Permitting Request Submitted for 1000 MW Wind Farm (London Array)

<snip> If built, the wind farm could generate up to 1,000 MW of renewable electricity, enough for more than 750,000 homes - equivalent to a quarter of greater London homes. The wind farm will also avoid emissions of up to 1.9 million tons of carbon dioxide every year and could make up to 10 percent of the UK Government's 2010 renewables targets.

"The London Array offshore wind farm, which when complete will be the largest wind farm anywhere in the world, represents a major step forward in harnessing the UK's massive wind resource and will contribute to the UK's efforts to avoid the worst effects of climate change," Stephen Tindale, Greenpeace Executive Director.

London Array is the first of the Round 2 UK offshore wind farm projects, awarded an option for a lease by the Crown Estate in December 2003, to apply for consents. The applications come after an extensive consultation process as well as comprehensive technical and environmental studies.

The full development, costing up to GBP 1.5 billion (USD$ 2.75 billion) will require up to 270 wind turbines to generate 1,000 MW and would connect into the National Grid's transmission system in Kent. The turbines would be located in the outer Thames Estuary, more than 20 kilometers offshore and roughly the same distance from the coasts of Essex and Kent. Due to the distance of the wind farm from the shore, there is expected to be little visual impact from the coastline. <snip>

http://renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=32968

Energy that doesn't fuckup the environment and human health. What a concept.

Two point five billion dollars for a 1000 MWe plant that generates power part of the time, ie when the wind is blowing.

That is four times the cost of these units (combined) that produce power 24/7.

http://www.cookinfo.com/cookplant.htm

In fact, one of these plants operated continuously for 470 days without shut down.

Can we expect that this "1000 MW" wind plant will run continuously, ie that the wind will never stop blowing?

If the wind does stop blowing once in a while, is the plant really 1000 MW? What if the wind is too strong, or if it is a little weaker than usual? Is it 1000 MW then?

Will the citizens of the UK be required to turn their refrigerators off on still days or will some other form of energy be applied? What, exactly is it? How much will this reserve capacity cost? Is it free because it is backing up wind?

The big word is "could." I imagine the power from this facility -which I support by the way, because I have a knee jerk reaction to support all wind units - will be too cheap to meter, no?

HANCOCKS BRIDGE, New Jersey
June 8, 2005 (ENS)

<snip> At 3 am local time today, the valve was still leaking at eight gallons per minute, down from 15 gpm at the peak of the incident. Ten gallons per minute is the allowable level.

The plant reached cold shutdown mode at 4:55 am local time.

At the peak of the incident the water surrounding the nuclear fuel rods in the reactor vessel level fell to 30 inches lower than normal, the company said, and following the shut down the water in the reactor vessel was returned to the normal level. <snip>

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2005/2005-06-08-02.asp

How very puzzling! Nuclear plants don't function continuously either. But how, then, could people in the greater Hancocks Bridge neighborhood possibly live, when their friendly electricity source shuts down? Such an oh-so-perplexing riddle!