The Renewables Project

[scooterscot]

Toby Smith discusses arty stuff about Scotland's renewable energy stations.

He missed out on an opportunity to show pictures of Cruachan turbine hall Visit Cruachan

Visited many moons ago, the hall is the size of a football pitch deep inside the mountain and is about as humid as tropics, hence the weird plants even when it's snowing outside.

Loch sloy, lost count how many time I passed that station as dad drove up the road.

[scooterscot]

Cruachan can generate 440MW of power and can produce electricity in just two minutes from cold!

[TimberWolf]

Built in the 1960s and presumably still going strong. I suppose strictly speaking it's not renewable energy, apart from the 10% rainwater the dam receives. More of a green/renewable battery.

[scooterscot]

Even nuclear power stations cannot stay online for 50 years. Cruachan pump the water back up on the cheap. It's the station that gets a phone call to power up when Eastenders finishes...

[TimberWolf]

I wish they'd get the Severn barrage built. But big time. Wonder of the world stuff that would last a thousands years big time. Attract tourists big time. Generate a good fraction (5% or so) of our electrical needs big time (and perhaps serve as a battery too). Could be seen from space (whatever that means) big time. Such a waste of á natural resource. It might flood parts of Wales too. Admittedly it would be more expensive than oil currently. But much more exciting.

[scooterscot]

lack of foresight is unfortunate - big time.

Low maintenance, safe, cheap to operate and reliable. The only large cost is upfront thereafter cost next to nothing. Where are the victorians when you need them...