This is the cause of the very bright, blue-white spark you sometimes see near the third rail, as well as flickering carriage lights. However, early successes in rolling out the clean energy program . The concept of net energy must be applied to renewable sources of energy, such as windmills and photovoltaics. [1] [2] [7] The project cost $272 million and is cooperatively owned by Royal Dutch Shell and the Dutch utility company Nuon. NS has signed a contract with Eneco to guarantee the supply of this electricity. That is why half of the demand will be sourced from a number of new wind farms in Belgium and Scandinavia, which have been specifically assigned for this contract., http://www.railway-technology.com/features/featuremichel-kerkhof-of-eneco-discusses-the-dutch-rail-networks-renewable-revolution-4647194/. The electrons that run the electrified portion of the NS system come from many sources, including wind, but also from coal, natural gas, and nuclear. Established 1983. Dutch trains now run on green, renewable energy (Image courtesy of Groenetrain/NS/Eneco). So we in fact reached our goal a year earlier than planned, said Boon, adding that an increase in the number of wind farms across the country and off the coast of the Netherlands had helped NS achieve its aim. With wind power usage in 2015 equal to 12.5 billion kWh, Dutch demand for wind power amply exceeds supply. World-famous for their picturesque windmills, the Netherlands has always had a love affair with wind energy. Produced at least 12 models of 2000, 4000, 4500, and 5000kW. If the train line is a busy one, with small gaps between scheduled trains, the electricity produced by one helps to power the very next one that comes along. Willem, forgive the pedantry, but its the second time you said it. 150, 200, 225, 300, 500, 750, 850 and 1300kW. It sharply cut subsidies down to 1.5 billion, leaving private sector to carry over wind turbine investments should these be beneficial.[6]. I am surrounded by almost 3000 MWs of hydro power in my county alone, but because of these guarantees of origin my supposed consumption is very dirty, consisting mostly of a central European mix of coal, natural gas, nuclear with some renewables added. Yeap. The evidence speaks for itself. This is hardly enough to make a big deal about. Headlines like this make people feel good. Apparently Eneco can make the wind blow to order.). French people are bricoleurs they like to build their own house, thanks to the fact that if it has a surface below 175 m2 you dont need to go through an architect, you can do your own building plan. Physically it makes no difference as you say, but as HeavyWeather pointed out above my money is now going to fund reactors not Energiewende, so Im happy. 2015 was a record year for the countrys wind industry according to the Global Wind Energy Council, turbines capable of generating 586 MW of electricity were installed between January and December. <, 4C Offshore, Key project dates for Gemini, Princess Amalia (Netherlands) offshore wind farm, List of offshore wind farms in the North Sea, "Wind energy in Europe in 2019 - Trends and statistics", http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1021714.stm, "Dutch government supercharges offshore wind target", "Windvermogen in Nederland, 1990-2019 | Compendium voor de Leefomgeving", "Windenergie maakt forse inhaalslag in 2020", "IEA Wind Annual Report for 2015 (Netherlands)", "The Windpower, Netherlands, Manufacturers", "New Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap | RVO.nl", "Windenergie op land; productie en capaciteit per provincie Windenergy on land; production and capacity per province", "Windenergie; elektriciteitsproductie, capaciteit en windaanbod per maand (Windenergy; electricity production, capacity and wind per month)", "Werken aan een nieuwe toekomst met windenergie", "Windpark De Drentse Monden en Oostermoer - Home", "Eneco en Vattenfall openen Windpark Slufterdam 2.0 met dubbel zoveel vermogen", "Windpark Deil Duurzame voorsprong in Deil", "Innovation site Borssele Wind Farm Site V fully commissioned | Van Oord/", "Gemini Offshore Wind Farm - Fully Commissioned - Netherlands | 4C Offshore", "Vattenfall Hollandse Kust - Windpark op de Noordzee", "BASF to pay 1.6Bn for green power from offshore windfarm", "Netherlands' Friesland province to invest in 320-MW wind park", "Largest Freshwater Offshore Wind Farm At Full Tilt", "Fryslan Wind Farm, a near-shore wind project in Netherlands", "Feiten, cijfers en planning Westermeerwind", "Planning en voorgenomen tenderschema windenergie op zee - Publicatie - Rijksoverheid.nl", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_power_in_the_Netherlands&oldid=1133669799. This is about two-thirds of the system. The trains cant run as advertised on weak and intermittent wind power, and there is only one plug on the wall. If it was based on the former there would a strong possibility that these companies could be oversubscribed with customers who may not receive true renewable energy when the wind does not blow. This quote appeared in a book edited by Homer-Dixon, but it was actually written by David Hughes. It doesnt add up, I would say about Euro 47 million is big money especially when you consider it`s for nothing.. Heating with electricity is their homemade problem that escalates bills for the poor with no alternative. A two-megawatt windmill contains 260 tonnes of steel requiring 170 tonnes of coking coal and 300 tonnes of iron ore, all mined, transported and produced by hydrocarbons. Active 2016. Great post. At near the speed of light, is there such a thing as national or regional energy mix, other than in our habit forming minds? You only have to see their numbersbto know. So pick your choice I live in France since 20 years, have almost always used electricity to heat my house and always saved money with respect to the neighbours who used other means. That's something. These wind turbines generate enough power to sustain the equivalent of 2.4 million homes. Homer-Dixon, Thomas. But it really doesnt matter which countries the Finnish wind power passes through on its way to the Netherlands. Thus, all of NE has the same energy mix, i.e., there is not one mix for VT, another for NH, or one mix for the Netherlands, another for Germany. Random House Canada. HomerDixon.com. Several commercial parties have now caught onto the PR value of claiming they are not getting government subsidies for their investment in renewable energy. A two-megawatt windmill contains 260 tonnes of steel requiring 170 tonnes of. However, the government wants 40% of the total electricity used in 2030 in the Netherlands to be supplied by wind. The energy required to power trains in the Netherlands comes from newly built wind farms in the Netherlands as well as in Belgium and Finland. As of October2022[update], wind power in the Netherlands has an installed capacity of 8,304 MW, 29.6% of which is based offshore. I find that the electrified portion of the Dutch railway network (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, or NS) runs on grid electricity that comes dominantly from fossil fuel generation (natural gas and coal). I would take it, then, that you are not among the poor and elderly who DO give a fig about money? [15], In February 2022 the Netherlands announced it increased its offshore wind target to 21 GW by 2030. And of course no such connections exist. When wind power is fed into a grid it becomes inextricably mixed with all the vibrating electrons from other generation sources to the point where there is no way of knowing where any power taken from the grid came from. Offsets. Most wind power is produced in the province of Flevoland. So how does NS justify the claim that all Dutch trains run on 100% wind power? PV in Germany, and Energiewende in general, will go down in history as a useless waste of money, a financial disaster which will be used for decades to come as a bad example of ideology-driven energy policy. More than 12% of the Netherland's electricity is generated from renewable sources, mainly biomass and waste (5% of the total) and wind (7% of the total). The supply of wind power to the Dutch grid will also not be constant. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Ad Meskens. The Dutch and other people draw energy from the European grid, which has been generated by many sources. [19] In July 2016, the first two stages of offshore wind farm development for a combined 700 MegaWatt capacity in a water area near Borssele was awarded to DONG Energy at a price of 7.27 Euro cent per kilowatt hour for 15 years. Surprisingly, even the electricity is sourced from windmill electric generato. More than wind and solar together right now. Heres a fantasy as to how Nederlandse Spoorwegen could make their claims of only using wind power a reality. NS uses as much electricity as all Amsterdam residents combined, and its trains represent over 90 percent of commercial train travel in the country. They arent directly powered by wind. You make one good point here which is that France has cheap electricity but expensive heating. Built 1992 this nearshore wind farm had just 4 Nedwind 500 KW turbines based 1km to shore. . I paid 1100 Euros/year for a 150 m2 house, at 1000 m altitude on the French alps, heating, hot water, everything included. from northern Maine to southern Florida, about 1800 miles in 0.01 second. If thats the case, it marks a major turning point in the story of renewables. But in reality, the commercial parties are making a double killing: getting free money throughout the FIT contract (paid for 100% by households) *and* profiting from the PR value of presenting themselves as selflessly investing their own money in wind and solar energy for the planet. Their goal was to operate all NS trains on electricity produced by wind turbines by January 2018. It is reportedly due to the early completion of some of these farms that enabled the 100% wind target to be reached one year in advance. It's a bit of smoke and mirrors but it helps to subside more expensive forms of generation. NS claims 100% wind power because it has a contract with various wind farms to produce enough energy to power its rail system, but this is just an accounting transaction, writes author Roger Andrews. This article was amended on 11 January 2017. Electric trains also use regenerative braking, similar to whats found in hybrid and electric cars. Its production also does not use any natural raw materials or food production resources. (Although Eneco, NSs wind power procurer, claims that its wind farm portfolio guarantees sufficient capacity to cover such eventualities . The 600,000 daily. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/5329/Bothi_BEEThesis.pdf;sequence=1, When wind power is fed into a grid it becomes inextricably mixed with all the vibrating electrons from other generation sources to the point where there is no way of knowing where any power taken from the grid came from.. So I know that its true, just as if I had read it in the Guardian. Windmills have historically played a major part in the Netherlands by providing an alternative to water driven mills. Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. In an anything goes era of news and social media, its not often that a post jumps off the page. The third that by purchasing wind power that would otherwise have gone elsewhere NS is leaving the door open for more wind projects and more CO2 reductions is the only one that offers any tangible benefits. [10] [11] [12], 2015 The first two are feel good justifications that have no practical impact. So, as you can see, your silly view of the frrrench domestic heating habits are wrong, probably based on indoctrination from greenpiss or the like. Plus, it turns out that about half the electricity NS uses to power its rail system comes from outside of the Netherlands. And only half of the wind power NS has contracted for comes from the Netherlands. The virtue signalling fools at NS might then undertsand the impact of intermittent supplies. [2] [6] The wind park was developed off the coast of IJmuiden by Econcern and Eneco Energie, at a total cost of $522.3 million.[6]. The electrons essentially vibrate in place at 60 Hz. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. While it was originally used to pump water or grind grain, wind is now helping Dutch commuters get to work. Switch them back on by degrees. Even the two Dutch wind farms with which NS contracts directly for wind power, Noordoostpolder and Luchterduinen, are tied generally to the Dutch grid and not tied directly into the NS rail system. Started operations 2009. However, this quotation, which comes from an essay written by earth scientist David Hughes, was cherry-picked and presented out of context to create a deliberately misleading version of what the author actually said. Active 2020. * Just an FYI, this official infographic shows that the scheme saves 1.4 billion kWh of electricity, which they say is the same as whats used by ALL of Amsterdams residents. According to Railway Technology because it has a: green energy contract thought to be among the largest yet signed in Europe between power supplier Eneco and VIVENS, an energy procurement joint venture comprising Netherlands Railways (NS), Veolia, Arriva, Connexxion and rail freight firms, and because, NS and Eneco have carefully selected a list of wind farms that fulfil their criteria of being traceable, sustainable or renewable and additional, or new, and because, This partnership ensures that new investments can be made in even newer wind farms, which will increase the share of renewable energy. To aver otherwise displays ignorance or deception. The rest is supplied by wind and solar power, which contribute about a fifth of the citys power. They hope to reduce the energy used per passenger by a further 35% by 2020 compared with 2005. I believe in low carbon power, just that I also believe in security of supply, and with wind, or solar or tidal, you cant get it. France has an even bigger problem with energy poverty even though her supposedly cheaper power. Sign up for our email newsletter! Everyone drawing energy from the grid is equal, on a physical basis. By using the brake to change the connections on a trains motors, they stop turning the wheels, slowing the train, and instead produce electricity that can be used elsewhere. Acquired by Lagerway in 1998. [14] A second hand market for turbines also exists, which could grow as older turbines are replaced by larger newer ones. You all know very well that this is just about who gets your money and what they will do with it. Grid connections for the Luchterduinen and Nordpoostpolder wind farms (locations approximate) are shown in black. On insulated wires, the speed, on average, is about 2/3 the speed of light. 5.3M views, 13K likes, 1.3K loves, 1.7K comments, 95K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BrightVibes: Amazing news! You know all that and simply fabricate a problem where there is non. So, 1) I didnt write the text, 2) the text itself is selectively quoted, and 3) the argument it makes, taken in isolation, is meaningless. EV Use Is Growing, But Where Are The Chargers. For high-speed trains, overhead wires are the better choice. In fact, he allowed that a windmill situated at a good location could pay back the energy costs of creating it in under three years, but that aspect was omitted from the memed version of his quote: The concept of net energy must be applied to renewable sources of energy, such as windmills and photovoltaics. Sign up for our email newsletter! You are not really concerned about the energy bills of the poor. When I travel, I just plug in my electric razor, which automatically converts it. 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