Porsche Fires Up Production of eFuel, Made from Water in Chile

[Tim92gts]

Just a small add; we're on the proposed route for the feed from the next offshore wind field.

The planning and installation of this is vast, two years in and we're having public consultations, newt and bat surveys and discussions with the contractors and agents to arrange routings and compensation.

The disruption involved in running three cables underground through UK countryside is immense. A 60 to 100 meter swathe is involved, digging up roads, rerouting water mains and drainage systems and rendering some fields unusable for five years. The land is never the same after these projects.

I'd love to see a replacement fuel using much of the same infrastructure, wind power running to a plant on the coast producing fuel to be moved on by tankers?

[Jon A]

I have mentioned before that my son works for RR nuclear here in Derby. He is a nuclear physicist and tells me that RR have developed the concept of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) which require the space of a football pitch rather than the usual 40 plus acres of a “traditional” nuclear power station.
These SMR’s can be installed and driving turbines in 24 months from breaking ground and more importantly, could be sited on the dozens of decommissioned coal fired power stations dotted up and down most of the river valleys in the country. This gives instant access to existing infrastructure to connect to the grid directly and he tells me that around 20 of these would be able to supply current needs.
There are two small problems though. First of all, apparently RR will not do this for free and the cost is high (several billion per plant) but by far the biggest problem is NIMBYism as nobody wants the lights to go off or pay through the nose for energy, but they are not quite ready for a nuclear plant on their doorstep either…
The solutions are out there it’s just a matter of coming to terms with them I think.

[Nuclear Nick]

I have mentioned before that my son works for RR nuclear here in Derby. He is a nuclear physicist and tells me that RR have developed the concept of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) which require the space of a football pitch rather than the usual 40 plus acres of a “traditional” nuclear power station.
These SMR’s can be installed and driving turbines in 24 months from breaking ground and more importantly, could be sited on the dozens of decommissioned coal fired power stations dotted up and down most of the river valleys in the country. This gives instant access to existing infrastructure to connect to the grid directly and he tells me that around 20 of these would be able to supply current needs.
There are two small problems though. First of all, apparently RR will not do this for free and the cost is high (several billion per plant) but by far the biggest problem is NIMBYism as nobody wants the lights to go off or pay through the nose for energy, but they are not quite ready for a nuclear plant on their doorstep either…
The solutions are out there it’s just a matter of coming to terms with them I think.

I agree we should be cracking on with these Jon. Much better than thousands of onshore windmills that don’t generate when the wind doesn’t blow and which kill wildlife when it does!

Quick question for your son, particularly re siting them on inland previously used coal plant sites, what does the safety case require for emergency backup cooling? And when do they anticipate regulatory approval?

[Jon A]

I have mentioned before that my son works for RR nuclear here in Derby. He is a nuclear physicist and tells me that RR have developed the concept of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) which require the space of a football pitch rather than the usual 40 plus acres of a “traditional” nuclear power station.
These SMR’s can be installed and driving turbines in 24 months from breaking ground and more importantly, could be sited on the dozens of decommissioned coal fired power stations dotted up and down most of the river valleys in the country. This gives instant access to existing infrastructure to connect to the grid directly and he tells me that around 20 of these would be able to supply current needs.
There are two small problems though. First of all, apparently RR will not do this for free and the cost is high (several billion per plant) but by far the biggest problem is NIMBYism as nobody wants the lights to go off or pay through the nose for energy, but they are not quite ready for a nuclear plant on their doorstep either…
The solutions are out there it’s just a matter of coming to terms with them I think.

I agree we should be cracking on with these Jon. Much better than thousands of onshore windmills that don’t generate when the wind doesn’t blow and which kill wildlife when it does!

Quick question for your son, particularly re siting them on inland previously used coal plant sites, what does the safety case require for emergency backup cooling? And when do they anticipate regulatory approval?

I will ask Nick but pretty sure that these will be only feasible at previously water cooled plants on rivers such as the Trent valley in our case. Immediate access to large volumes of water would be required I think. When I was a lad and used to fish the Trent in winter, it was almost warm to the feel because of all the power station cooling
Re regulatory, I really don’t know and not sure my so will either but will ask the question

[Pivot]

I have mentioned before that my son works for RR nuclear here in Derby. He is a nuclear physicist and tells me that RR have developed the concept of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) which require the space of a football pitch rather than the usual 40 plus acres of a “traditional” nuclear power station.
These SMR’s can be installed and driving turbines in 24 months from breaking ground and more importantly, could be sited on the dozens of decommissioned coal fired power stations dotted up and down most of the river valleys in the country. This gives instant access to existing infrastructure to connect to the grid directly and he tells me that around 20 of these would be able to supply current needs.
There are two small problems though. First of all, apparently RR will not do this for free and the cost is high (several billion per plant) but by far the biggest problem is NIMBYism as nobody wants the lights to go off or pay through the nose for energy, but they are not quite ready for a nuclear plant on their doorstep either…
The solutions are out there it’s just a matter of coming to terms with them I think.

We do need to get on with this tech. RR have made incredible progress that we are not leveraging.

Forgive me the silly analogy, but it reminds me of people being up in arms against GM food. Then when COVID hit us hard, we all queued to get injected with GM material, twice, or three times. We can’t have it both ways.

[Old Chimer]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new- ... 35-ice-ban

Was only a matter of time