ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades U.K. Pics: Service entrance/Metering

Paul,
How do you post a picture as a reply? I have a few interesting shots that the forum might like to see.

That's quite an increase in demand over 5 years. Are peat-burning power stations still in service in Ireland?

I remember seeing a power station in the middle of a peat bog while driving across the middle of Co. Mayo. I don't actually know how cleanly peat burns in this application.

I understand that there were similar power shortages in Ireland during the 1960s. Or so it would seem from this old RTE caption:

Still, it would take a good many TV sets turned off to equal the amount of power that could have been saved by just shutting down the TV transmitter!

Lyle,
I'll send an explanation of posting pics to you via e-mail.



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 01-04-2003).]

Yeah there are still a few peat burning stations, The older ones are now shut / in the process of being shut down. The reason they exsist is pretty simple. Before natural gas was discovered Ireland had no other independent source of fossil fuel power. There's no signifigant coal, no oil etc so the 1940s, 50 and part of the 1960's sollution was to use peat. Most of those old stations were very inefficient and didn't meet modern EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) rules so were just closed down rather than replaced. However one new one recently opened in the midlands. Check out www.esb.ie for more details. The bulk of power now in Ireland is produced by natural gas (usually combined cycle [ i.e. gas turbine where the exhaust gas raises steam for a traditional thermal plant]) these units have been around for quite a while now and are a LOT more efficient than regular powerplants. There's also a relatively large coal fired station on the west coast at Moneypoint.

Hopefully the current competition laws don't force us into a california style energy crisis in the coming years!! I don't think the current government are stupid enough to let that happen though they're very business aware.