2112 Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 23 minutes ago, Moghrey Mie said: It's a pity they have wasted so much time. https://www.isleofman.com/news/view/21951914 One of the many mottos of IOMG. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercenary Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 27 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: I think it's got more to do with the MUA realising that they are supposed to have produced some sort of plans for renewable energy and suddenly announcing something last minutes in the hope that Tynwald members won't complain before vanishing for their three month holiday. As usual a proper look at the press release will show how completely vacuous the 'plans' they have come up with are: Plans to build a wind farm capable of delivering around a third of the Isle of Man’s electricity needs by 2026 are on schedule. Manx Utilities updated the Council of Ministers last week and outlined potential sites for the 20MW windfarm, alongside plans to install 10 Megawatts of solar on public buildings. It means the Isle of Man remains on course to deliver 40MW of renewable energy by 2026. The potential windfarm sites are - Sulby and Druidale in the north of the island and Earystane and Scards in the south. A final decision will be announced at the end of the summer following the completion of further environmental and technical appraisals. Meanwhile, 30 sites - including the National Sport Centre, Noble’s Hospital and the Sea Terminal - have been identified as suitable for solar installations. During the initial phase, three will be implemented, making use of roof space and car parks with the aim of minimizing any ecological impact. So basically they've come up with a list of windy places and list of big buildings. It must have taken the work experience kid at least 30 minutes. From which renewable energy projects magically will be planned, approved, built and running in three years. It's not just that it's rubbish, it's such obvious, insulting rubbish that even Tynwald members should know that they are being insulted by it. But they probably look at the illustration, which appears to be from a 1960's Ladybird book and think that's what they're going to get. Presumably they are being cautious because these types of projects are often derailed (rightly or wrongly) by NIMBYism or on environmental grounds. The photo renderings shown look typical of those included in the visual impact section of an Environmental Impact Assessment so I wouldn't be surprised if they have done much of the legwork in the background - to deliver these projects consents are key and the EIA is one of the main drivers for this. The turbines look relatively large for the small number proposed (6 or 7?) and these types of schemes typically have 10s if not 100s of units so I'm not sure how they would look to get anyone interested / line up manufacturing slots but possibly they will try and gain consents first and then deal with that later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 I love this: 36 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said: Plans to build a wind farm capable of delivering around a third of the Isle of Man’s electricity needs by 2026 are on schedule. Manx Utilities updated the Council of Ministers last week and outlined potential sites for the 20MW windfarm, alongside plans to install 10 Megawatts of solar on public buildings. It means the Isle of Man remains on course to deliver 40MW of renewable energy by 2026. Subtext - So far what little we've done is within our current completion timeframe which has just been made up based on the latest wishful thinking. It's pointless anyway as the standard IOMG slippage factor will push any original completion date back into The Dreamtime where no-one cares anymore... It's obviously too early to release any costings which is why we haven't done any. Anyway, why bother when any old BS will get it signed off? Recent public purse funded projects such as the Prom, Half Tide Dock etc refer... NB: NEVER, EVER set any expectations. Far too dangerous... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 Listening to the NPM and its report into this nonsense, much play has been made into the usage of the NSC, Sea Terminal and Nobles Hospital as sites from the public estates. They specifically mention car parks. Are the car parks being utilised as additional solar panels site, which will take away car parking? It seems the MUA and IOMG have plucked these sites, to appease both MHKs, MLCs and the lobby groups, and also as a PR exercise. There are certainly more questions than answers with this exercise. Can people imagine the chaos and the disruption that’s likely to be caused if this goes ahead, which won’t run to time or budget. If there is no Capital Project Unit in place, this scheme is another IOMG scheme to waste taxpayers money, with zero accountability and control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 Rather bizarrely there does seem to be more information than the basic press release in an extended Manx Radio piece which is dated Sunday, 16 July 2023 07:17 but refers to "a speech in Tynwald this afternoon from the Chair of the Manx Utilities Authority, Tim Crookall". As it doesn't link to or mention any external reports it has the look of an MUA supplied piece that was embargoed till yesterday. I'll try to look at it in detail later, but there's already a few odd aspects to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Non-Believer Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 24 minutes ago, Mercenary said: Presumably they are being cautious because these types of projects are often derailed (rightly or wrongly) by NIMBYism or on environmental grounds. The FB environmentalists are already predicting massed squadrons of hen harriers and buzzards committing hari-kari against the blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarndyce Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 1 hour ago, Mercenary said: They obviously have costing estimates Well, you’d think so, wouldn’t you? However, my confidence has been severely shaken in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Mexico Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 6 minutes ago, 2112 said: They specifically mention car parks. Are the car parks being utilised as additional solar panels site, which will take away car parking? The Manx Radio piece says: Sites identified in phase one are the NSC, Noble’s Hospital and the Sea Terminal and will utilise roof space and car parks, thereby minimising ecological impact. In terms of car parking, these would be raised panels to allow cars to park underneath, which would be strategically placed to ensure vegetation in the area would not block the sunlight to them. It's also hoped they would be installed in such a way that they could be moved in the future during any development at the sites. This sort of installation seems fairly new. There's an interesting BBC News article from May which gives further details, but I can't help noticing that there's not much consideration of how it works in the long term - it seems too new to consider actual returns or the requirements of things like maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberttwatmunch Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 16 minutes ago, 2112 said: Listening to the NPM and its report into this nonsense, much play has been made into the usage of the NSC, Sea Terminal and Nobles Hospital as sites from the public estates. They specifically mention car parks. Are the car parks being utilised as additional solar panels site, which will take away car parking? It seems the MUA and IOMG have plucked these sites, to appease both MHKs, MLCs and the lobby groups, and also as a PR exercise. There are certainly more questions than answers with this exercise. Can people imagine the chaos and the disruption that’s likely to be caused if this goes ahead, which won’t run to time or budget. If there is no Capital Project Unit in place, this scheme is another IOMG scheme to waste taxpayers money, with zero accountability and control. I would imagine that the panels go over the cars which allows you to park your car in shade in the summer, and with some shelter in the winter. Win win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesypeas Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 If India, China and the USA don't stop using coal, we're all fooked anyway. I understand everyone has to do their bit, but if the 'big hitters' don't appear to give a shite, what's the point ? 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 33 minutes ago, Alberttwatmunch said: I would imagine that the panels go over the cars which allows you to park your car in shade in the summer, and with some shelter in the winter. Win win. 😂 but with IOMG and lack of maintenance, you can imagine solar panels collapsing either on a vehicle or on an individual, thereby resulting in a compo and insurance claim and a million Tynpotwald and HOK questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2112 Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 35 minutes ago, cheesypeas said: If India, China and the USA don't stop using coal, we're all fooked anyway. I understand everyone has to do their bit, but if the 'big hitters' don't appear to give a shite, what's the point ? Yes but the IOM are leading the way, at the forefront ……… 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0bserver Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 51 minutes ago, cheesypeas said: If India, China and the USA don't stop using coal, we're all fooked anyway. I understand everyone has to do their bit, but if the 'big hitters' don't appear to give a shite, what's the point ? Because some people in government are more concerned with being seen to do the right thing than actually making effective changes. The wind farms are doomed as they're home to the endangered lesser-spotted Manx Shitehawk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticallyChallenged Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 2 hours ago, cheesypeas said: If India, China and the USA don't stop using coal, we're all fooked anyway. I understand everyone has to do their bit, but if the 'big hitters' don't appear to give a shite, what's the point ? Well, on the Island’s scale, some energy independence is no bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AcousticallyChallenged Posted July 19, 2023 Share Posted July 19, 2023 Just as a ballpark figure, you can take Lancaster Uni as an example of wind turbines on a small scale. They claim 4-5 million kWh of power generated each year. It has been in about a decade. The initial cost was 3.5 million. So, by 10 years, that’s 7p per kWh generated. Apparently it has been down for major maintenance once for a new bearing. Assuming maintenance costs another 0.5 million over that timeframe, it comes to under 9p per kWh. How much does the gas plant cost per kWh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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