National grid alert

Hard Graft

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
British Isles
Don’t worry Northern Ireland the other day had wind providing 101% of its electricity demand at one point in the middle off the night
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If you fancy a laugh, ask National Grid about STOR contracts. These are the balancing contracts that are supposed to make up the shortfall. They can‘t get enough of them. Carbon trading has lead to a shortfall of new dependable power generation. As a consequence environmental derogations have been given to new plants offering short term reserve. This means that some of the most polluting plants possible have been built with a special permission/exemption as the volume of renewable power has increased. Strange that this isn’t in the media as a story. Instead we get stories about how no power was generated with coal. As someone involved in developing new power stations, I hope we get more power cuts. The current system is broken and doesn’t incentivise dependable generation, only a bit of pain will lead to change. Same as farm payments.
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
If you fancy a laugh, ask National Grid about STOR contracts. These are the balancing contracts that are supposed to make up the shortfall. They can‘t get enough of them. Carbon trading has lead to a shortfall of new dependable power generation. As a consequence environmental derogations have been given to new plants offering short term reserve. This means that some of the most polluting plants possible have been built with a special permission/exemption as the volume of renewable power has increased. Strange that this isn’t in the media as a story. Instead we get stories about how no power was generated with coal. As someone involved in developing new power stations, I hope we get more power cuts. The current system is broken and doesn’t incentivise dependable generation, only a bit of pain will lead to change. Same as farm payments.

Read Old Sparky in Private Eye about the shenanigans in the generating sector.

Would bring a tear to a glass eye
 

PostHarvest

Member
Location
Warwick
There is a connection between France and England already
I believe that there are at least two interconnector systems already. I helped to build a scale model prototype of an underwater trenching machine that installed one in the 1980's between Folkestone and Calais. There is another one running through the Channel Tunnel. This latest scheme is being operated by a Ukrainian company. Having spent quite a lot of time in Ukraine, I wonder how viable that project will be?
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
I believe that there are at least two interconnector systems already. I helped to build a scale model prototype of an underwater trenching machine that installed one in the 1980's between Folkestone and Calais. There is another one running through the Channel Tunnel. This latest scheme is being operated by a Ukrainian company. Having spent quite a lot of time in Ukraine, I wonder how viable that project will be?

Any Biden's involved? Could get this thread moved to the Brexit and Politics section if so!!
 

Michael S

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Matching Green
If you fancy a laugh, ask National Grid about STOR contracts. These are the balancing contracts that are supposed to make up the shortfall. They can‘t get enough of them. Carbon trading has lead to a shortfall of new dependable power generation. As a consequence environmental derogations have been given to new plants offering short term reserve. This means that some of the most polluting plants possible have been built with a special permission/exemption as the volume of renewable power has increased. Strange that this isn’t in the media as a story. Instead we get stories about how no power was generated with coal. As someone involved in developing new power stations, I hope we get more power cuts. The current system is broken and doesn’t incentivise dependable generation, only a bit of pain will lead to change. Same as farm payments.

A demonstration of where the money is: I have a 35ha field that I have been approached about putting solar panels on three times in the last ten years, every time the proposal fell on the cost of connecting to the grid. A friend and neighbour's yard is very close to said field and equidistant to the nearest local electricity substation, he has tenants with three V16 gas powered generators, each about the size of a forty foot container, who could not only afford to connect to the electricity substation but also lay two miles of low pressure gas main in the opposite direction to a gas distribution station to fuel the engines.
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
I have just received an alert from the National Grid that demand this afternoon will be within 1/3rd % as I understand of capacity.
Time to check your generators! And put your electric cars away.
But, what are we doing in this situation?
Really is not our problem but a serious issue with France and the demise of there nuclear generating capacity.
 

TrickyT

Member
The answers is decent sized gas turbines left on standby ready. They can be at full load in under 2 minutes. Locate them where the power is needed and we have mini stations ready, no grid upgrades needed.

I work in the gas industry and we are doing lots of 3rd party connections to our network for gas turbines. These are off our high pressure network so not cheap to connect. But speaking to the companies installing them, they say it doesn't take long to get the money back.

The fines involved for loss of power to a network are not cheap.

Trevor
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
Sorry!???
France is really struggling with its grid due to closure of nuclear plants. The once reliance on French electric at peak uk times is no longer guaranteed making the issue of notices common but normally not needed as the French still supply. You will also notice the amount exported to France has also substantially increased.
 

renewablejohn

Member
Location
lancs
I work in the gas industry and we are doing lots of 3rd party connections to our network for gas turbines. These are off our high pressure network so not cheap to connect. But speaking to the companies installing them, they say it doesn't take long to get the money back.

The fines involved for loss of power to a network are not cheap.

Trevor
There is still a lot of mothballed gas fired plants waiting for the government to provide them with a better deal.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
France is really struggling with its grid due to closure of nuclear plants. The once reliance on French electric at peak uk times is no longer guaranteed making the issue of notices common but normally not needed as the French still supply. You will also notice the amount exported to France has also substantially increased.
Thanks I was unaware of the situation there
 
There are already interconnectors to various parts of Europe. Same with gas supplies, a quick google will show the European gas and electricity connections across Europe.

I would definitely go ahead with the Severn barrage if it was me, even the smaller designs would produce a lot of juice as there is such a high tidal range in that area. Another link to Wales would also be useful for the region.

Moving the docks would hardly be a big problem, it's only a matter of time before the ports outgrow the road links around them anyway.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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