British Pride
 

I've just been reading about the Severn Barrage, the proposal that's been knocking around for nearly over a century to build a barrage across the severn, and utilising the tide (the highest in the world!) to generate electricity.

It seems to me like a project we should all get behind; since concorde I can't think of a single engineering project of that scale which makes you feel proud to be British :cool: A project of this scale would held detract the nation from the glum moods we're all in, and prove that the UK isn't on it's knees quite yet. :D

It would create tens of thousands of jobs for at least a decade, open up Bristol-Cardiff transport further, provide 5% of the UKs electricty, be as green as you like and be infinitely more reliable than wind power.

The cost you ask? A mere £12billion. Whilst that may seem like a mad cost it's spread over a decade, is an alternative to spending that money on buying foreign power, and will go back in the hands of the tens of thousands of skileld employees needed for construction

South Wales has a huge unemployment problem, only second to the North East of England and this would bring so much to this area of the UK by creating a skilled workforce. It's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. I bet we've wasted more than that this year alone.

Have a look anyway, it's an interesting read: (especially that the Nazis had drawn up plans to build a barrage upon their "conquest" of the UK!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Barrage

The thing that puzzles me is how it costs £9million to conduct a viability survey :scratch:

Re: British Pride
 

?8.75 Million for MP's so they can give it the green light and 0.25million for a team to actually do the study. :money:

Re: British Pride
 

that cost can be covered in the 1.2Bn they take of us in fuel tax a year!!

Re: British Pride
 

The company I work for, was involved in studies in the 80s. We also looked at a barrage across Morcambe Bay. Whilst these sort of projects cause lots of environmental protest. How the hell are we supposed to provide electricity from "Renewables" without some environmental impact.


NIMBYs the lot of them. The Morecambe Bay barrage would also cut about 70 miles from the journey to Barrow etc as it could incorporate a road scheme etc.


BTW. Most of the engineering work (Turbines/ Generators etc.) could no longer be executed in the UK. We shut down our capacity and let the French/Swiss do it

Re: British Pride
 

Exactly ;)

I'd LOVE to see a project like this take off!

Get a decent Engineer to design the bugger too. Get Norman Foster to do the honours (MR MIllau Bridge;)) The guy who did this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/4...ouds_ap220.jpg

Re: British Pride
 

I suppose it's a matter of investment. It would take so long to plan I'd imagine the training could be done prior to construction, it would need to be seen as a capability investment by the government too. I'd be happy for the government to spend money on getting people in to work rather than just handing it to them! ;)

Re: British Pride
 

Or even this:

Re: British Pride
 

Not sure 'reliable' is the best word there...maybe 'consistant' would be better?

We ought to be using wind energy to pump water up a hill, then use the stored energy to generate on demand for peak-lopping.

Are any of these projects truely green? If you look at the amount of resources required to build them... :confused:

Re: British Pride
 

Its sustainable development, initial use of large amount of resources to build something that is sustainable is miles better than using large amount of resource to build something that then relies on unsustainable resources like coal to run there after.

Re: British Pride
 

How the feck would they have got that to work :shock: is that not just a pipe dream?
Are there materials on the planet strong enough to support that bridge & all it's traffic?
£5.60 sounds good though :roll:

Re: British Pride
 

Depends. Is "green" creating something with NO consequences to the environment carbon wise or ecologically speaking or is "green" the least environmentally damaging, economically viable option availble to us at this moment.

I believe it's the latter, as having no environmental consequences is impossible. As a note: to get the required output of the Severn Barrage elsewhere the alternative is three nuclear power stations.

The barrage has an estimated operation lifespan of 200 years and tides are very predictable unlike the wind. As for pumping water up hills it's a great idea but only in large unpopulated mountainous countries such as Norway can get the required output. However I do think all of these options need to be explored.

Am I right in thinking it would help British morale somewhat? Or barking up the wrong tree...:scratch: (I'm a fantasist, I'll never deny that ;))

Re: British Pride
 

It should have said 15 spans, good spot on the error! I copied from The Guardian I think.

The Severn crossing is £5.30 ;) But what a great way to open trade between us and France as well as improve relations further. Anglo-Franc projects have been a great success :)

Re: British Pride
 

Reading Wikipedia's entry I think I like the idea of lagoons more myself.

Re: British Pride
 

The barage could even include a reliable regular feature for canoeist/kayakers :D seen as they would be messing up the severn bore wave which has been surfed for decades.

I think overall its a good idea and certainly helps our countries sustainable future more than the £18bn its costing to host the olympics for 2 weeks.

Re: British Pride
 

Isn't this sort of thing already done here on a small scale?

Re: British Pride
 

I recall going somewhere in Wales as a kid on a school trip where they had something like that. Filled up by a couple blokes with Buckets. or something. I wasn't really listening. and it was a long time ago :D

A Barrage? never happen. UK lacks the skills, the vision and the willpower and not enuf vested interests in doing it, whilst plenty for not (and not just the tree huggers / NIMBYS).

I would have liked to go Nuclear (like the French)......it may be more expensive than oil - but the money, skills and employment stays within the economy and has it's own positive multiplier effect....but I really do not think the UK is capable of managing projects like this. Sadly.

Re: British Pride
 

A barrage could be beautiful though, a real landmark, a real gem of English design and engineering.

The immediate skills may not be available but the size fo the project could command significant investment in the unemployed areas of South Wales. It may cost a fortune to train the but it is an investment. Having the skills to create these technologies will become more and more significant as we roll in to a sustainable energy future.

Re: British Pride
 

me too. i think it used excess energy produced at low demand times to pump the water.

Re: British Pride
 

The electric mountain I think you mean, its near Llanberis, the actual mountain is called Elidr Fawr, I beleive they pump water up overnight when electicity is cheap and allow it fall and power turbines during the day, quite clever really, I like the big wind turbines myself, although Im probably in a minority here.

Re: British Pride
 

yup, that must be it.

i remember them telling us that it was good becuse it could produce electricity in response to demand very quickly and was used at mega peak times like when everyone puts the kettle on during ad breaks of popular tv progs.

Re: British Pride
 

Yep - LLanberis has a bigger version of the Tan-y-Grisiau pumped storage scheme (see also Stwlan dam) above Bleanau Ffestiniog. Impressive idea, using un-needed electricity from nuclear plants to pump a hydro scheme for peak time generation. Of course, since the CEGB was broken up, joined up thinking like this is not possible.

Don't get me started on wind turbines........:offtopic:

Re: British Pride
 

Please elaborate ;)

Re: British Pride
 

My guess is they plan to ruin his stunning view with them judging on his location and previous photos posted of his humble abode.

Re: British Pride
 

Interesting idea. only thing is i wonder how many pole's would get the jobs... :mad:

Re: British Pride
 

Good compromise would be for massively reduced electricity. I think that they're very elegant, majestic machines.

Re: British Pride
 

It should be taken on as a project to also get lots of brits back in to work, or prisoners if need be. It's labour after all, anyone can do it under the right instruction.

Re: British Pride
 

I love labour. If they payed me £16000-£20000 id do it. But I bet they wouldn't. :(

Re: British Pride
 

No my view is not being ruined, but the surrounding area is being industrialised for a technology that is proven to be un-effective. Add to that the wanton vandalism of the countryside to build access roads, the forests being hacked down and left to rot (CO2 anyone?) in order to provide laminar windflow into the turbines, the noise pollution, the effect on wildlife and their habitat etc etc etc etc etc etc etc..................... :smt013

Oh and the fact that local planners have been overruled by some effing government type citing 'strategic importance'.

Oh and the nimbyism of it all, you need power in the southeast, so effing build them there!!! You have wind to, in fact the Essex coast is almost ideal, but how many are built there where all the rich guys live???

:nomore:

Re: British Pride
 

Dont let the fake gold chains fool you LP, no-one rich lives on the Essex coast............

Re: British Pride
 

Errr highest proportion of millionaires in the UK apparently.