Moneypoint coal fired power station was built in 1985 and has been operating ever since, making it quite possibly one of the most successful capital projects ever in Ireland. It has three generating units, each with a capacity of 285MW, making it the largest single power station in the country (total output 855MW). All three of the units suffered forced (or unexpected) outages this year. This blog article will look at what happened when the final unit went offline on the 26th September at 11pm.
Firstly, it is important to point out that Moneypoint is required to be on load (or online) at all times to support the 400kv network from the West to the high demand centre in the East (see graph here). This means that when Moneypoint is no longer operating, something else must be ready to instantly step in to replace it.
It is often claimed that renewables can replace Moneypoint. On the 25th September, wind energy was at very high levels at over 2,000MW. But during the 26th, it declined steadily to below 500MW. Prior to the Moneypoint outage, wind began rising again reaching around 700MW at 11pm. So between 70-75% of wind power had dissipated within twenty four hours. By the 29th, it had fallen to almost zero. Wind energy's intermittency is one of the main reasons why it can never replace a power station. Just when wind energy was needed the most, it was not able to deliver.
There is another more technical reason why wind cannot replace a power station which is explained in more detail here. In short, a certain amount of conventional power stations must be kept running to maintain a stable grid.
We can see in the below graph, that the back up plant that replaced Moneypoint was Tynagh gas powered station (CCGT) in County Galway.
Like any gas powered station, Tynagh can be switched on and off as required i.e dispatchable. An interactive presentation of the gas and steam turbine is available here. Since replacing moneypoint, the plant has itself tripped three times with the latest trip due to "high exhaust temperature".
Mechanical faults are common to both fossil fuel and renewable plant, the crucial difference is that intermittency only occurs with renewables. The above staggered profile of Tynagh (in red) is very similar to that of another gas plant - Great Island, which you can see in a previous post on this blog. It could be that ramping the generator up and down like this leads to mechanical problems.
A recent report by Dublin City University titled "Is Natural Gas Essential for Ireland's Future Energy Security" stated :
In contrast, we argue that by far the best way to address both Irish energy security and the pressing need for rapid decarbonisation is to constrain and reduce energy consumption (through efficiency measures and/or absolute reductions in energy services) and to directly exit from the use of all fossil fuels, including natural gas, as quickly as is safely feasible, replacing them by indigenous zero- or (potentially) negative-carbon energy resources to the maximum possible extent.
The recent closure of Moneypoint and it's replacement by Tynagh gas powered station shows that even with large amounts of renewable capacity available (in this case wind), back up gas powered stations are still a necessity for the foreseeable future.
The DCU paper "Is Natural Gas “Essential for Ireland’s Future Energy Security?" was commissioned by the Stop Climate Chaos organisation as a "Critical Response to the Irish Academy of Engineering". They are lovely people with great intentions, but are they really in touch with reality?
ReplyDeleteThe viability of the Irish economy (i.e., jobs and bread on the table for you and me) is currently dependent on dispatchable electricity and the desire of the authors that fossil-fuelled generation should be replaced by indigenous zero- or (potentially) negative-carbon energy resources to the maximum possible extent, whilst laudable, is somewhat naive in the absence of dispatchable renewable generation or negative carbon technologies at this time.
The paper relies on electrofuel substitution to rebut the IAE contention in its July 2018 report that substantial continued reliance on natural gas in the overall Irish energy system is unavoidable up to at least 2040 where "We find that such energy storage is technically feasible, using well proven conversion and storage technologies, through the use of gaseous and/or liquid “electrofuels”: hydrogen, ammonia, possibly synthetic hydrocarbons (with carbon cycling), all produced primarily from indigenous variable renewable energy sources".
It proposes a dispatchable Irish storage backstop using large scale synthetic electrofuel produced during periods when variable renewable supply exceeds demand where "Detailed (positive) assessment of hydrogen based storage systems is provided by, for example, (Steward et al. 2009; cH2ange 2018). The commissioning of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facility has recently been announced in the US (Air Liquide 2017). This is currently supplied from a high-carbon H₂ pathway but nonetheless fully demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of such very large scale H₂ storage systems. Ammonia is another emerging non-hydrocarbon electrofuel candidate (Wang et al. 2017), with a pilot demonstrator already in commissioning (Evans 2018)".
The alternative to "the truly 'unrealistic' path now is the one that imagines consigning to young people of today the burden of severely compromised planetary support systems that have been critically, perhaps irreversibly, undermined by a (lack of) decisive action today" may be a price that those young people, already stressed by prevailing economic circumstances, may be unwilling to pay.
It is interesting that you state that Moneypoint was one of the most successful capital projects in Ireland. It was built by the ESB.Contrast that to another capital project carried out by the ESB . Gort Wind Farm. Which in 2017 had a "total comprehensive loss for the year" 2017 of €10.136m. The Vestas V 52 850 kilowatt wind turbines used on the site lasted from "2/25/09" to"6/13/16" in Denmark. Gort Wind Farm still has asset valuations of €19.641m left in their 2017 accounts. Clearly this €19.641m will be be written off.As in 2016 the wind farm was loss making.The ESB has similar problems with other of their wind farms . Being unable to recover their costs. The bland assumptions made by promoters of wind generation that all wind turbines will last 20+years . Indeed some say that they have discovered ways that wind turbines can last 30+ years. Is not borne out in reality.Recent research has identified significant technology issues with these wide hubbed multi megawatt wind turbines . Such a premature component failure, too much power in the blades during wind turbulent conditions causing Transitional Torque Reversals wrecking wind turbine transmissions.Another significant issue referred to in the Swedish Accident report is that the full extent of wind shear over forest or uneven topography has only being quantified recently.Meaning that most installed wind turbines are not designed to cope fully with their expected operating conditions. There are also fundamental issues relating to the scalability of the Danish Concept 3 bladed wind turbine.The historic Danish Data suggests that 300 kilowatts is as about as high as you can scale up the technology whilst maintaining the performance of the earliest 22 kilowatt and other smaller capacity wind turbines. Apologist for wind generation are using ideology to support it not science.The Soviet Union had such a political correct collective approach to science. It was organised by Trofin Lysenko to gain influence with Stalin and the Communist Polit Bureau. He was wrong his science failed causing massive famines.Wrecking proven technology and relying on unproven technology is not all that clever. The consequences could be severe for the general population.
ReplyDeleteThe Greens have twisted this closure as a victory for them. Virtually every discussion on this subject involves an acceptance that neither wind nor solar work as currently deployed. It then progresses to a consideration of alternatives to fuel and storage. Some just ask for it to be considered, others assert forcibly that wave, tidal, hydrogen, bio fuel, cash for Ash are obvious ways to go. It’s always with the taxpayer footing the bill for each experiment with no accountability for failures.
ReplyDeleteIt begs the question of how did the world’s universities get it so wrong. After all they teach the methods of calculating everything for calorific value of fuels, counting money, acidic values and so on. There is a refusal to accept that nature places two obvious constraints of the dreams of man. There is no easy (or perhaps difficult) way for man to get to other worlds in space and there is no easy way to power our world without fossil fuel.
In the summer 2018 in Europe, there were 5 months of virtually no wind at all. It takes 81,600 MWh of power to power Ireland for day, How much would it take to power it for 5 months. No more than 60% non synchronous power can be used at any one time. The company planning compressed air storage in County Antrim has gone belly up after getting 92 million euros for taxpayers, it was a ridiculous scheme to begin with. There is no need for any experimentation, there is adequate information available in engineering text books to assess all ideas without physically building a prototype. Ireland’s 3,000 plus MWs of wind energy is a failed prototype.
Meanwhile the French (having elected Macron in the full knowledge of his intentions) are now rioting in protest of their immediate and more extreme impending poverty and the deprivations it is bringing on them and their families. They are discovering the hard way that elections have consequences. It has already claimed lives and injuries. The industrial world was built by engineers and renovators who conceived their idea and developed it independently of government. Newcome, Watt, Tesla, Ford, Ferguson, John Deere, Marconi and Frank Whittle did the job and it is people such as they who will solve today’s problems. Until they are let do it there will be a litany of costly mistakes resulting in social and political upheaval.
If the damage to conventional generators is actually caused by intermittent wind, the dream of 100% renewables powering Ireland may become a dark reality.
Politicians will no more have the nerve to impose carbon tax or increase diesel tax than they had to impose water charges. The Minister for Climate Action is tasked with making soothing sounds while he sits on his hands, and that is what he is doing most effectively. As a farming nation that is dependent on beef and dairy, any other action will collapse the economy. And sorry about the Maldives, but there is nothing sustainable about building 130 resorts on stilts to attract 1½ million tourists a year.
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. I absolutely love this website.
ReplyDeleteContinue the good work!
Too much intermittent unreliable renewable energy in the energy mix destabilises electricity grids leading to 'security of supply' issues that can potentially cause Brown Outs, increased requirement for managed Blackouts/Load Shedding Agreements and can even lead to full blown cascading Blackouts.
ReplyDeleteFrom the following press release it seems that the EU Commission has perhaps finally realised that Europe is dangerously flying the Industrial Renewables Energy Programme and without any parachute or safety net.
And so there are plans emerging to put in place EU Regulations requiring EU State Members to prepare Risk Preparedness Plans for Electricity Blackouts.
'European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete welcomes the political agreement on a proposal to improve the EU's risk preparedness in the electricity sector (22nd November 2018)
"With today's deal, Europeans will be better protected against black-outs. It will ensure that all Member States put in place appropriate tools to prevent, prepare for and manage crisis situations in the supply of electricity. Even when markets and systems function well, the risk of an emergency due to unforeseen circumstances cannot be excluded. Such situations can be managed more effectively through cross border co-ordination in a spirit of solidarity among neighbours.”
The new Regulation will provide new common methods for the identification of possible electricity crisis scenarios at national and regional levels; ensure maximum preparedness against electricity crises and effective management thereof through the preparation and publication of risk-preparedness plans by Member States developed on the basis of the electricity crisis scenarios identified; help national authorities prevent and manage crisis situations in cooperation with each other in a spirit of solidarity; set up a new framework for a more systematic monitoring of security of supply issues via the Electricity Coordination Group; and ensure that markets can work as long as possible.
Following this political agreement, the text of the Regulation will have to be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council. Once endorsed by both co-legislators in the coming months, the Regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the Union and will immediately enter into force.'
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-18-6533_en.htm
Coupla points to make here. Firstly, frequency control and the need to catch power stations that fall over can be managed by big batteries. The world's Biggest Big Battery, the Hornsdale Power Reserve does both and spectacularly successfully. It makes about EUR18 million a year for the French energy company Neoen, has driven down FCAS prices by 90% (ninety percent) in the first four months of operation (no more need for gas fired plants. Well, not if you have enough Big Batteries anyway) and has saved the Australian taxpayer untold millions a year. Longer term despatchable power can be provided by feeding intermittent power into off-river pumped hydro storage. If you are in any way open minded about this, I urge you to read up on it. There is no need for coal anymore. None.
ReplyDelete