Diesel Fights Back

As it says on the tin, General and off Topic area, talk about anything in here (within reason!)
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Paulc
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Paulc »

The Dutch railway system is now powered 100% by wind energy: "Since 1 January, 100% of our trains are running on wind energy,” said NS spokesman Dutch electricity company Eneco won a tender offered by NS two years ago and the two companies signed a 10-year deal setting January 2018 as the date by which all NS trains should run on wind energy. In fact reached our goal a year earlier than planned, an increase in the number of wind farms across the country and off the coast of the Netherlands had helped NS achieve its aim. Eneco and NS said on a joint website that around 600,000 passengers daily are “the first in the world” to travel thanks to wind energy. NS operates about 5,500 train trips a day. One windmill running for an hour can power a train for 120 miles, the company said. They hope to reduce the energy used per passenger by a further 35% by 2020 compared with 2005.

It would be interesting to know what quality oil is used in our diesel train engines. Judging from idling trains at Euston the quality isn't great.
Big Daddy
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Big Daddy »

Ford Dagenham has installed a larger, more powerful third wind turbine, adding to the two turbines already on site. This new addition has doubled CO2 saving from 2,500 to 5,000 tonnes per year... :thumbs:

Increased production output of engines from Dagenham Diesel Centre, required the installation of this third turbine to remain 100% powered by wind-generated electricity.

http://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/A ... indTurbine
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Paulc
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Paulc »

Jaguar Land Rover are wanting big increases in local infrastructure to provide 12-15 gigawatts of additional power for the new production of electric cars in Coventry.

https://www.ft.com/content/fa59957c-b2a ... a01f1b0fa1
Big Daddy
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Big Daddy »

Paulc wrote:Jaguar Land Rover are wanting big increases in local infrastructure to provide 12-15 gigawatts of additional power for the new production of electric cars in Coventry.

https://www.ft.com/content/fa59957c-b2a ... a01f1b0fa1
Thanks Paul :thumbs: Link only gave FT subscription options, so here's Autocar's version:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/indus ... c-vehicles

And another which mentions infrastructure expansion to provide additional 12-15 gigawatts:
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars ... itain.html
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ian24ian
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by ian24ian »

Paulc
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Paulc »

In the last 10/15 years any flatted development in London has been more than encouraged by the planning authority to be as 'green' as possible. Generally reducing energy and water usage has been the order of the day (nothing wrong with that). The planners have wanted to do away with communal gas boilers and encourage developers to install wood pellet boilers. Most developers have played along with this just to appease the planners and get their approval. No amount of questioning on whether this policy made any sense hit home, the wood pellets were generally all imported from abroad, brought to the development in lorries and of course someone needed to be in attendance to take delivery. Most developers fitted a back up gas boiler which of course was used as the primary boiler due to the inconvenience of wood pellet boilers. I wonder now, with wood burning being a new baddie, what the planners views on communal heating systems are.
SteveClem
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by SteveClem »

Reminds me of when I was working in Ostrava (former Czechoslovakia) just after they became independent again. All the 'stalinist' style flats were serviced by district heating systems that ran on very poor quality coal. On a cold evening we heard a number of very loud bangs and crashes. This turned out to be iron manhole covers being shot into the air as a result of problems with one such system. Each open manhole was spewing a geyser of yellow sulphurous gas.
Our Czech hosts suggested wrapping a scarf over our mouths!
Big Daddy
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Big Daddy »

Paulc wrote:The planners have wanted to do away with communal gas boilers and encourage developers to install wood pellet boilers.
Got me intrigued by another topic now - just can't resist :roll: Discovered some pertinent data:

Installation - Big Penalty for Biomass
Biomass boilers start at about £7,000 for a 12kW domestic version, which is sufficient to provide heat and hot water for a 4-bed house. A comparably sized gas boiler will only cost £2500 to install. A bigger biomass boiler with an auto-feed hopper may cost closer to £12,000. Biomass boilers are much bigger than conventional boilers, since they will have to have some element of an auto-feed option. In the case of the baxi bioflo, it is 1.2m high, while a conventional gas boiler is half the size.

Fuel Costs - Comparable
Typical fuel prices (I like Mega Joules not kWh but never mind)
So per kWh: Gas 4.8p, Heating Oil 4.3p, Wood Pellets 4.5p

Emissions - Potentially Worse for Biomass
Using biomass as a fuel produces air pollution in the form of carbon monoxide, NOx (nitrogen oxides), VOCs (volatile organic compounds), particulates and other pollutants, in some cases at levels above those from traditional fuel sources such as coal or natural gas.

Thermal Efficiency - Comparable
Biomass boilers run at an efficiency of 89 – 91% (Trianco Greenflame – 91%; Angus Orlingo 500 – 92%), while the top-rated gas boilers similarly run between 88 – 91% efficiency (Baxi Duo-tec HEA 91%; Valiant Ecotec Plus series over 91%).

Well that only took a few minutes - wonder if Lambeth Council went into a similar shallow depth analysis, or was their decision just political :?:

Some links:
http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/tech/bioma ... s-boilers/
https://energy.gov/energysaver/wood-and-pellet-heating
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass_heating_system
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Paulc
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Paulc »

I'm not sure these decisions are political, but one of many cul de sacs the planners have run down over the years, just as we were persuaded to buy diesel cars. Grey water recycling is another example of an idea that sounds good, but in practice proves to be a management nightmare. Every planning application has to have a energy statement produced by some suitably expensive consultant and like most reports can be proven to prove the earth is flat, or whatever you want the report to state.

Some hopefully good news in London where all buses by 2019 all 3,100 of them in the central Ultra Low Emission will be Euro VI hybrid; expanding the ULEZ retrofit programme to up to 3,000 buses outside the central zone by 2020 (up from 800) and to 4,200 by 2021 (more than 5,000 in total);procuring only hybrid or zero-emission double-decker buses from 2018;create 12 Low Emission Bus Zones, operational by 2020, that will see NOx emissions along particular routes fall by more than 80 per cent; more than 3,100 double-deck buses operating in London to be hybrids by 2019.

Incidentally these reports always state the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution in London, the figures seemed to be plucked out of the (dirty) air. Interestingly the area the has one of the best life expectancy is Kensington & Chelsea (82.1 years)in Central London and the worst Glasgow (72.6)!
Big Daddy
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Big Daddy »

Paulc wrote:I'm not sure these decisions are political, but one of many cul de sacs the planners have run down over the years, just as we were persuaded to buy diesel cars. Grey water recycling is another example of an idea that sounds good, but in practice proves to be a management nightmare.
Biomass decision was neither pragmatic nor rational according to the data I found (ref above). So if not political (possibly with good intent) what was their motivation :?:

We seem to thrashing about in eco-anguish, jumping on the next environmental bandwagon, often taxing the population accordingly but achieving very little... :roll:

Paulc wrote:Every planning application has to have a energy statement produced by some suitably expensive consultant and like most reports can be proven to prove the earth is flat, or whatever you want the report to state.
Now there's a career opportunity... :thumbs:


Never doubt validity of the flat earth principle... :mrgreen:
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SteveClem
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by SteveClem »

Wasn't it supposed to be supported on the back of a giant turtle? Or did I imagine that?
SteveClem
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by SteveClem »

Maybe elephants? Or elephants helped by a turtle? Complete bo**ocks anyway. :D
Big Daddy
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Big Daddy »

Proof... :whistle:
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Paulc
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Paulc »

Letter in yesterday's Evening Standard from the Chair of the International DME Association claiming that Dimethyl Ether would be a suitable substitute for diesel.

"While I agree that diesel engines produce large amounts of pollution, the diesel engine is not to blame — the fuel is the problem. Diesel engines are powerful and reliable workhorses that simply need a clean-burning energy source to combust.

A practical fuel already exists that can replace diesel, eliminating the deadly emissions it produces. Volvo, Mack, Isuzu, Ford and other well-known engine and vehicle manufacturers have developed engines using dimethyl ether (“DME”). DME is a simple compound that can be made from a variety of methane sources and is non-toxic.

Replacing diesel fuel with DME in new and existing diesel engines is a more practical, less complex and time-consuming solution. As such, DME deserves consideration that is given to alternatives such as hybrid electric, hydrogen and CNG.

The cost to human health and lives demands an exploration of all options. We are confident that these benefits can be realised at a much lower cost than the alternatives".
Rebecca Boudreaux, Chair, International DME Association
Big Daddy
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Re: Diesel Fights Back

Post by Big Daddy »

Paulc wrote:Letter in yesterday's Evening Standard from the Chair of the International DME Association claiming that Dimethyl Ether would be a suitable substitute for diesel.
Intriguing and something I know nothing about. Must get on the case. Thanks Paul... :thumbs:
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