UK energy provider Scottish Power is building a huge battery to boost wind turbine efficiency

[Polycount]

Clean energy is all well and good, but it becomes a much less efficient form of power generation when you don't have the proper infrastructure to store it. That's where Scotland's latest plans come in -- according to The Guardian, energy supplier Scottish Power is about to take on the "most ambitious battery power project" in Europe: the construction and deployment of a massive, "industrial-scale" battery.

This battery will allegedly be roughly half the size of a (European) football field, and it could provide the UK as a whole with more consistent on-demand green energy from roughly 215 wind turbines. As it stands, the excess energy produced by these turbines doesn't get much use, but this battery project could solve that problem.

In a statement to The Guardian, a Scottish Power spokesman mentioned that after a mere hour of charging, the battery should be able to power "806 Nissan Leaf" cars for more than "182,000 miles" -- impressive numbers, no matter how you look at them.

If there's ever a gap in the UK's ability to produce enough clean energy to suit involved customers' power needs (if an array of turbines stop working, for example), the battery can step in to discharge a portion of its energy as needed.

Work on this project is expected to begin at the Whitelee wind farm, with the full construction process set for completion by the end of next year.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/80452-uk-energy-provider-scottish-power-building-huge-battery.html

 

[wiyosaya]

Imagine that, no mention of Tesla. How can this be? /sarcasm

 

[Uncle Al]

ROFLMAO ...... Perhaps they are standing in line to buy out Tesla /more sarcasm

 

[Cycloid Torus]

My guess... Redflow. https://redflow.com/

 

[trparky]

Funny how so many sources of "green" power aren't efficient. I could've told you that!

Oh and as for the battery... let me tell you, it ain't so green. For those that don't know, a lot of the materials that go into making batteries are obtained in very dirty ways. We're talking environmentally toxic mining operations. Oh but green is so good. LMFAO

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Funny how so many sources of "green" power aren't efficient. I could've told you that!

Oh and as for the battery... let me tell you, it ain't so green. For those that don't know, a lot of the materials that go into making batteries are obtained in very dirty ways. We're talking environmentally toxic mining operations. Oh but green is so good. LMFAO

Oh? Do check Redflow...

 

[trparky]

Oh? Do check Redflow...

Redflow has zinc-bromine batteries. OK. Where do you think the zinc comes from? Open-pit mining which is oh so great for the environment.

https://www.britannica.com/technology/zinc-processing

 

[p51d007]

The problem with "green" energy is it isn't efficient. The costs, materials involved are one thing, but unless you have the STORAGE CAPACITY it's all lost when PEAK DEMAND comes along. VERY hot and VERY cold weather conditions put a "peak" demand on utilities. To meet that demand, a typical power GENERATING facility will crank up the generators to produce more power, to meet that demand. Everyone is trying to put their eggs in one basket with green energy & storage batteries. For NORMAL loads, they can be fine, but, you still need nuclear, coal/oil/gas & hydro plants, with their GENERATORS to meet instant demand.

 

[cliffordcooley]

The problem with "green" energy is it isn't efficient.

I don't buy that notion at all. You are confusing the concept of efficiency with the concept of keeping it available around the clock. That is two differences that can not be compared.

I for one do not see any reason. Why we can not use air, water, and solar as an aid in our otherwise inefficient power production.

 

[trparky]

Because not all areas have reliable access to the sun's rays all the time, not all areas are very windy, and most important of them all, not areas have access to a lot of running water to build a dam with.

 

[wiyosaya]

Funny how so many sources of "green" power aren't efficient. I could've told you that!

Oh and as for the battery... let me tell you, it ain't so green. For those that don't know, a lot of the materials that go into making batteries are obtained in very dirty ways. We're talking environmentally toxic mining operations. Oh but green is so good. LMFAO

Ah here we go again. The old "A Hummer is greener over its lifetime than a Prius argument" which was resoundingly debunked years ago.

Because not all areas have reliable access to the sun's rays all the time, not all areas are very windy, and most important of them all, not areas have access to a lot of running water to build a dam with.

Find a copy of "Wind Power" by Paul Gipe and educate yourself.

 

[trparky]

Where the hell did I say that a Hummer is greener than a Prius? Seriously, don't put words in my mouth! I did not say that at all!!!

However, I did say that when it comes to the manufacturing of batteries especially the lithium-ion type, it uses very toxic mining and manufacturing operations. So here we have a situation in which you've pretty much just shifted where the pollution is sent. Instead of where you breathe it's now somewhere else. How is that a win? It's not.

I would take a small, efficient internal combustion engine equipped car that gets very good gas mileage over a Prius any day of the week. I wouldn't buy an SUV.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Redflow has zinc-bromine batteries. OK. Where do you think the zinc comes from? Open-pit mining which is oh so great for the environment. https://www.britannica.com/technology/zinc-processing

Thank you for the article. I had forgotten that lead was often found in the ore and that it required special handling ("stringent precautions for limiting lead contamination must be observed within and without the plant"). I do not like open pit either, but relative to other 'damage', I still believe that use of 100% recyclable zinc bromide is a preferred medium for energy storage. It is kind of nice that these have an economic life in excess of 10 years with no significant impairment to storage capacity....they will outlast the wind turbines.

 

[Badvok]

I would take a small, efficient internal combustion engine equipped car that gets very good gas mileage over a Prius any day of the week. I wouldn't buy an SUV.

Totally agree, also the fuel could be solar generated hydro-carbon so far greener than any electric vehicle will ever be.