Green Building Forum - What does the rise of green power mean for you?

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

SteamyTea — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 23:15:34 +0100

Comic day tomorrow, discus?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23806-what-does-the-rise-of-green-power-mean-for-you.html?cmpid=RSS|NSNS|2012-GLOBAL|online-news#.UdSgKKyPzjU

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

CWatters — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:32:39 +0100

For times when the wind doesn't blow hard enough or the skies are cloudy, gas-fired power stations can plug the hole â€“ but they will need to be fitted with ways to capture their carbon dioxide emissions if we are to avoid dangerous climate change.

Just curious but.. what percentage of our gas power stations have carbon capture?

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

SteamyTea — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 07:35:31 +0100

As far as I know none, same as all our other thermal generators.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

Ed Davies — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 10:06:28 +0100

Yep, essentially none yet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_capture_and_storage#United_Kingdom

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

Mikel — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 10:43:49 +0100

With carbon capture, one power station in four will be dedicated to sequestering CO2.

Clearly that will add to the cost but also add to the fossil fuel requirement at the same time as we find it more and more difficult to extract fossil fuels. Not a good situation.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

jms452 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 11:04:45 +0100

Posted By: MikelWith carbon capture, one power station in four will be dedicated to sequestering CO2

Combined with the move towards shale oil/gas this must hit the EROEI of fossil fuels to the point where they become an expensive niche fuel.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

SteamyTea — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 13:46:04 +0100

But if they use CCS on the coal plants, which is the cheapest FF and most abundant, they is it really such a financial/resource?
Also energy reduction should be able to cope with the extra energy needed, most of us could cut a third of our usage (except on here).

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

jms452 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:22:44 +0100

I have a concern that the expensive CCS bits, that reduce the power output, wouldn't get used!

Policing this technique globally would be challenging...

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

SteamyTea — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:39:45 +0100

Yes there are problems with global compliance, just look how the Germans screwed us over the Carbon Credits.

I wonder if it would be cheaper to fit CCS to coal plants to get the CO2 levels down to the same as gas than build new generation capacity, that would help a lot. Not everything has to be 100% or nothing.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

jms452 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:44:17 +0100

Didn't the Government offer a Â£1B prize to the power co who demonstrated CCS?

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

jms452 — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 15:45:29 +0100

Given none of them did it does that mean it was too expensive or that they would consider it a own goal

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

Ed Davies — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 16:17:37 +0100

Posted By: SteamyTeaI wonder if it would be cheaper to fit CCS to coal plants

AIUI the term â€œCCS readyâ€ is used to mean there's enough physical ground space available next to the power station to install the CCS equipment. It's usually applied in this way to new power stations as most existing ones are not, even in this rather limited sense, CCS ready.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

SteamyTea — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 16:19:25 +0100

I think that it was the EU changing the type of technology that was allowed to be used, but Â£1bn is not much when the government is offering EDF ten times that to rebuild Hinkley Point.
Â£10bn, is a lot of insulation, new windows and draft excluder.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

Seret — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 21:48:28 +0100

I tend to put CCS in much the same category as fusion. Great idea, but not something that is showing any real signs of being useful any time soon.

Would love to be proven wrong about that, btw.

What does the rise of green power mean for you?

renewablejohn — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 09:14:11 +0100

CCS is a dead duck. If you follow the Audi example you need all the exhaust gas captured from you gas power station to reinject into your gas main along with hydrogen derived from your excess wind and solar power generation.

www.aspo2012.at/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Pengg_aspo2012.pdf