Kites v Screws

Not long after the announcement of the Holyhead 'kites' there was another renewables scheme hitting the news, this time in Radyr which is a few miles away from the centre of Cardiff.

Unlike the 'kites', the design for Radyr is one that doesn't make Wales a guinea pig for new and unproven technology. The design for Radyr features an Archimedes screw, except instead of needing power to lift water from a lower level to a higher level the water will drive the screw as it descends to a lower level.

Archimedes screws have been used for thousands of years, consequently this makes it far cheaper to implement which should mean a far cheaper price strike in order to pay back investors.

The EBC tells us that the screws will cost £2.6m which is just under ten times cheaper than the £25m the kites off Holyhead will cost. They also tell us that it will power 550 homes, the company behind it tell us that it has the potential for 391kW (compared with the initial 1500kW for the kites).

If these numbers stack up then it means the screws are a far more efficient and cost effective method of generating power than the kites.

Let's go fly a kite

Wales has been chosen to be a guinea pig for a new type of marine turbine, the 'kites' as they are being called are set to be installed a few kilometres off the coast of Holyhead. But even a cursory read of the news article should be enough to set the alarm bells off.

Map showing the location where the 'kites' (inset) will be installed.

Lost in translation

I was sent a link to a Click on Wales article recently, specifically to look at the last few paragraphs. The article focused on the lack of ambition in Silk II when it came to energy. The report calls for Wales to have powers up to 350MW. Which is seven times more than we currently have but still means that nuclear power plants and giant gas power stations that Wales doesn't need can still be dumped here in Wales.

The part that I was drawn to though was this section where it refers to Wales being a net energy exporter. This isn't news to anyone but the way it is written makes it so obvious as to the colonial arrangement and the sham powers on offer.

First two paragraphs from here. The rest is from Silk II

Regular readers will know by now that I like to look at the story within the story and one aspect I found intriguing about the article was that it used a translation from the Welsh language version of Silk II but it never stated why it used a Welsh language translation. Surely it would have been easier just to use the English language version, unless of course the English language version was different. I needed to check, so I checked both the English and Welsh versions of the Silk Commission website, specifically the Part II reports in each language. The section we want is 8.2.13. I haven't linked directly to the .pdf's in case someone clicks them by accident but both are easy to find on the pages linked above.

The English language version

8.2.13 However, full devolution would not satisfy our principle of effectiveness. It would present security of supply issues: Wales is currently a net exporter of electricity, and a Wales-focussed energy strategy may not meet the needs of the wider United Kingdom. In practical terms, there would also be substantial inefficiencies in the Welsh Government establishing capacity to make very complex, but very rare, consenting decisions – particularly on nuclear consents.

Mae fersiwn Gymraeg gyda geiriau bonws

8.2.13 Serch hynny, ni fyddai datganoli llawn yn gyson â’n hegwyddor effeithiolrwydd. Byddai’n codi problemau o ran diogelwch y cyflenwad. Ar hyn o bryd, mae Cymru’n allforiwr trydan net, ac efallai na fyddai strategaeth ynni sy’n canolbwyntio ar Gymru yn diwallu anghenion y Deyrnas Unedig ehangach, a Lloegr yn benodol. O safbwynt ymarferol, petai Llywodraeth Cymru yn sefydlu’r gallu i wneud penderfyniadau cymhleth, ond prin iawn, ym maes caniatáu prosiectau - yn enwedig yng nghyswllt caniatáu prosiectau niwclear - byddai hynny’n aneffeithlon iawn.

You don't have to be able to speak much Welsh at all to be able to see a huge difference in the context of the section simply by including the words a Lloegr yn benedol. Most people should know the word for England is Lloegr. So why does the Welsh language version feature this bonus content and the English language version doesn't? Surely we either have someone adding words in one language or taking them away in another. The fact remains that this tiny little addition (or subtraction) makes a massive difference to the overall impact of the statement.

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Peter Hain on the gravy train

Dear Wales, please spare a thought for the people of Neath, some of these people are so poor that they will risk freezing to death this winter as they opt to eat rather than heat their homes. For according to Peter Hain, Labour MP for the constituency they cannot do both.

You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. Share via twitter | facebook

Hindsight is 2020

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You may have heard of the EU 2020 targets. But for those that haven't they are the five ambitious objectives the 27 EU member states have set themselves.

In this article I want to look at one of those objectives, specifically the one that deals with climate change and energy. Something that is is a fairly contentious subject in Wales. Just mention wind farms to anyone and see how they react.

Climate change / energy

• Greenhouse gas emissions 20% (or even 30%, if the conditions are right) lower than 1990

• 20% of energy from renewables

• 20% increase in energy efficiency