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Britain is the best position country in Europe for wind and tidal power. There was a project to pay down cable to import reliable, cheap 24/7 power from Icelan

Britain is the best position country in Europe for wind and tidal power. There was a project to pay down cable to import reliable, cheap 24/7 power from Iceland and hobernment said 'nah'. They also cancelled a 340 MW tidal project

throwaway2037 4y ago
Real question: What is the largest tidal power installation in the world? Why do we see so little of it?
- ZeroGravitas 4y ago
  I think there's a 2MW test turbine off Scotland which I think is the biggest in the world. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-57991351 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-she... Just not as cost effective as wind, which got to piggyback of onshore turbine development.
- wongarsu 4y ago
  We don't see large tidal power installations because they are not every economical so far. In theory there's a lot of energy to be won, but the salt water causes corrosion issues, and maintenance gets expensive quickly
  - ClumsyPilot 4y ago
    on the other hand its 100% reliable and needs no fuel, does notndepend on drought, etc.
  - throwaway2037 4y ago
    This is a very good post. I never before considered the issue of corrosion. To that point, does this also affect offshore wind power generation (turbines)? I guess the difference will be: the turbine is not underwater!
    - adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
      offshore wind is much less effected because all the complicated parts are 100 feet up, and much easier to partially seal.
Freestyler_3 4y ago
But the UK has HVDC line to norway right?
- ralphhughes 4y ago
  Yes it does, in fact the UK is in the process of building many more HVDC interconnectors (see table in 3rd section of page) https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy-and-regulatory-programmes/interconnectors https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy...
spaceman_2020 4y ago
Is wind power even worth the investment? From disposal issues to wind turbines killing birds and bird habitats to sheer unreliability, wind seems to have a ton of issues.
- throwaway2037 4y ago
  You wrote "disposal issues": As I understand, the current generation of windmill blades are not recycled. Rather, they are sent to landfill (at least in United States -- can someone please comment for other countries that they know about? UK?). Two things to consider: (1) Fiberglass mostly inert and safe to bury. Please correct me if wrong. (2) Can future designs be recycled? I assume yes.
- adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
  wind mills kill way fewer birds than mining does. wind has a few incredibly minor issues, but so does everything, and wind is green and cost effective.

throwaway2037 4y ago

Real question: What is the largest tidal power installation in the world? Why do we see so little of it?

ZeroGravitas 4y ago
I think there's a 2MW test turbine off Scotland which I think is the biggest in the world. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-57991351 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-she... Just not as cost effective as wind, which got to piggyback of onshore turbine development.
wongarsu 4y ago
We don't see large tidal power installations because they are not every economical so far. In theory there's a lot of energy to be won, but the salt water causes corrosion issues, and maintenance gets expensive quickly
- ClumsyPilot 4y ago
  on the other hand its 100% reliable and needs no fuel, does notndepend on drought, etc.
- throwaway2037 4y ago
  This is a very good post. I never before considered the issue of corrosion. To that point, does this also affect offshore wind power generation (turbines)? I guess the difference will be: the turbine is not underwater!
  - adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
    offshore wind is much less effected because all the complicated parts are 100 feet up, and much easier to partially seal.

Freestyler_3 4y ago

But the UK has HVDC line to norway right?

ralphhughes 4y ago
Yes it does, in fact the UK is in the process of building many more HVDC interconnectors (see table in 3rd section of page) https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy-and-regulatory-programmes/interconnectors https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/policy...

spaceman_2020 4y ago

Is wind power even worth the investment? From disposal issues to wind turbines killing birds and bird habitats to sheer unreliability, wind seems to have a ton of issues.

throwaway2037 4y ago
You wrote "disposal issues": As I understand, the current generation of windmill blades are not recycled. Rather, they are sent to landfill (at least in United States -- can someone please comment for other countries that they know about? UK?). Two things to consider: (1) Fiberglass mostly inert and safe to bury. Please correct me if wrong. (2) Can future designs be recycled? I assume yes.
adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
wind mills kill way fewer birds than mining does. wind has a few incredibly minor issues, but so does everything, and wind is green and cost effective.