#365daysofbiking Loaded:
October 19th – In telford at the other end of the journey, on the new bridge project, technicians are stud welding – mounting threaded pins to steelwork to enable attachment of another structure.
A better demonstration of the loading effect on a generator could not be found anywhere.
Every time they weld, watch and listen to the generator.
Science in action!
April 5th – A ride marked by the growing trend towards renewable power. At Thatchmoor, a huge wind turbine turns slowly in the afternoon breeze. Beautiful, elegant and awe-inspiring, I love these silent harvesters of the wind.
Yeah, bring it on. I’d love one in my garden. Hell, make that a whole wind farm….
At Hademoor, huge solar panels rotate as the sun moves through it’s daily arc. Much as I adore Rugeley, it’s clear to see that power generation of the future will be working with, rather than against nature in the decades to come.
I’m glad to see it.
April 18th – The landfill at Highfields South, just over the Lichfield Road from Jockey Meadows, is notable for a number of reasons. It’s pretty well managed, and is being filled in a very controlled way. It’s now generating electricity from the landfill gasses it produces, and it has a very diverse selection of gulls, and attracts birdspotters from far and wide.
I noticed as I passed tonight that the bulkheads bored into the mound were now all connected. Like the former Vigo Utopia landfill a mile away, this one will generate electricity by burning the methane it produces for some years to come.
Don’t kid yourself that this is green, however; it’s still burning fuel, it’s not renewable and merely utilises gas that would otherwise be lost. But it’s still a neat use of an unusual resource.
15th July The landfill operation at the former Vigo Utopia marlpit, in Coppice Lane, Walsall Wood, is nearly complete, which must be a relief for nearby residents who’ve endured two decades of smell and nuisance. What many people don’t know is that this site generates 2MW of electricity and feeds it back into the national grid. That’s enough to power nearly 4,000 homes. Bores are drilled into the decaying landfill content, lined, and the gas of decomposition is pumped out and employed to power two gas engines driving generators. The gas would otherwise be wasted.
When I passed the site at 5:30pm on a Friday, the plant was humming away. I believe a similar operation is planned for Highfields South landfill, opposite Jockey Meadows.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 