Ramblings of a 70-year old: electricity

Showing posts with label electricity. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Niagara Falls is a tourist attraction and there is a huge tunnel buried deep below the cascade that had been off-limits to visitors

The rocks beneath the Niagara Falls lies in the border between the US state of New York and Canada's province of Ontario. These rocks are honeycombed with chambers created to harness the powerful forces of the waterfall. There is a 2,198-foot tunnel, built more than a century ago on the Canadian side. It is now open to tourists. They can move about in the tunnel and see the awesome scale of these engineering marvels. Since July 2022, it has become a part of the decommissioned Niagara Parks Power Station tour. The tunnel in an example of the pioneering work that helped bring this corner of North America into the modern age. The power station operated from 1905 until 2006. It diverted water from the mighty Niagara River to run giant generators that electrified regional industry and contributed to the nearby Great Lakes port of Buffalo. It seems the region around the waterfall, was once a hub of activity for those who wanted to cash in on harnessing the power of water. A huge tunnel has opened below Niagara Falls.

Today, the Niagara Parks station is the world's only intact hydroelectric plant of its era. Before reaching the tunnel, visitors to the power station can see a scale model of the massive engineering works that went into converting the pounding waters into electricity. There is a glass elevator to take the visitors down to the bottom is the tunnel where the water exits. The tunnel itself is an engineering marvel. Thousands of workers excavated the shale beneath the main generating room. They used equipment like lanterns, dynamite, pickaxes and shovels. Incidentally, the tunnel resembles a fortress and they did it all without any electricity. A visit to the power station and tunnel takes around two hours. There is also an evening show involving an overnight halt. Niagara Falls is a place of natural beauty and an example of how natural forces continue to shape our modern lives.

Sunday, November 6, 2022

By 2028, Singapore will welcome a near 1000 feet skyscraper known as 8 Shenton Way

This height of this skyscraper will be 984 feet and offer offices, a hotel and 34 floors of luxury residences. It will be known as 8 Shenton Way and occupy 1.6 million square feet of floor space. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), the US architects behind Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, have designed the new tower in Singapore. The project envisages more than 107,000 square feet of elevated green space. These will have plants chosen specifically to attract birds and butterflies. More than half of the site's landscaped areas will be accessible to the public. SOM design principal Nic Medrano said at a press conference - "We want to create places that are comfortable, where people want to be and are healthy." He added that all occupants would be able to "access nature" within "three or four floors." Moreover, this will be among Asia's "most sustainable" skyscrapers. Once in operation, the consumption of electricity would be 55 percent less than is required to achieve the local government's highest sustainability rating. Plans for Singapore's first 'supertall' skyscraper unveiled.

Incidentally, the skyscraper will come up on a site currently occupied by another tower that opened in 1986. Demolition work has started and the new building will make use of portions of the existing foundation. Such a move would "save material... and lower the carbon footprint of the building from the get-go." Singapore is one of the world's most densely populated countries. However, its skyline is relatively low-rise compared to cities like Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Singapore is less than half the size of London and has two civilian airports and multiple military air bases. There are reports of a restriction on the height of buildings in downtown areas. However, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) of the country declined to comment on the subject.

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Greece depended entirely on renewable energy for five hours on a single day and used solar, wind and hydroelectric power

It was a fantastic achievement for Greece when it depended entirely on renewable energy like solar, wind and hydroelectric power for five hours on a single day. IPTO, the country's independent power transmission operator, confirmed production of adequate electricity for five hours beginning at 9am local time (7am UK time). It was a first in the history of the Greek electricity system when renewable energy sources covered 100 percent of the demand. The country has ambitious plans to more than double its green energy capacity and hopes renewables will account for at least 70 percent of its energy mix by 2030. Tilos, part of the Dodecanese group of islands, is also progressing on similar lines. It plans to run entirely on renewable energy under a project funded by the European Union and private investment. For five hours last week Greece ran entirely on electricity from solar, wind and water. Nikos Mantzaris is a partner at think tank the Green Tank. He says the performance was important. This was because "it shows that a 100% renewable electricity system is within reach in Greece, a concept that was considered impossible by most opinion and decision makers in Greece before."

Nikos Mantzaris goes on to add that the road for the deployment of renewables in Greece during the last decade has not been smooth. However, it is possible to have an electricity system with increasing shares of renewables. Only, it has to get the support of an infrastructure comprising energy storage technologies and adequate grids. Moreover, it is economically preferable when compared to electricity produced by lignite or gas, even if one includes the cost of storage. Incidentally, Greece is serious about reining in renewable energy in place of fossil fuels. According to electricity data from Ember, an independent think tank, Greece generated 39.4 percent of its electricity from renewables last year, including 19.8 percent from wind, 9.9 percent from hydro and 8.9 percent from solar. The Renewable Target for 2030 is 70 percent renewable electricity for the whole year. The aim of Portugal by 2030 is 100 percent, the Netherlands 97 percent and Germany 80 percent.

Friday, August 26, 2022

California to go electric by 2035 with more climate-friendly vehicles

Let us have more climate-friendly vehicles is the intention of California. It is evolving plans to give more thrust to manufacture vehicles that run on electricity or hydrogen. The state wants to wean people way from gas-powered cars. Automobile manufacturers need to explore alternatives. Of course, people can continue to operate gas-fueled vehicles and purchase used ones after 2035. The broad plan is to permit one-fifth of sales after 2035 to be plug-in hybrids that can run on batteries and gas. It would mean an end to filling up at the local gas station. Moreover, the change over from gas to electric cars will be environment friendly and reduce carbon emissions and air pollutants. Incidentally, California is the seventh-largest oil producing state. Its output is on the decline in view of its willingness to push forward its climate goals. Consequently, the transition might be painful in some parts of the state. California Poised to Phase Out Sale of New Gas-Powered Cars. As Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said - “The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution."

The Governor had announced the 2035 goal two years ago. Subsequently, regulators have worked out the details of the action that has to be taken to ensure that our planet can cater to future generations. The road is ridden with practical hurdles. One of these is the scarcity of adequate reliable power and charging stations. At present, there are about 80,000 stations in public places. This is against a requirement of about 250,000 by 2025. The challengers include the lack of infrastructure, access to materials needed to make batteries, and issues related to the supply chain. There is a need for the authorities to address these hurdles. Climate officials in California believe its new policy will be the most ambitious in the world. It has already set clear benchmarks for ramping up electric vehicle sales over the next dozen years. This is now a global target. The European Parliament, Canada and China are in the same frequency.