billy Hyde, Offham, Kent
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