There are issues with the 2 figures the Policy states, which leave it wide open for damaging scrutiny.
£83
billion over 10 years, will average out at £8.3 billion per year.
The very latest offshore wind farm, 3.6 GW Dogger Bank, using the gigantic and very latest GE 12 MW offshore wind turbines, has a capacity factor of 54%, compared to the 38.5% capacity factor for the UK’s current 8.4 GW of offshore wind farms.
This is a tremendous 40 % ‘technological gain’ and it would be irresponsible to anticipate bettering a 54% capacity factor over the next 10 years.
The very latest offshore wind farm, 3.6 GW Dogger Bank, using the gigantic and very latest GE 12 MW offshore wind turbines, has a capacity factor of 54%, compared to the 38.5% capacity factor for the UK’s current 8.4 GW of offshore wind farms.
This is a tremendous 40 % ‘technological gain’ and it would be irresponsible to anticipate bettering a 54% capacity factor over the next 10 years.
£8.3
billion per year of capital investment, as a pro-rata proportion of Dogger Bank’s capital cost of £9.0
billion, would finance 3.32 GW of cutting-edge wind turbine technology.
3.32 GW would only be able to supply 4,150,000 households in the first year and 33.2 GW of capacity, after 10 years of construction, would only be able to supply 41,500,000 households.
3.32 GW would only be able to supply 4,150,000 households in the first year and 33.2 GW of capacity, after 10 years of construction, would only be able to supply 41,500,000 households.
Stating
57,000,000 households is exaggerating the capability of what £83 billion of investment will deliver for the voting public and for the investment community,
by 37%.
by 37%.
That is surely
unacceptable in political and financial terms and should be addressed
forthwith.
------------------------------//------------------------------
PS: It's a bit misleading to talk about 41,500,000 households, when there are only 27,000,000 in the UK.
The 54% capacity factor for Dogger Bank was calculated from a BEIS household-usage figure of 3,781 kWh per year.
After the capital expenditure of £83 billion, 33.2 GW of offshore wind at 54% capacity factor will be able to supply, on average, 157 TWh of intermittent electricity each year.
Th UK uses about 360 TWh per year, but it has to be of the 24/7 variety. So £83 billion invested in offshore wind, will, apparently, supply 44% of the UK's electricity generation.
But - to get it to 24/7 'quality':
For every 10 MW of wind power added....at least 8 MW of backup power must also be dedicated
However, that's another capital cost investment in gas-fired power plants, which will create many more jobs, but won't do a lot for Labour's 'Net Zero-Carbon' policy.
Another blog post story, for another time.
------------------------------//------------------------------
PS: It's a bit misleading to talk about 41,500,000 households, when there are only 27,000,000 in the UK.
The 54% capacity factor for Dogger Bank was calculated from a BEIS household-usage figure of 3,781 kWh per year.
After the capital expenditure of £83 billion, 33.2 GW of offshore wind at 54% capacity factor will be able to supply, on average, 157 TWh of intermittent electricity each year.
Th UK uses about 360 TWh per year, but it has to be of the 24/7 variety. So £83 billion invested in offshore wind, will, apparently, supply 44% of the UK's electricity generation.
But - to get it to 24/7 'quality':
For every 10 MW of wind power added....at least 8 MW of backup power must also be dedicated
However, that's another capital cost investment in gas-fired power plants, which will create many more jobs, but won't do a lot for Labour's 'Net Zero-Carbon' policy.
Another blog post story, for another time.
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