HVDC Interconnectors

[Bugtownboy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clynlkjp5m1o

[dan_b]

Very good news!

[Ken]

With this interconnector (capacity ?) and Dogger bank wind farms both coming ashore in the Humber area thats a lot of power in one area.

These 2 projects are real game changers.

2030 is going to be a very exiting time. 100% EV sales, close to 100% RE grid, repowering of wind farms, 100% smart meters on TOU tariffs, hydro storage ........

[Moxi]

With this interconnector (capacity ?) and Dogger bank wind farms both coming ashore in the Humber area thats a lot of power in one area.

These 2 projects are real game changers.

2030 is going to be a very exiting time. 100% EV sales, close to 100% RE grid, repowering of wind farms, 100% smart meters on TOU tariffs, hydro storage ........

Hi Ken,

Is that the target date for smart meters or is there a mandatory mass change over coming down the line that I am unaware of? Just wondering for my own knowledge.

Moxi

[Mart]

Hi Ken, trying to think of other pluses to add to your list, as I too think 2030 looks very promising.

So .... hopefully we will have a very high percentage of annual heatpump installs/replacement by 2030.

And another positive, a slightly strange one, but the earliest and very expensive off-shore wind farms were mostly commissioned in 2019, so reach end of subsidy ~2034. That's important as they were issued at ~£120/MWh v's £37/MWh for the last contracts (hopefully £50-60 for this years contracts). [Prices in 2012 baseline.]

On-shore wind contracts were first issued at £82/MWh, now £52/MWh, and those earliest ones will age out of subsidy ~2033.

[Ken]

Hi Ken,

Is that the target date for smart meters or is there a mandatory mass change over coming down the line that I am unaware of? Just wondering for my own knowledge.

Moxi

Its my prediction because quite simply its an essential part of 100%RE with people doing lots of things when the grid has ample and less of when not.

I liken it to indoor smoking in that when one has reached 50% + non smoking you can ban it because the smokers are now less than the majority. It will not be long now before smart meters are the only meter that can be legally fitted. Most of the old meters are illegal now as they only have a certified 25yr life so it will be easy to force the change -any complaint and "its the meter which legally needs to be replaced" Also any certified changes to a house eg PV, EV charger, batts is going to need a smart meter.

At the end of 2023, 34.8 million smart electricity and gas meters were installed in British homes and small businesses, amounting to 61% of all meters, reports the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in their quarterly smart meter update.

[Moxi]

Ok thanks for the clarification

Moxi

[AGT]

Wonder if they will do pathe style ‘recordings’ to show the next generation’

[Adokforme]

We can confirm preliminary work is already underway as being up at Inverness last week there were several teams of geothermal guys lodging in the Halls of residence along with ourselves and sharing kitchen facilities. I think they were a little surprised when I quizzed them about what they were engaged upon but happy to pass info on otherwise. Geothermal may have been a rather grand term, their expression, as they were mostly engaged on thrusting long canes into the ground establishing the depth of peat in areas being considered for Pylons. It was the Peterhead to Drax link although I'd rather assumed it was overground as opposed to HVDC. Have to confess it's surely a much better outcome, unless your a fisherman perhaps.
Great to see progress happening. The dark clouds of stiffled renewable progress are slowly beginning to recede.

[Tinbum]

We can confirm preliminary work is already underway as being up at Inverness last week there were several teams of geothermal guys lodging in the Halls of residence along with ourselves and sharing kitchen facilities. I think they were a little surprised when I quizzed them about what they were engaged upon but happy to pass info on otherwise. Geothermal may have been a rather grand term, their expression, as they were mostly engaged on thrusting long canes into the ground establishing the depth of peat in areas being considered for Pylons. It was the Peterhead to Drax link although I'd rather assumed it was overground as opposed to HVDC. Have to confess it's surely a much better outcome, unless your a fisherman perhaps.
Great to see progress happening. The dark clouds of stiffled renewable progress are slowly beginning to recede.

Their has been quite a lot going on for a while. I had people round over a year ago going wildlife surveys and they are due again this week or next. Planning was granted a while ago but saying that they informed me last week that they are putting another application in shortly for another access. thankfully the cable is underground unlike what they are proposing in Lincolnshire.