And Now For Something Completely Different

Solar cell in the shape of a leaf.
Solliance, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

[twitter.com]

UK-Gov Cost Estimates Energy in 2025

The three bars per energy type indicate the expected cost by the UK government for 2025, in resp. 2013, 2016 and 2020. Spectacular decline in expected cost for renewables solar and wind. It should be realized though that for a serious comparison, the cost for storage needs to be included for intermittent energy sources solar and wind.

[carbonbrief.org] – Wind and solar are 30-50% cheaper than thought, admits UK government

Plans for Next-Gen Turbine Installation Vessel from Norway

Companies: Ocean Installer and Vard Shipyards.
Size: 1,000 tonnes and structures 150 m above sea level

[oceaninstaller.com] – Norwegian initiative for global offshore wind
[offshorewind.biz] – Norwegians to Develop Next-Gen Turbine Installation Vessel

Record Wind Yield Netherlands 26 Aug 2020

108,500 MWh/day (Wednesday 26 August 2020) or almost 1/3 Dutch electricity consumption.

[twitter.com] – Martien Visser
[nu.nl] – Zomerstorm en nieuwe parken op zee brengen recordopbrengst windenergie

Bringing Offshore Wind Electricity on Shore

Monopiles Danish Offshore Wind Park Kriegers Flak are in Place

Dutch offshore contractor Van Oord has completed installing all 72 monopiles of what will be the largest Danish offshore wind park to date (605 MW). Van Oord completed the job in less than 4 months with their less sophisticated Svanen jackup ship (1991). With their Aeolus flagship it would have probably taken less than 2 months. These timelines are illustrative for the speed with which it is possible to install an offshore wind park in the GW range. Think a year, ten times or more faster than building a nuclear power station.

[offshorewind.biz] – Kriegers Flak Monopiles Stand Ready
[wikipedia.org] – Kriegers Flak (wind farm)
[nl.wikipedia.org] – Svanen (schip, 1991)

Agriport A7 – Industrial Scale Greenhouse Agriculture

The Netherlands are known for its “water surplus”, to put it diplomatically. The reality is that even in the Low Countries, sufficient water supply for agricultural purposes is no longer guaranteed. A solution for the drought problem could lie in a shift from conventional agriculture towards horticulture in greenhouses, where scarce water can be “trapped” in the confinement of the greenhouse. Increased application of geothermal energy could provide additional value to year-around harvesting.

[agriporta7.nl] – Agriport A7 project site
[geothermie.nl] – Agriport A7
[boerenbusiness.nl] – Alweer kreunt de landbouw onder de droogte
[Google Maps] – Agriport A7
[deepresource] – Growing Crops in the Australian Desert with Seawater

Australia on Course to Become #1 Green Steel Producer

[source] – Australian mineral facts

First a few facts:

• Global steel production is currently responsible for 7% of global green house gas emissions.
• Australia is the largest iron ore exporter in the world, by far (53%).
• The overwhelming majority in the world backs the Paris Accords.
• Australia is nearly empty and sunlit.

[source] – Western Australian, that is 2300+ kWh/year or 250+ kWh/year electricity.

Put these four facts in a cocktail shaker, shake firmly and what comes out is a solid business case for an enormous opportunity for Australia. How about Australia stop exporting iron ore. How about placing endless solar arrays in the Western Australian desert. Use the resulting renewable electricity to produce hydrogen. And with that hydrogen produce green steel, ship it from the Western Australian port of Kalbarri and sell it on world markets, with considerable added value as compared to iron ore. Steel is easier to ship and handle than hydrogen. Better to use that hydrogen directly at the source to produce a major commodity.

This is how much of Western Australia looks like

[theguardian.com] – Australia to become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy
[pv-tech.org] – Siemens backs Aussie plan to produce hydrogen via 5GW PV
[wikipedia.org] – List of countries by iron-ore exports

[source] Iron ore exporters

The Agricultural Sector in the Netherlands

[source]

In 2015 about 2/3 of Dutch soil was reserved for agricultural purposes. Early 2019 there were 53.919 registered farmers (“boeren”) in the Netherlands, representing 0,6 % of total Dutch employment. The average balance sheet value of agricultural enterprises is about 3.5 million euro. For the Calvinist Dutch farmers the adage applies: “live poor, die rich”. Dutch farmers live for their work, are extremely frugal, highly competent, open for technological innovation. As a result, although the Netherlands is one of the smallest countries in this world, its agricultural exports ranks second (94B) and only has to tolerate the US (150B) ahead of itself and that with 250 times less soil and 19 times fewer people. It goes without saying that the agricultural lobby is very powerful in the Netherlands. Perhaps a little too powerful.

Most farmers are active in dairy farming (16,000), next crop farmers (11,000), horticulture (6,700) and pig farming (5,300). Their produce needs to be harvested, sold at an auction, transported, processed and sold again to consumers. All in all, for every farmer, 10 people work in related employment or ca. 6% of total “Dutch” employment. It needs to be added that the vast majority of agricultural field workers are foreigners, mostly Eastern Europeans (80% or more).

Remaining land use: urban environment 14%, nature 14%, water 5%, recreation 3%.

In the Netherlands a conflict is brewing about the role of agriculture. Isn’t the sector too big? Does a small country like the Netherlands really need to be the 2nd agricultural exporter in the world, with agriculture claiming most of the scarce land? Aren’t Brexit and climate a good opportunity to scale down this sector, to the benefit of nature?

[parool.nl] – Dit draagt het boerenbedrijf bij aan de welvaart
[agrimatie.nl] – Balanswaarde land- en tuinbouwbedrijven
[humboldt.global] – Top 10 Agricultural Exporters

North Sea Energy Hub Taking Shape

Navigant Netherlands has secured a contract to provide assistance in structured discussions with policymakers to realize the North Sea Wind Power Hub (NSWPH).

The first hub is expected to be realized in the early 2030s. Big parties like TenneT Netherlands, TenneT Germany, Energinet, Gasunie, and the Port of Rotterdam are behind the concept. The project can be compared to what the Chinese have done in the South China Sea.

[offshorewind.biz] – Navigant Wins North Sea Wind Power Hub Contract
[northseawindpowerhub.eu] – Gasunie to join North Sea wind power hub consortium

P.S. Security concerns need to be thought-through thoroughly before such a centralizing energy island can be built. You don’t want to rely on an energy system that can be taken out by a single big bomb/mini-nuke. Brexit has complicated things considerably, now that England has reverted to its default “Splendid Isolation” position and EU competitor. A likely no-deal Brexit and following rapid deterioration of the EU-UK relationship is a serious possibility, with consequences for the energy hub project.