[dashster]

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/1 ... -scotland/

According to new numbers published by WWF Scotland this week, wind turbines generated enough electricity in October to power 3,045,000 homes in the U.K. — more than enough for all the homes in Scotland.

[ROCKMAN]

More highlights of the article + a little Texas bragging. LOL. Interesting that these are areas of significant fossil fuel production that have also jumped feet hard into wind power:

According to the government, as of March of this year Scotland had 6.8 gigawatts of installed renewable electricity generation capacity (by comparison Texas has 12.8 gigawatts installed), with an additional 6.5 gigawatts of capacity either under construction or consented (compared to Texas with 7 gigawatts under construction by the end of 2013). Including projects in the planning stages, this figure totals 20.5 gigawatts (No number available for comparison to Texas. But according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Texas' onshore wind potential at 80 meters hub height is 1,900 gigwatts...more than 18 times the state's current electricity needs.)

According to new numbers published by WWF Scotland this week, wind turbines generated enough electricity in October to power 3,045,000 homes in the U.K. Number of homes Texas wind farms now power: over 3.3 million average American homes. As of September, Scotland got 29.8 percent of its electricity from renewables (wind and solar). On May 2, 2013 wind generation hit a record 9,674 MW or 28% of the load in Texas. But on a yearly average Texas' electricity provided by wind in 2013 was 8.3%.

[GHung]

Scotland is also increasing its pumped storage capacity:

http://www.scotsrenewables.com/blog/dis ... -scotland/

Pumped storage is a well proven technology in use in Scotland and across the world. The Cruachan station on Loch Awe became fully operational in 1967 and was the first reversible pump storage hydro system to be built in the world. Cruachan generated 885 GWh of electricity in 2008

The Foyers hydro electric scheme was originally built by the british Aluminium Company in 1896 to power an aluminium smelter and was the first large-scale commercial hydro-electric scheme in the UK. It was redeveloped to focus on pumped-storage in 1969.

How much storage capacity do we need?

The storage capacity we will require depends on the capacity of renewables installed and the extent of upgrades to the transmission network,including any new interconnectors or the European ‘supergrid’. Assuming the Scottish government’s most ambitious scenario for renewables is realised then increased storage will be required. It is calculated that installing energy storage capacity of some 7 GW by 2030 would alleviate the constraints identified, with most of the constraints relieved with less than 10 hours of storage. Installing 3.5 GW of storage will alleviate 75% of constraints.

What new pumped storage is planned?

Two large-scale new pumped storage schemes are being planned for the Great Glen area of the central Highlands by power generation, distribution and supply company Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE). The plants, with a combined generation capacity of some 900MW, are planned for Coire Glas, north-west of Loch Lochy, and Balmacaan, near Invermoriston. They would be able to provide more than 1,000 gigawatt hours of electricity annually to help meet peak demands. With environmental impact investigations under way, SSE aim to submit planning applications this year.

It is also to submit to Scottish Ministers an application for consent to develop a 60MW pumped storage scheme at its existing Sloy hydro electric power station at Loch Lomond, allowing it to produce an additional 100GWh (gigawatt hours) of electricity in a typical year to help meet peak demand. In total the new schemes should increase Scotland’s pumped storage capacity by a little over 100%

Sites for any further pumped storage schemes are in scarce supply and likely to attract a lot of opposition from environmental groups. Proposals have been mooted for seawater pumped storage hydro and underground pumped storage schemes, but the costs could prove prohiiibitive. For the immediate future it looks as though pumped storage may only be able to meet between a third and a half of Scotland’s future energy storage needs.

[Surf]

Pumped storage is a well proven technology in use in Scotland and across the world. The Cruachan station on Loch Awe became fully operational in 1967 and was the first reversible pump storage hydro system to be built in the world.

Cruachan was not the first according to [url]wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumped-storage_hydroelectricity[/url]

The first use of pumped-storage in the United States was in 1930 by the Connecticut Electric and Power Company, using a large reservoir located near New Milford, Connecticut, pumping water from the Housatonic River to the storage reservoir 230 feet above.[7]

The article also states that there were facilities in Sweden and italy in 1890.

this link has more information about US facility:
http://www.asce.org/People-and-Projects/Projects/Landmarks/Rocky-River-Pumped-Storage-Hydro-Plant/

Furthermore it states:

The first pumped-storage facility in the world was built in 1909 near Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Unlike the Rocky River plant, it used a pump to store water and a separate turbine to generate electricity. By the time of the Rocky River project, more than 40 pumped-storage hydroelectric facilities had been built throughout Europe.

If Sccotland also built biomas facilities, wave power plants and installed high voltage DC links to Norway and Iceland the amount of storage needed could be significantly reduced. Aditional storage can be provided by flow batteries and storing compressed air on the bottom of the ocean.

[Newfie]

Does that include heat? Enough power to heat every home?

[dolanbaker]

Electric heating is seldom used in Scotland (or anywhere else in the British isles) most domestic heating is gas fired.

[toolpush]

Gas fired if you have a gas pipe. In the country, the place is dotted green plastic oil tanks. I don't have any numbers, but it appeared the country people are heated by oil? Please educate if I am wrong.

[dolanbaker]

Gas fired if you have a gas pipe. In the country, the place is dotted green plastic oil tanks. I don't have any numbers, but it appeared the country people are heated by oil? Please educate if I am wrong.

True, oil is widely used in the countryside, but many are switching over to gas and they have a 1000 litre pressurised gas cylinder in the garden instead of an oil tank.

At the moment most are still oil though, similar situation in the rest of the UK & Ireland

[Newfie]

So then the more accurate statement would be "It replaced the current electric needs of ...." Rather than "powered."

Follow on question, what percentage of total home energy is heat?

[toolpush]

True, oil is widely used in the countryside, but many are switching over to gas and they have a 1000 litre pressurised gas cylinder in the garden instead of an oil tank.

Dolanbaker
The gas you refer to is Propane/LPG I assume, rather than Natural gas/Methane?

[dolanbaker]

True, oil is widely used in the countryside, but many are switching over to gas and they have a 1000 litre pressurised gas cylinder in the garden instead of an oil tank.

Dolanbaker
The gas you refer to is Propane/LPG I assume, rather than Natural gas/Methane?

Yes, it's getting more popular as time goes by.

[theluckycountry]

Another Dream soured. The Why and the Wherefore really don't matter, the simple fact is that electricity prices in Scotland have doubled. And at the end of the day that is all that matters if you live there and use electricity.



'Staggering' wind farm switch-offs cost energy customers nearly £1bn

2nd October 2022

PAYMENTS to energy firms to switch off mainly Scottish wind farm turbines because they produce too much power have cost bill-payers approaching £1bn in just over five years and are expected to soar to £500m a year.

It has emerged that households who are seeing a doubling of energy bills since last winter are set to face further pain by the "absurd" constraint payments system which is predicted to dole out record amounts in the next four years...

... Because electricity cannot be stored and needs to be generated at the time of demand, compensation is given to energy firms when they have to reduce their output. With wind farms it involves turning off turbines when the network is unable to cope with the power they produce.

The payments are made by the National Grid ESO but charged to consumers and added to energy bills.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/hom ... early-1bn/

This is what happens when you believe the TV, when you believe politicians and corporate leaders who collectively tell you the bright green lies, that you will be eating peaches and cream while they give you cheap renewable power into the future. One big lie, never discussed is that these technologies are not "Renewable" at all. What they are is machines made from fossil fuels, and when the fossil fuel are no longer available they will not be built. This technology has a 20-year lifespan too, so stop believing the lies, tool up your homes now with solar and hope you don't outlive the end of the oil age.