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Hi Nick & All Dec 20, 2014
The capsule description of the scope of NatureNS, copied from the =
"Welcome to NatureNS" e-mail is--
"Why have NatureNS
The site is provided for the sharing of information on =20
1) the natural history of Nova Scotia and surrounding waters,=20
2) it's conservation, and=20
3) events and activities associated with it."
All members are furnished with an effective weapon for posts they =
don't wish to read; the delete button. If this were a mechanical device =
then mine would have been worn out many times.
My recent posts bear on possible ways to decrease acid rain and =
emission of greenhouse gasses. I think both are important topics in the =
context of conservation.=20
There is a widespread myth that there is no practical way to store =
surplus wind energy and thus an ongoing need to continue thermal =
generation. NS Power finds this excuse convenient because pouring coal =
in one end of an existing pollution factory and getting power out the =
other end does not take a great deal of planning or coordination. In =
addition, the Donkin mine may open soon so it is possible that NSP will =
be encouraged to use this local resource as much as possible by =
expanding thermal generation capacity.=20
Opposition to wind generation has often come strangely enough from =
Naturalists; organizations or individuals. This was helped I expect by a =
famous site in California that was set in a raptor migration channel in =
a mountain pass by, what a concidence, a Petrochemical Company. There =
may still be some opposition to wind on Naturens so I think refreshing =
the screen is justified.
And for the benefit of those who have joined recently I will paste =
an old post--
START OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Dear All, Sept 12, 2007
Wind energy has some serious drawbacks that seem to have been=20
overlooked, the most serious being--
1) COST: How will increases in the cost of wind be absorbed into the=20
cost structure ?
2) MERCURY: Using wind to generate electrical power could result in less =
usage of coal and thus less Hg in the environment. With less Hg in the=20
environment, Loons might become low in Hg, ride higher in the water and=20
consequently become top-heavy and have a tendency to flip sideways and=20
gargle at critical points in the call.
3) SEA BIRDS: Using wind to generate electrical power could result in=20
less usage of oil and less oiling of birds at sea. This biocontrol helps =
to avoid overcrowding of sea bird colonies so a decrease in oil spills=20
could have serious consequences.
4) TREES: Using wind to generate electrical power could result in lower=20
concentrations of low-level Ozone, acid-rain and consequently lead to=20
less effective biocontrol of trees. And consequently, for example,=20
Spruce trees in the Annapolis Valley might begin to live longer than 80=20
years, posing dangerous navigation hazards to flying birds as compared=20
to a low cover of Heath, Sedge and Alder
5) AIR: Using wind to generate electrical power could result in a lower=20
incidence of smog alerts, respiratory ailments and presumably health=20
problems in birds or other air-breathing wildlife. A decrease in the=20
incidence of smog could increase life expectancy, cause overcrowding and =
increase the demand for electricity and nesting sites.
6) WIND: Using wind to generate electrical power is likely to slow the=20
wind down so that it doesn't get there on time, causing air pockets. The =
recent Westjet air-pocket incident, far from the nearest wind farm,=20
shows how dangerous this effect can be.
Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Yt, DW
=20
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Nicholas Hill=20
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2014 3:58 PM
Subject: Re: Long again: Re: Long: Re: [NatureNS] light
Is this narure?
Nick
On Dec 20, 2014 3:54 PM, "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com> =
wrote:
Hi Steve & All, Dec 20, 2014
Systems which do not work well, such as the Wales site, do not =
prove that pumped storage can not work anymore than I can prove, by =
direct demonstration, that music can not be extracted from a violin.
For pumped storage to work reliably one must have volume =
sufficient to ride out any prolonged period of calm. An account of a =
system which does work,
cut from a 2012 e-mail is pasted below.
START OF PASTE
Re Ludington my letter (pasted below) to the Advertiser Editor =
(Not used) contains the essentials. Also see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludington_Pumped_Storage_Power_Plant
START OF PASTE
Dear Editor: Sept 24, 2012
According to Warren Peck (Register, Can we trust CANWEA ads ?,Aug =
2), electrical storage is still in the research and development stage.
Well, the pumped storage facility in Ludington, Michigan was =
built
between 1967 and 1975, is still functioning and has a capacity of =
1872
Megawatts. It has served so well that an $800 million upgrade is =
about to be undertaken.
There is always room for research and development but pumped =
storage is proven technology. According to Kraushaar & Ristinen (Energy =
and problems of
a technical society, 2nd ed., 1993) the efficiency of pumped storage =
is
typically 64% as compared to 36% for optimum generation by heat.
They also note that the Ludington reservoir can store 15 million =
kW.hr
of energy. Based on a recent article (Chron.Herald. Sept 19) the =
average
residence in Canada uses 10,389 KW.hr/year. So that one reservoir =
stores enough energy to supply 17,000 residences for one month; hardly =
prototype.
Yours truly, David H. Webster 678-7824
END OF PASTE
and an account of another site from Ivan Smith, Oct 18, 2012
START OF PASTE\\\
I'm familiar with the 174 megawatt Sir Adam Beck Pump Generating =
Station at Niagara Falls =
http://www.opg.com/power/hydro/niagara_plant_group/adambeck2.asp built =
in the mid-1950s, when I was working at the Nova Scotia Light and Power =
Company. http://ns1758.ca/electric/electricpwr14.html There were =
numerous reports about this large pumped storage plant in the technical =
journals that NSL&P purchased and circulated among its employees. =
Pumped storage was not new even then, but the Niagara plant attracted =
special attention because it was/is very large. The Beck Pumped Storage =
Plant has now been operating successfully for sixty years. There are =
dozens of such plants around the world. --
END OF PASTE\\\\\\\\\\
In addition, as described by Kraushaar & Ristinen (Energy and =
problems of
a technical society, 2nd ed., 1993), Chapter 8, the same ha