East Anglia planned pylons

[dcbwhaley]

As it happens, the Sunnica solar farm is not on prime farmland, which only produces high yield with lots of fertiliser and lots of irrigation, neither of which are environmentally friendly. The land will still be agriculturally productive, and in a more environmentally friendly way, as it will be returned to grass and used to graze sheep.

More good agricultural land is lost to golf courses than would be lost to enough solar panels to meet the entire target,
Perhaps the solar farms should be on golf courses

 

[Ediswan]

Undergrounding high voltage cables does not make them totally invisible. The cables need to be cooled which means that there has to be cvooling stations at frequent intervals. And you need to run a track along the route to allow access for servicing.

Do you ? I'm sure I have seen a documentary on HV power cable laying where the ground between access points was reinstated as-was (or close to).

 

[High Dyke]

The viewpoint on pylons will differ from person to person. Me, I like them. I hadn't seen the new T-type until I went to Devon last year. An interesting design that requires less ground space.

I grew up with a view of pylons just behind the house and my current abode has sight of them too.

 

[BrianW]

I think the aesthetics of pylons would be a welcome addition to what is one of the most bleak, depressing and desolate areas of the UK.

I have no fond memories, and certainly in winter, of East Anglia, only to be leaving the area.

Beauty is in the eye pf the beholder. Pylons are things of beauty enhancing the countryside- which is industrialised agriculture, manmade, hardly 'natural'.

Do folk want the 'original' windmills removed?

Do objectors refuse, on principle, to use electricity, or Motorways, or anything else 'modern'- no they don't ; they are loudmouthed objection-able people, selfish and used to having their way- some might say

Love your pylons as yourselves. End of sermon.

 

[trebor79]

Undergrounding high voltage cables does not make them totally invisible. The cables need to be cooled which means that there has to be cvooling stations at frequent intervals. And you need to run a track along the route to allow access for servicing.

And it's terrifically expensive. And involves digging a massive (circa 150m wide) ditch through the countryside. How that's less environmentally destructive than stringing some cables between pylons is beyond me.

 

[ABB125]

And it's terrifically expensive. And involves digging a massive (circa 150m wide) ditch through the countryside. How that's less environmentally destructive than stringing some cables between pylons is beyond me.

Whilst I'm fully aware that a big hole needs to be dug, surely 150m is rather wider than necessary?

 

[trebor79]

Whilst I'm fully aware that a big hole needs to be dug, surely 150m is rather wider than necessary?

Google it. For high voltage DC it's a massive trench. With a temporary haul road alongside. Massively destructive.

 

[Bald Rick]

And it's terrifically expensive. And involves digging a massive (circa 150m wide) ditch through the countryside. How that's less environmentally destructive than stringing some cables between pylons is beyond me.

Google it. For high voltage DC it's a massive trench. With a temporary haul road alongside. Massively destructive.

150cm not 150m !

Source, National Grid:

https://www.nationalgrid.com/sites/default/files/documents/39111-Undergrounding_high_voltage_electricity_transmission_lines_The_technical_issues_INT.pdf

page 11:

Direct buried cables
The traditional means of cable installation for high voltage cables in urban and rural areas is by direct burial. Trenches approximately 1.5m wide and 1.2m deep are required for each single cable circuit (see indicative diagram on page 12).

Obviously more required for multiple circuits, and more still for inspection / service areas. And the haul road, albeit that is temporary. Typically around 20-30metres, but can (obviously) wiggle around more than roads or railways. For further evidence, look at google maps satellite view where these are / were being built.

 

[3141]

I recall a debate 40 or 50 years ago about whether pylons should be erected. The Central Electricity Generating Board ran newspaper advertisements showing a rural scene as it previously was and now with pylons, being viewed by a young couple who used to go on romantic walks there. The CEGB made the point that the populace at large wanted electricity so it needed to be taken from where it was generated to where it was used. Things haven't changed. Most of us want a lifestyle that requires electricity, gas, petrol, imported food (without which we'd be having a rather narrow diet at this time of year), etc. These things have to be produced and distributed. Burying the high voltage cables underground would be more expensive and increase the cost of the electricity we use. Then this thread could be about the high cost of electricity and why isn't it cheaper.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Thanks.

National Grid have opened what they have called targeted consultations on the Norwich-Tilbury pylon line, see here:

Norwich to Tilbury | National Grid

The Norwich to Tilbury project will support the UK’s net zero target through the connection of new low carbon energy generation and by reinforcing the region's transmission network.

www.nationalgrid.com

You would think that this might be regarded as a good thing, but here is some local reaction:

'Tweaks' proposed to Tilbury-Norwich pylon plans

Thirty locations are identified where "minor adjustments" can be made, National Grid says.

www.bbc.co.uk

There not going to lay the cables underground it costs at least five times as much and is far more disruptive in construction. NG just need to play along here as if Labour are true to their word new legislation will allow them to build it where they want anyhow.