Archive for power generation
The link represent DECC’s initial thinking. It is subject to change and may or may not be published.
They give for example the following costs, all in UK Pounds/kWe:
CCGT – 600 – 690
Coal 1250 – 1500
Onshore wind – 1074
Offshore wind – 1429
The table on the link gives a lot more detail.
http://claverton-energy.com/pipermail/claverton-group_claverton-energy.com/2009-January/000351.html
Surprisingly, perhaps (or perhaps not given the historical bias), there is no mention of the capital costs, or the running costs of the cheapest means of cutting CO2 and fuel costs – Combined Heat and Power with District Heating CHPDH for cities, and micro-CHP for suburbs.
If you have any evidence to suggest that any of the assumptions differ from what is attached in the spreadsheet, you may wish to contact Stephen Green, Senior Economist, Energy Strategy, Security and Markets Directorate Department of Energy and Climate Change, at DECC.
How to Turn Standby Generation Into Profit-Making Assets
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By Wayne Boakes
It does not make sense to ignore assets, leaving them idle, collecting dust and slowly degenerating (excuse the pun). Ask yourself why we spend thousands of pounds on standby generation just to have it lying dormant, gathering dust? Surely it makes much more sense to generate a profit from at least some of these assets.
With the continued expansion of wind energy the national grid need to increase their ability to cope with power fluctuations. They are already discussing ways in which they can encourage increased participation in Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR).
What is the solution? One solution is to increase use of embedded generation
What do we expect from a standby generator? To run once in a blue moon, start first time, take the entire load thrown at it and to do this without a cough or splutter. Strangely enough all too frequently the emergency arrives only to find the generator won’t start as the battery is flat or the fuel is not getting through or it fails during the run. It’s not surprising really. If the generator was a person and we expected immediate response at premium performance we would do something more that just sit around like some couch potato. We would join a gym, do regular exercise and have regular checks to make sure we were in tip top condition. Read More→
Squaring the Circle on Coal – Carbon Capture (CCS)
Posted by: | CommentsBy Chris Hodrien
2008 Claverton Conference Paper Synopsis: Huge global reserves of coal remain, well-distributed among relatively stable supplier nations, and its production is increasing. With the recent rapid increases in oil and gas prices, especially in the UK, it is again becoming the minimum cost option for power generation and heavy industry. Large thermal (steam turbine) powerplant is also the global utilities’ preferred generating option because of its predictability/reliability, operational characteristics, retrofit to existing powerplant sites and “fit’ to the existing grid structure.
The IEA and others expect its market share to slightly increase to at least 2050. This “Business As Usual” strategy spells disaster for the planet unless carbon capture is used. Fortunately, CO2 capture and storage are both far nearer being proven than power utilities and governments would have us believe: there are three major capture options in advanced development, all of which are technically credible and should considerably undercut the real cost of wind power (certainly offshore). The author has considerable experience of both CO2 capture and underground gas storage in the natural gas and petrochemical industry. The current ‘con’ of “Capture-Ready” status will be discussed.
See PDF of Chris Hodrien’s Power Point CCS Presentation here:
Please leave any other comments or additional points in the comments box below.
