Windpower

[The Natural Philosopher]

Especially if the AA dont get there in time

[John Rumm]

Sorry, must have missed that. I always thought the plan was multiple generating plant, not just one big power station.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Really? Care to provide figures?

Ah - *just* energy again. The blinkered view.

And you can't see further than the end of your nose.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

You've rather missed the point that this wasn't the case with this power cut.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Keep banging the drum. There is a simple answer to everything in your little world. And you are never wrong.

Don't you find it odd that no country in the world seems to agree with you?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Eggs, John. Not egg.

[Roger Hayter]

The point that there would be a net loss of energy involved in extracting and then using hydrogen is not blinkered. Indeed, ignoring this would be barking mad.

[Robin]

Basket, not eggs.

[The Natural Philosopher]

baskets, not basket

[Dave Plowman (News)]

OK then. How would you translate eggs and basket in this case?

Multiple grids from one generator? ;-)

[Andy Burns]

e.g Hinkley C would count as two 1630MW eggs in one basket.

[Robin]

Quite.

There is a possible argument that replicating the /same/ nuclear power station would be "one basket" because of the risk of a fatal design flaw emerging. C.f. lack of genetic diversity in e.g. bananas. At present though...chance would be a fine thing?

[whisky-dave]

What's needed in this is a basket case ;-) to hold all the baskets.

[John Rumm]

I thought we were discussing baskets...

[The Natural Philosopher]

Not really.

It woudl be two compeletely separaqte power stations sharing only a perimeter fence

[The Natural Philosopher]

What is te risk that a fatal design flaw would result in both sides being shut down within minutes? None

[Andy Burns]

Do power stations that are split into "units" have totally separate interconnects/switchyards/whatever?

[The Natural Philosopher]

depends what you mean by 'interconnects'

Typically ther are at least two trunk EHT routes leading from a power station and of course they (the reator/turbines assys) are independently switched

[Steve Walker]

Not at all. I was not saying what failed this time, I was simply pointing out one simple, single point of failure that can apply to *all* wind power at the same time. Similarly, night is a single point for solar power.

No other forms of energy have such a single point vulnerability.

You could argue that coal, gas or diesel are subject to disruption to supplies from abroad, but that would only reduce availability, not remove it completely, we have a (small) reserve and supplies can be routed from elsewhere.

SteveW

[Robin]

I had in mind a flaw that required all Model X reactors to be shut down without delay for inspection (c.f. Boeing's current little difficulties). Probability very small indeed but with a massive impact if X is all we've got.