dale turner

Dale Turner - A Hydro-Electric Dale Turner - A Hydro-Electric Future?Future? 11

Thursday 24th February, 2005 Thursday 24th February, 2005 Week 7Week 7

Hydro-ElectricityHydro-Electricity

UK Appraisal Until 2020 and UK Appraisal Until 2020 and 20302030

Thursday 24th Thursday 24th February, Week 7February, Week 7


What is Hydro-Electricity?

Electricity Generated by the flow of water past turbines at the base of a dam

Here is where pressure is greatest

Why the Base?

Famous Example: Hoover Dam Colorado river, Nevada USA

Creates 4 billion Kilowatt hours per year for 1.3 million people in Nevada Arizona and California



Hydro in the United Kingdom

Requires large upland LakesDevelopment mostly in Scotland

At present Installed capacity of Hydro in UK is 1500MWe

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cn2k-oosg/scotland.jpg&imgrefurl=http://egea.geog.uu.nl/entities.php%3Fentity%3DGlasgow&h=350&w=560&sz=16&tbnid=jZ7nIBnt2-4J:&tbnh=81&tbnw=130&start=4&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscotland%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN



2003 government white paper ‘our energy future – creating a low carbon economy’

United Kingdom Government Policy

EU Renewables Directive calls for 22% of energy in Europe to be Renewable by 2010

First annual report reaffirmed that addressing climate change was at the centre of UK energy policy

United nations Convention on Climate Change – Kyoto protocol calls for a reduction in CO² emissions to below 1990 levels



Scottish and Southern Energy

Scottish Hydro Electric the UK’s biggest hydro generator with

1350MW capacity representing roughly 40% of whole UK renewable capacity

Currently upgrading Hydro equipment turbine rudders guide vanes and generators increasing efficiency

275MW refurbished since 2002 and another 90MW to be completed by this year. This has increased output by 5% from same amount of water

Loch Laggan Dam, West Highlands



Environmental Implications

Austin, Texas – April 7th 1900

Hope Mills, North Carolina– May 26th 2003

Medford, New Jersey – July 19th

2004

Dam collapses in the USA

Collapses occur more often than you think with another recent event in Pakistan last week!

Collapse poses risk to human life from raging currents and debris

River Silted Up

Miles of Roads Swept Away

$6Million Repair Bill



Environmental Implications

Hydro-electricity doesn’t produce greenhouse gases which are a cause of climate change. Unlike fossil fuel generation

Nor does it produce any of the controversy of nuclear generation

However it still involves changing the natural Environment



Transport IssuesAs most Hydro is generated in Scotland the question is how do you get it to south east England?

PYLONS!!!



Planning and Technical Constraints

Just how much more can exiting technology be refurbished?

What happens if the lake above the dam freezes over?

How can hydro progress in areas protected by the Government?

Small Scale Hydro only at an early stage in its development



Storage

Dinorwig, North Wales

Electricity cannot be stored so it has to be produced at exact levels of demand

This makes Hydro the perfect generating method as it can regulate its production levels instantly

Also validates use of pump storage schemes, which use excess of peak power to pump water which is then released for generation at peak times



Storage – Crucial Moments !!!

Final of the World Cup

At the New Wembley

England Expects

Referee Blows for Penalty shoot out as freak blizzard descends

The whole country switches on their kettles to make hot water bottles….



AND THE GERMANS WIN AS USUAL



Pessimistic Outcome

2020 2030

Small Scale Hydro: 250 MW

Large Scale Hydro: 500 MW

Total: 750 MW



Total: 750 MW

Large Scale Hydro Equipment rapidly reaches life expiry

Small Scale Hydro Technology slow to advance and meets strong opposition



Optimistic Approach

2020 2030Small Scale Hydro: 750 MW


Total: 2750 MW



Total: 5200 MW

Life extension work increases Large Scale Hydro capacity

Small Scale technology advances rapidly and becomes commonplace throughout UK and beyond



Likely Outcome

2020 2030



Total: 2000 MW



Total: 3300 MW

Most Large Scale Hydro will remain on line but capacity will not see large improvements

Small Scale Projects will start to appear but will meet opposition and new technical constraints

Predictions for Hydro-Electric Generating Capacity for the years 2020 and 2030

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

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6000

2005 2020 2030

Year

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erat

ing

Cap

acit

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W)

Optimistic

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Energy Generated (PJ) in the Years

2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Optimistic 17 21 25 30 42 57

Pessimistic 17 14 12 8 8 8

Likely 17 18 20 22 28 36

Varying Predictions of the amount of UK electricity that will be generated by Hydro-Electric generation methods for years up to 2030



Hydro-Electric Generation Projections up to 2030

0

10

20

30

40

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60

2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Year

En

erg

y G

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n (

PJ)

Optimistic

Pessimistic

Likely

dale turner - a hydro-electric future? 1 thursday 24th february, 2005 week 7 hydro-electricity uk...

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