NUCLEAR – Small could be Greener

Many of us are aware of nuclear energy’s destructive power, but could it also hold the secret to greener energy. With much of the United States depending on coal-fired plants, there have been mass calls for renewable green energy. With this at hand, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently approved tiny nuclear reactor designs.

Rita Baranwal, assistant secretary for Nuclear Energy at the Department of Energy, expressed enthusiasm regarding small modular reactions (SMRs) stating that it will be a cheaper solution while providing context-sensitive nuclear power that can cater to the growing needs of the majority.

Since its establishment in the early 1950s, nuclear power reactors have grown from a measly 60 MWe to over 1600 MWe. Small modular reactors, generally producing 300 MWe are designed to be smaller, cheaper, and safer than conventional reactors.

 

 

In 1942, Enrico Fermi, along with engineers from the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, designed one of the first few designs for nuclear reactors such as commercial boiling-water reactors. Argonne spearheaded the nuclear energy boom. However, like many inventions, not every design survived the passing of time.

Today, the high interest in SMRs stems from the simplicity it presents and the desire to reduce carbon emissions while providing power to larger grid systems.

Compared to traditional coal-fired plants that are old, costly, and main sources of carbon emissions, small nuclear reactors supply carbon-free energy for a smaller cost.

Within the past three decades, there has been no new nuclear construction in the United States. This is why the approval of NuScale’s designs are a significant “milestone not just for the company but for the

With a mission to continuously provide smarter, cleaner, and safer nuclear energy, NuScale is developing new SMRs that aims to supply carbon-free nuclear energy.

In 2019, NuScale, a small modular reactor startup from Oregon, signified its interest to pursue greener energy with the help of the Department of Energy. Despite being 1% the size of traditional coal-fired power plants, NuScale can deliver up to 10% of a plant’s power output.

With the help of roughly $300 million from the U.S Department of Energy research and development for a small nuclear reactor was possible. Compared to traditional power plants that require a 10-mile safety radius, SMRs can be built and operated in a close quarter with much lower risks of meltdowns.

Despite the boom in small modular reactors, we have to look forward to 2027 where NuScale is set to debut its first project. In partnership with the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, a small state-based organization that provides wholesale electricity to small communities in the surrounding states. NuScale is set to deliver its first small nuclear reactor to the UAMPS by 2027, which is set to be fully operational by 2029

 

Source: The Science Times

 

 

 

 

 

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185 HOMES SHIPPED FROM YORKSHIRE TO BRISTOL

Planning consent has been granted for Legal & General Modular Homes to build 185 homes in Bristol – after they are shipped in from a factory in Yorkshire.

The scheme, which has been developed in conjunction with Bristol City Council, will see two-, three- and four- bedroom houses along with one- and two-bedroom apartments developed on land at Bonnington Walk in Lockleaze.

Half the homes will be affordable housing and it is intended that these become part of Bristol City Council’s affordable housing stock.

All homes have been designed to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) “A” rating, a standard met by only about 1% of new and existing dwellings in England and Wales, and the site master plan has been created which will deliver a net biodiversity gain following the development of this site.

Legal & General’s modular housing business has continued to grow, now employing more than 300 team members. Since May 2020, it has secured planning approval for nearly 350 homes, as it moves towards delivering 3,000 homes a year at maturity.

From its factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet in Yorkshire, Legal & General Modular Homes is providing an innovative approach to the design, production and construction of homes, driving up quality, efficiency and productivity to deliver highly energy efficient sustainable homes.

At Bonnington Walk, Legal & General will deliver a full development proposition; from buying land, developing the product and managing the planning application through to delivery.

Worth an estimated £40billion to the UK, the modular construction sector is transforming and helping standardise the way homes are built.

With the importance of quality housing having been emphasised over successive lockdowns, modular construction is offering an impactful solution, supporting UK jobs and helping to meet the Government’s objective to build more affordable, carbon-friendly housing, Legal & General said.

 

 

Legal & General’s modular housing factory offers multi-skilled employment opportunities, including across design, finance, engineering, procurement, construction and production.

The Bonnington Walk scheme has been brought forward in collaboration with Bristol City Council and consulted on widely by the community.

It represents an important new development in Bristol where Legal & General already has a significant interest through a £240million stake in the regeneration of Temple Quarter, a “build-to-rent” development and a proposed major mixed-use scheme on Temple Island.

Together with Bonnington Walk these schemes provide a springboard for a long-term partnership with Bristol City Council, helping it deliver a large proportion of the 16,000 new homes required across the city, Legal & General emphasises.

As well as providing much-needed homes, the proposed development at Bonnington Walk will see improvements made to adjoining areas of the site as part of a long-term plan for investing in Lockleaze.

New allotment patches and accessible green open space will be introduced to complement the existing community orchard, a new local community hub will be built, and walking, cycling and road improvements will be made.

William has more than a decade’s experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West.

Rosie Toogood, chief executive of Legal & General Modular Homes, said:

“Using modular construction, Legal & General will be able to deliver much needed, high quality and sustainable homes that are affordable in half the time of traditional methods.

“In a post pandemic environment, the availability of affordable homes – set within beautiful open spaces – which create a well-connected local community will be more important than ever before.

“Our journey to revolutionise the UK’s construction industry is well underway, and planning consent at Bonnington Walk, Bristol is testament to this.

“With planning permission for 350 homes this year, the business is making great steps forward. This Bristol scheme, along with our consented scheme in Selby, will really showcase the benefits of modern modular construction.”

Cllr Nicola Beech, cabinet member for strategic design and city planning at Bristol City Council, said: “I’m pleased that members have voted to approve planning permission for affordable housing at Bonnington Walk. The development will provide a boost to biodiversity in the area, including making a contribution towards a new allotment.

“As part of the Bristol Housing Festival and Innovate UK project, this new scheme proves that by doing things a little differently we can deliver much-needed affordable, sustainable new homes in Bristol.”

 

Source: Business Live

 

 

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AIR POLLUTION – ‘Architects can do better’

India has the world’s worst air pollution. Home to 21 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities, its toxic air kills more than one million people each year.

That’s partly because the South Asian nation is the world’s second largest brick producer. Brick kilns — which account for 20% of black carbon emissions globally — make a significant contribution to its terrible air.

Indian architect Tejas Sidnal was shocked to discover the construction industry’s role in the pollution crisis. “That was a crazy eye opener,” he says. “As architects, we are responsible for so much air pollution. We can do better.”

Determined to make construction more sustainable and tackle India’s air pollution, Sidnal launched Carbon Craft Design in 2019. The startup takes black carbon extracted from polluted air and upcycles it to make stylish, handcrafted building tiles.

The air shrouding India’s cities often contains dangerously high levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which has been linked to lung and heart disease and can impair cognitive and immune functions. In 2019, New Delhi declared a public health emergency after suffering record levels of smog.

PM2.5 includes black carbon, a substance which can absorb one million times more energy from the sun than carbon dioxide in the days or weeks it stays in the atmosphere.

Reducing pollutants such as black carbon could help slow global warming and improve air quality, experts say. Many companies are exploring the commercial potential of capturing carbon dioxide emissions, but few are focused on black carbon, according to Sidnal.

“We found a way to add value to this recovered carbon by using it as a pigment in carbon tiles,” he says.

Building with pollution

To create the carbon tiles, Carbon Craft Design partnered with Graviky Labs, an Indian company that previously created “Air Ink,” a technology that captures carbon soot from cars and factories, and converts it into ink and paint.

This mural in Hong Kong was painted by the artist Caratoes, using Graviky Lab’s “Air Ink.” Credit: courtesy caratoes

Carbon Craft Design’s floor tiles, made with black carbon extracted from dirty air, could help to combat India’s air pollution crisis. Scroll through to see other technologies that could transform the construction sector: Carbon Craft Design

Graviky Labs uses a filter device to capture carbon soot from diesel exhaust and fossil fuel generators, removes contaminants such as heavy metals and dust from the soot, and gives the purified carbon to Carbon Craft Design in powder form.

 

 

 

 

 

“Graviky Labs views pollution as a resource,” company founder Anirudh Sharma tells CNN. “We are one of only a few companies in the world to capture these carbon emissions and turn them into new materials.”

Carbon Craft Design mixes the captured carbon with cement and marble waste from quarries to produce monochromatic tiles. Sidnal says the company aims to ensure each tile contains at least 70% waste material. It sells the tiles to architects and retailers for $29 per square meter — a high price compared to regular ceramic tiles.

 

As the company scales up production, Sidnal hopes to lower prices and produce a cheaper range of carbon tiles. “We want to hit the affordable sector,” he says. “Sustainability is not only for the elite.”

Carbon Craft Design uses a hydraulic press to mold carbon, marble and cement into a monochromatic tile. Credit: Carbon Craft Design

Since launching its first tiles a year ago, Carbon Craft Design’s customers have included global fashion brands and architecture firms in India. In November 2020, the company retrofitted an Adidas store in Mumbai, covering the walls and the floor with its carbon tiles.

Architect Manan Gala, whose firm Bombay Contractors designed the Adidas store, describes the carbon tile as a “winner” for the construction industry. As well as being sustainable, “the product has better strength than conventional cement tiles due to the carbon content, and the raw and rustic feel adds to the overall charm,” he says.

Carbon Craft Design is currently raising investment and hopes to start distribution in Europe this year, says Sidnal, adding that “we are swamped with inquiries from in and out of India.”

 

Source: CNN

www.carboncraftdesign.com

 

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THE LARGEST WINDFARM IN THE WORLD

SSE Renewables, together with its 50:50 joint venture partner, Equinor, has reached financial close on the first two phases of what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm.

The two companies are proceeding with the first two phases of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a ground-breaking project off the north east coast of England which, once all three phases are complete in March 2026, will be the largest in the world.

Each phase has a capacity of 1,200MW and will generate around 6,000GWh annually. In total, Dogger Bank will produce enough clean, renewable electricity to supply 5% of the UK’s demand, equivalent to powering six million UK homes each year.

The funding of the development of Dogger Bank A and B represents the largest ever offshore wind project financing anywhere in the world and SSE’s expected equity investment forms part of its £7.5 billion investment programme to March 2025, the renewables element of which will double its renewables output by 2025.

Total investment in the first two phases of the project will be around £6 billion and has already secured the creation of 320 new skilled jobs for the North East of England associated with the development and operation of the wind farm, with more to come as construction ramps up.

 

 

 

Dogger Bank Wind Farm is the largest of SSE Renewables’ projects currently in construction. SSE Renewables is currently also leading the construction of the Seagreen offshore wind farm (1,075MW, SSE Renewables share 49%), which will be Scotland’s largest on completion, and the wholly-owned Viking wind farm (443MW), the UK’s most productive onshore wind farm. Together these flagship renewable energy projects are driving SSE Renewables’ significant growth to 2025 and demonstrate the quality and value of its development portfolio.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE Chief Executive, said: “We are proud to be leading on the construction and development of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which has been 10 years in the making. We are putting our money where our mouth is on delivering net zero and reinforcing the UK’s position as a world leader. This investment will help drive a green recovery from coronavirus through the project’s construction over the next five years, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

“Achieving financial close for the first two phases of the world’s largest wind farm is a huge accomplishment and, alongside reaching Seagreen 1 financial close earlier this year, represents significant progress towards achieving our goal of trebling our renewable output by 2030.”

Pål Eitrheim, Equinor EVP of New Energy Solutions, said: “Reaching financial close on the two first phases of Dogger Bank is a major milestone, demonstrating our commitment to profitable growth within offshore wind. The extensive interest from lenders, underpins the attractiveness of UK offshore wind assets and confidence in SSE and Equinor. As the wind farm’s future operator, we are proud to take this big step forward in delivering what will be the backbone of a growing wind hub in the North Sea. Through the sheer scale of the project we have delivered record-low contract prices for the UK market, and as operator of the wind farm we will continue to deliver value to the UK for years to come.”

 

www.sse.com

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Can Modular tackle Oxford’s Housing Crisis

MORE than 2,500 factory-made low carbon houses could be pumped out in Oxford in the near future.

The new homes could be modular, meaning they would be made of pre-assembled pieces a bit like giant LEGO, and must also help to reduce the carbon emissions caused by buildings in the city.

Oxford City Council’s own housing company Oxford City Housing Ltd (OCHL) is looking for contractors interested in helping it to deliver the homes across Oxfordshire in the next 10 years.

To prepare the way for the new houses, the company has issued a prior information notice inviting developers to a ‘meet the buyer’ event, due to take place today (Tuesday, December 15).

Ahead of the meeting, Alex Hollingsworth, the city council cabinet member for planning and housing delivery, said: “Oxfordshire needs high quality, low carbon homes and we’re interested in working with contractors that can manufacture offsite with good economies of scale.

“If you’re a builder who wants to know how we intend to deliver more than 2,500 new homes in the next decade and are interested in being part of that journey, please register for our ‘meet the buyer’ event on December 15.”

 

 

The aim of the event is for the council and OCHL to update developers on their programme and understand the market options available to help deliver more low carbon homes that can be built more quickly and with fewer defects while controlling costs.

OCHL is starting the process of establishing a £750m modular construction framework for new housing schemes.

To do this, it aims to acquire and develop 2,245 new homes on sites across Oxfordshire in the next 10 years, with 1,124 of these being homes for social rent and a further 301 shared ownership and other intermediate tenures.

The council and housing company aim to open up the new framework to other social landlords and deliver more than 2,500 homes in total.

OCHL and the council are currently looking at four options for delivering sustainable homes.

  • The first option is a 40 per cent carbon reduction from 2013 building regulations.
  • The second is a drastic 70 per cent carbon reduction from 2013 building regulations.
  • The third is to develop to a Passivhaus equivalent standard, which is the highest environmental standard.
  • And the fourth is the option of zero carbon for both regulated and unregulated energy: that is fittings like lights and the boiler which are in every house, and plug-in goods like toasters and desk lamps which people can bring into a house.

OCHL is going to consider bidders for creating the new modular houses between January and June 2021.

Opposition councillors welcomed the call for more green housing, but also warned more could be done.

Lib Dem councillor Tom Landell-Mills said: “Oxford Lib Dems welcome moves by the city council to deliver low carbon housing – however the Labour city council are suffering from a lack of ambition and should be using their position as a house builder to specify new housing to zero carbon or passivhaus standards.

“The city council voted unanimously to become a zero carbon by 2030, the city will not meet this target unless we adopt challenging and ambitious targets. ”

And Oxford’s Green Party said the the procurement of ‘anything other than zero carbon housing is incompatible with the City Council’s own stated carbon targets’.

Green councillor Dick Wolff said: “The council’s own research, commissioned as part of the Citizen’s Assembly, clearly states that every new home must be zero carbon if the City is to have any chance of becoming net zero carbon.  To even consider procuring anything else shows a lack of ambition and commitment.”

He argued only two of the options on the table – the ‘passivhaus’ and  ‘zero carbon for regulated and unregulated energy’ options – would support a ‘genuinely zero carbon future’

The Greens also criticised the council for not requiring either passivhaus or zero carbon (regulated and unregulated loads) new housing and said developers would still be able ‘to build unsustainable housing’, even if the council committed to higher standards.

Though Oxford City Council’s Local Plan does not immediately require developers to build homes with a higher environmental standard, it does raise the bar for housebuilders in future years.

Modular houses have been touted as part of the solution for tackling the housing crisis by quickly building lots of homes.

A 16-home modular housing project was recently started in Lancashire, and another in Bristol.

 

Source: Oxford Mail

 

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Six MMC firms chosen for £400m housing framework

Winners include Impact Capital, Melius Homes and Totally Modular

Six offsite builders have been selected for a place on a £400m framework to build homes for housing associations.

Modular builders on the offsite housing framework include the newly formed Impact Modular, and Melius Homes, set up by Zero Carbon Hub founder David Adams and Willmott Dixon energy services boss Robert Lambe.

The four-year framework has been set up by Manchester-based Procure Plus, which calls it the Offsite Manufacture and Construction of Housing framework, and is designed to be used by any UK register provider (RP).

The other firms on the list are Jan Snel UK Ltd, M-AR Offsite, OSCO Homes and Totally Modular.

Procure Plus, which operates a number of frameworks and other procurement solutions for more than 75 housing associations and local authorities, said the framework covered standard house types. RPs will be able to use it to access contractors who can both design and manufacture the houses as well as actually deliver the homes on site.

While the firm said it has no specific pipeline of schemes for the framework at the moment, it expected demand to be in the region of £400m of construction over the four years.

Robert Whitton, founder and chief executive of Impact Capital Group said he was “so pleased” to have been appointed under this framework, which came after the firm – set up earlier in 2020 with the purchase of Lesko Modular (pictured) – was one of a number appointed to the £2bn Central Housing Investment Consortium contract.

Whitton said: “We are really excited to have the opportunity to contribute to a positive change in how housing is delivered, building the homes that Britain needs whilst assisting in the transition to net zero carbon housing by combining digital design, intelligent technology and offsite construction techniques to manufacture homes.”

 

Source: Housing Today

 

 

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From Shipping container to luxury home

Innovative use of shipping containers characterizes this home design.

Some of the most innovative work in home design happening right now is being undertaken with an unexpected medium: shipping containers. A 2019 article in Dwell helped explain why — they’re durable and modular, meaning that you can easily create a cozy or spacious home or office with them as the base. And, over the last few years, shipping container homes have found a growing audience.

There are shipping container homes, and then there’s the Starburst House, designed by Whitaker Studio. An article at Business Insider notes that this distinctive home is on the market for $3.5 million, with construction on it due to begin next year. It’s spacious, distinctive and located near Joshua Tree National Park. Oh, and it’s made from 21 shipping containers.

“The home’s exoskeleton of cuboid forms emanate in all directions oriented to capture the sheer beauty of the vistas, sky and desert-scape,” reads the listing for the house from realtors Engel & Völkers.

The house features a trio of bathrooms and solar panels capable of powering the entire place. It was originally commissioned by film producer Chris Hanley, who has a penchant for distinctive architecture — he’s also one of the people behind the nearby Invisible House, which resembles a horizontally-aligned skyscraper.

It’s not hard to see the appeal of Starburst House, both via its innovative use of pre-existing objects and for how that design works to showcase the stunning landscape that will surround the building. And it’s a truly unique space to boot.

Source: InsideHook

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EUROBRICK FOR MODULAR SCHOOLS INNOVATION

Green Park Village Primary Academy

Leading brick slip cladding specialist, Eurobrick, has been supplying its systems to the education sector for 30 years and, more recently, with offsite construction specialist Reds10 to supply two new school projects in Reading; Green Park Village Primary Academy and Addington School.

Green Park Village Primary Academy is a new two-storey primary school that is situated within a new housing development of 1400 homes. Designed and built using a steel framed volumetric modular design, the 2,400m2 school project also benefits from SMART building technology to create an energy efficient space.

Eurobrick’s P-Clad system was chosen as part of a number of finishes for the exterior, with around 1200m2 installed with specially cut 22mm thick Vandersanden Corum brick slips and corners and Eurobrick’s specially formulated Europoint mortar in Light Sandstone.

The development was shortlisted for two categories at the Offsite Awards and one at the Building Awards 2020.

Addington School is for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. They needed to expand capacity due to an increase in applications, so Wokingham Borough Council embarked on a project to create a new space for Sixth Form pupils which would allow an additional 50 places at the school.

This 1000m2 steel framed volumetric modular design was created by HLM Architects and delivered by Reds10. Around 512m2 of P-Clad was installed with specially cut 22mm Olivier Karma White Grey stock brick slips and finished with Light Grey Europoint mortar. Whole bricks were also supplied for landscaping works.

The school won the School Procurement Awards and the Education Business Awards 2020.

P-Clad has proved very popular in the education sector with schools and universities alike. It is specially designed so that it can be fixed directly to steel frame structures as well as other batten or bracket systems, and is ideal for providing a brick finish rainscreen on prefabricated structures. As well as being extensively tested to achieve BBA certification, P-Clad is LABC registered and comes with Eurobrick’s own 25 year product guarantee.

These eye-catching buildings provide essential spaces for education that are sustainable and innovative in their design and delivery and show the quality and versatility that modular construction can offer.

You can find out more about Eurobrick’s systems and products at www.eurobrick.co.uk.

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Nuclear needed in future Dutch energy mix, says EPZ

The existing Borssele nuclear power plant (Image: EPZ)

EPZ, operator of the Borssele nuclear power plant, has called for an extension to its operation beyond 2033 and/or the construction of two new large reactors at the site in order to help the Netherlands meet its energy and climate goals. The company’s director, Carlo Wolters, presented EPZ’s vision yesterday at a parliamentary debate on the role of nuclear power in the Dutch energy system.

Nuclear power has a small role in the Dutch electricity supply, with the 485 MWe (net) Borssele pressurised water reactor providing about 3% of total generation. The plant was built by Siemens and has been in operation since 1973. It is scheduled to close in 2033.

In a position paper published on 28 November, EPZ said electrification in many areas of the energy sector will lead to a sharp rise in power demand in the Netherlands over the next 15 years. “EPZ foresees that all climate-neutral electricity sources must be used for to meet this increasing electricity demand,” it said.

“As far as EPZ is concerned, nuclear energy is also in the future under certain conditions one of these climate neutral sources …  Two options (or a combination thereof) are obvious,” it said. These are an extension to the operation of the existing Borssele reactor and/or the construction of two new reactors on the same site.

EPZ said it wants to investigate, together with the government, what the technical-economic preconditions are for an extension after 2033 of the current Borssele reactor. An operating time extension of 10 to 20 years is possible, it said. It noted that a letter from EPZ about this had already been sent to Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Eric Wiebes and the House of Representatives. Any market risk must be covered in the business case for the extension, EPZ said.

EPZ is in favour of constructing two new 1500 MWe reactors at Borssele before the mid-1930s. It said a precondition is the choice of a proven (and licensed) reactor design of which the permit and consultation processes can be completed on time. Subsequently, during the construction no changes to design and regulations are made. Finally it is necessary that any market risk in the business case is covered by the government.

“With an adequate project progression, the costs of a new Generation III reactor are between EUR8 and EUR10 billion and the construction time is about eight years,” EPZ said.

With a combination of these two options, by the mid-2030s the installed climate-neutral capacity at Borssele could be about 3500 MWe, with an availability of 90%, EPZ said. This would be sufficient to meet about 25% of current Dutch electricity demand.

“A fully climate-neutral energy system by 2050 remains within reach, even if electricity consumption continues to increase,” it said. If it keeps the existing Borssele reactor operating and constructs two new ones, the emission of about 13 megatonnes of carbon dioxide will be avoided, it added.

However, EPZ said government support will be needed for nuclear new build to be an option. The government must set financial and political-social frameworks (permits, financial guarantees and sureties). “This gives investors the guarantee that investments made over the long exploitation period can be recouped from a nuclear power plant.” It added, “Only the government can set and monitor the necessary frameworks.”

The Netherlands is considering the expansion of nuclear power in its energy mix, according to a letter Wiebes submitted to the Dutch parliament in September, together with a report by consultants Enco. The cabinet is now preparing a motion requesting that the country holds a market consultation to assess commercial interest in nuclear new build.

 

Source: World Nuclear News

 

 

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Biggest offshore wind farm set for construction in the UK

Image credit: Dogger Bank

The project will have three phases and will power up six million homes per year

 

The UK, already the world’s leader in offshore wind, is getting ready to start construction of what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind park, Dogger Bank. The British utility company SSE and the Norwegian energy firm Equinor agreed to invest $8 billion in the project, which will be used to build the first two phases.

Dogger Bank is an isolated sandbank within the central to southern North Sea spanning UK, German, Danish and Dutch waters. The area was a landmass connecting the UK to mainland Europe. As the sea level rose after the last ice age, Dogger Bank became an island before being completely covered by water about 8,000 years ago.

The wind farm is being developed in three phases, Dogger Bank A, Dogger Bank B, and Dogger Bank C, located between 130km and 190km from the North East coast of England. Collectively they will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm. Each phase will have an installed generation capacity of up to 1.2 gigawatts (GW).

The construction of the first two phases, with 2.4 GW capacity, will be financed by a group of 29 banks and three credit export agencies. They will be built at the same time starting in 2021 to maximize the synergies due to their geographical proximity and make use of common technology and contractors.

The project will be the first to feature the 13MW General Electric (GE) Haliade-X, the largest wind turbine in the world. One rotation of the Haliade-X is estimated to power a British home for two days. Once completed, Dogger Bank will power up to six million homes annually in the UK, equivalent to 5% of the country’s electricity demand.

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Alistair Phillips-Davies, SSE Chief Executive, said in a statement: “We are putting our money where our mouth is on delivering net-zero and reinforcing the UK’s position as a world leader. This investment will help drive a green recovery from coronavirus through the project’s construction over the next five years.”

The UK is already the world leader in offshore wind, with more installed capacity than any other country. Offshore wind now powers the equivalent of 4.5 million homes per year and in many areas, wind is now the lowest cost option for new power in the UK, cheaper than new fossil fuel or nuclear power projects.

UK Primer Minister Boris Johnson announced this year a plan for offshore wind to power every home in the UK by 2030. This will require a $66 billion in investment and the equivalent of one turbine to be installed every weekday for the whole of the next decade, an analysis by Aurora Energy Research.

“Your kettle, your washing machine, your cooker, your heating, your plug-in electric vehicle – the whole lot of them will get their juice cleanly and without guilt from the breezes that blow around these islands,” Johnson said in a press conference in October, as part of a “build back greener” initiative.

Source: ZME science

 

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