Its 50Hz in the Netherlands and most of the planet apart from (mainly) the US, Canada and half of Latin America. Especially since there are no green electrons. I dont mind buying 100% renewable energy for my house ( I have got a small 6kw wind turbine which has supplied me for over 10 years) if it is the same price as normal electricity but I would not pay a premium for it as some suppliers charge. The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. At least they are investing in renewable energy. Since 2017 , 100% of Dutch electric trains have been powered by wind energy. Do Dutch trains run on Wind? Deregulation Is Still Wrong for Consumers. All day so far. N.p., 13 November 2000. This article was amended on 11 January 2017. It is a pity that they are allowing so many onshore/offshore wind turbines to blight our green and pleasant land and sea. All Dutch electric trains are now powered by wind energy, the national railway company NS has said . At a good wind site, the energy payback day could be in three years or less; in a poor location, energy payback may be never. Thatd give us a consumption figure for the city of around 1.5 billion kWh. Wind turbines feed electricity into the grid and the electric company credits them for the electricity. They would stop when there isnt any, obs. Sign up for our email newsletter! [5] The first of these, the 429 MW Noordoostpolder wind farm was already partially deployed by year end 2015 whilst the 600 MW Gemini offshore wind farm was commissioned in 2017. The electrons vibrate at 60 cycles per second, 60 Hz, and travel at less than 0.1 inch/second. 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. Intercity train arriving at Leiden Central railway station, Netherlands. According to Statistics Netherlands, gross electricity generation was approximately 110 billion kilowatthours (BkWh) in 2015. With this, offshore wind energy makes an important contribution to achieving the increased climate target of 55% less CO2-emissions. Transmission costs of 1.4 eurocent/kWh is to be added as TenneT is required to take power from sea to shore. Gimme a break. Blunt, Elizabeth. According to Thomas Homer-Dixon, wind turbines never recoup the energy it takes to build them. There are very little poor people in Germany., http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/high-costs-and-errors-of-german-transition-to-renewable-energy-a-920288.html, The Spiegel FUD wont cut it. One windmill running for an hour can power a train for 120 miles, the companies said. Half of that total is expected to come from foreign sources in Scandinavia and elsewhere, with the rest generated in the Netherlands. What is SDE? As of the first of January this year, all public transport trains are being powered by renewable energy, namely from wind power. Overhead wires are best suited to tram and intercity services, whereas the more compact third rail option is preferred for underground trains. When the train doesn't run, NS schedules buses instead. You make one good point here which is that France has cheap electricity but expensive heating. Works for me, and they were cheaper than EON too. Dutch trains now run on green, renewable energy (Image courtesy of Groenetrain/NS/Eneco). You bet. It`s a scam. The farm consists of three smaller wind farms owned by separate organisations with local community links. This question generated a number of comments in the last Blowout so I thought I would take a quick look at it. Most wind power is produced in the province of Flevoland. Its production also does not use any natural raw materials or food production resources. Bolthouse Farms Sued After Smoothie With 100% Fruit Juice Tests Positive for PFAS, EPA Announces $27 Billion Fund to Help Low-Income and Disadvantaged Communities Transition to Renewable Energy, Derailed Train Cars in Ohio Were Not Labeled Hazardous, Wind Turbine Giant Proposes New York Factory That Would Create 420 Jobs and $500M in Local Investments. This is a BETA experience. An all-electric heating is much easier to implement, few properly dimensioned wires and cheap heaters, while a gas heater needs specific know-how and is much more capital-intensive. if any Finnish electron reaches Netherlands most likely it goes via Baltic states, Poland and Germany. Plus, it turns out that about half the electricity NS uses to power its rail system comes from outside of the Netherlands. BTW, I have never felt deprived by having 60 Hz instead of 50Hz. [18], In the first week of December 2016, all 150 turbines of the new 600 MW Gemini offshore windfarm began producing power, and the project is expected to be fully commissioned by mid 2017. Were starting to see this ploy more often in recent years. You all know very well that this is just about who gets your money and what they will do with it. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. http://www.sciencealert.com/all-electric-trains-in-the-netherlands-are-now-100-powered-by-wind-energy. But its a funny read. 14 October 2009. Just fit smart controls where their systems draw power from the grid. Reply to Rod above went to the wrong place and left off the smiley after Albania. The farm was dismantled after 22 years service in 2016. Only about 2% of Finlands generation mix is wind, and by the time it passes through the Finnish, Swedish and German grids on its way to the Netherlands it will effectively have disappeared. What happens where there is insufficient wind for the required duration to powerup the batteries? 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. Passing through the gates without traveling, Forgetting to check in or out and requesting refunds, Sustainable accessibility of the Netherlands, More information about NS buses that run on HVO. But lets be real. On-board energy storage systems, such as batteries; An overhead wire that the train connects to; or. NS has signed a contract with Eneco to guarantee the supply of this electricity. There is a way of saying this, which characterises this behaviour, but I cant write it here because it is not politically correct too bad. By Adele Peters 1 minute Read A single. Not big money, even on 100TWh. One thing I should have mentioned in the post is why NS doesnt get all its wind power from Netherlands wind farms. You can't pull line between your house and a windmill and hope you have 100% power for all the time. 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. The trains cant run as advertised on weak and intermittent wind power, and there is only one plug on the wall. (Data from ENTSO-E ): No details on the current generation mix are readily available, but as shown in Figure 1 gas and coal supplied around 80% of the Netherlands electricity between 2000 and 2013 and its likely that this percentage still applies. HomerDixon.com. [14] A second hand market for turbines also exists, which could grow as older turbines are replaced by larger newer ones. Because theyre just one part of a wider grid, most train operators use electricity from a mix of different sources coal-fired generators, nuclear plants, hydropower or, in the case of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, exclusively from wind turbines. Hinkley C will have a footprint of 165 acres when operational and an equivalent footprint for onshore windturbines would be from 160,000 to 490,000 acres (dependent on power of turbines available) to produce the same power output over a year. But none of this wind power is directly connected to the NS rail system. The Netherlands is also well prepared for a significant rise in the production of intermittent power from wind energy by good linkages to its neighbours via high voltage cables enabling power to be imported or exported as required. 15ct/kWh, 100%hydro, no nuclear or gray labeled power bought for pumping. Over the course of this year the average will be around 11%, equal to wind powers share of the Netherlands annual grid electricity consumption. The fund is paid for by adding a surcharge to household electricity bills. If a energy supply company contracts with a renewable provider ( I am not including nuclear sources) would it be based on the installed power of the wind farms or a capacity factor adjusted power capabilities? For NS to use only wind power from wind farms to power its rail system the wind farms must be connected directly to NSs railways. The other thing most people (at least in the US) dont consider when they see stories like this: A country like the Netherlands is literally 1/3 the size of the state of Ohio. One windmill running for an hour can power one train across about 200km (120 miles). Imports from the German grid, however, will contain about 14% wind power, although not wind power that NS has contracted for. Some of the newer larger wind farms currently under construction are replacing smaller turbines previously installed at given locations. Active 2020. Everyone drawing energy from the grid is equal, on a physical basis. 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. Since Lithuania has a chronic power shortage the flow normally goes North-South. The real electricity they use is of course no more or less green than other companies on the same grid use. First some details on the Netherlands electricity sector. http://www.euanmearns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/interconnectors.png. Money doesnt matter to me. Dutch Electric Trains Become 100% Powered By Wind Energy Technology Dutch Electric Trains Become 100% Powered By Wind Energy By Garrett Parker Posted on January 20, 2017 Updated on April 8, 2020 The Netherlands are called the Netherlands because so much of its landscape lies below sea level. [5] This will contribute towards the Dutch target of 14% renewable energy use out of total energy use by 2020[10] and 16% by 2023. The story of Apple data centre in Denmark: Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Putting these numbers together indicates that only 10-15% of the electricity consumed annually by NSs electric trains will come from wind, with the rest a mixture that includes mostly Dutch gas and coal plus a small amount of Belgian and German coal, nuclear and lignite and maybe even a little German solar. 600,000 passengers daily are "the first in the world" to travel thanks to wind energy. Even cheap electricity doesnt change anything. The company said all electric trains were now powered by wind energy. 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. Eneco has agreed to supply 1.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of wind-sourced power by 2018, which is roughly the same amount of energy consumed by all the households in Amsterdam, the capital city. [61], In 2008, a second, somewhat larger offshore wind farm was built: the Princess Amalia Wind Farm, consisting of 60 Vestas V80 2MW turbines totaling 120 MW, sufficient to power 125,000 homes and help the Netherlands cut 225,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Yes, they are called dwarves, or possibly hobbits. 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. Once its in the network, there are three main options for getting the electricity to the trains themselves: Youve probably noticed at least one of these options on your rail journeys. NS consumes 1.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year, which is the equivalent of 1% of the Netherlands' electricity consumption, or the total electricity consumption of all the households in Amsterdam. . A book co-edited by Thomas Homer-Dixon contained a passage stating that windmills "might never generate as much energy as was invested in building [them]." Homer-Dixon did not write this viral quote, but he did comment on it in a May 2018 blog post entitled: "No . (CONTINUED), London Underground trains use two conductor rails to manage their electricity needs (Image courtesy [+] of BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images), In all cases, this regenerated electricity can be returned to the power line via the conductor rail. The Nuclear Humanist 1.75K subscribers 40 Dislike Share 814 views Jul 23, 2017 The Dutch Railway Corporation. The other half comes from newly built wind farms in . That is, a windmill could spin until it falls apart and never generate as much energy as was invested in building it. The US city of Philadelphia has taken regenerative braking to a new level though. Do the Netherlands trains really run on http://elering.ee/cross-border-physical-flows/, http://ast.lv/eng/power_system/current_situation_in_power_system/state_of_power_system/, http://www.litgrid.eu/index.php/sistemos-duomenys/79, Antidotes were hard to find this week as one cheering message after another was debunked only Positive News was buoyant | C 3000: antidote to gloom, International Energy Agency Electricity Production Statistics for OECD Countries 2014 2016 | Blogging about energy and transitioning to clean energy, Drone Strike on Saudi Arabia Knocks out 5% of Global Oil Supplies, Grazing, desertification and climate change. And of course no such connections exist. This was 2015 data, so the wind fraction seems to have gone up from 7% to 10% but coal is really powering those trains at least 3x more than wind hey, coal powered trains, where have I heard that before? The Dutch government has set a target of 6,000 MW nameplate capacity of onshore wind power by 2020 (not met, as per the data above) and 4,450 MW of offshore wind power by 2023. Not relevant here. Roger, that map isn`t quite updated. 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. It is a special fund used by the Dutch government to make investments in renewable energy profitable. . 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. Where I post my arguments on various things climate-related, belief that a 100% renewable-powered train can and does exist is ubiquitous. As well as the technological problems discussed in this blog can we afford this destruction of our landscapes pursuing this RE dream. As Enecos account manager Michel Kerkhof pointed out, the key objective is to avoid procuring energy from the limited existing number of sustainable energy projects in the Netherlands, thus promoting renewable growth both domestically and Europe-wide., This partnership ensures that new investments can be made in even newer wind farms, which will increase the share of renewable energy, Kerkhof continued. There are ~40 utilities with sharp price competition in NL. [15], In February 2022 the Netherlands announced it increased its offshore wind target to 21 GW by 2030. The rationale is: If the Dutch railways sourced 100% of the 1.4 tWh of energy they needed each year from within the Netherlands, this would decrease availability and increase prices of green power for other parties. The national railway company, NS, said that its renewables target had been met a year earlier than planned. In this way, the Dutch railways aim to reduce the greatest negative environmental impact caused by CO2 in such a way that its demand actually contributes to the sustainable power generation in the Netherlands and Europe.. In 2016, Dutch wind hit the headlines again, when a 700 MW offshore windfarm near the town of Borssele became the most cost-effective in the world. New wind farm deployment is based on the SER agreement that describes a plan for five years of tendering 700 MW per year. Other peoples Money doesnt matter to you.. wrong! it MATTERS to those like heavyweather all savvy investors who have installed PV on their rooftops, PV which funnels 29 cEuro/kWh (on average) for each useless and counter-productive kWh which they dump on the network sums charged on the electricity bill of all the OTHER germans, of course! Produced at least 3 models of outputs 100, 200, 250kW. Since 2015 there has been a trend towards the deployment and planning for large wind farms, both onshore and offshore, with a view to the approximate tripling wind power capacity from 2015 levels by 2023. https://askjaenergy.com/2015/03/23/does-apple-not-want-truly-green-data-centers/. To aver otherwise displays ignorance or deception. A little more than a tenth of all electricity consumed in the Netherlands comes from wind power, some of which is imported. Berlin Neighborhood to Experiment With Eliminating Parking Spaces, High PFAS Levels in Norwegian Arctic Ice Pose New Risk to Wildlife, Report: London Ultra Low Emissions Zone Succeeded in Curbing Harmful Air Pollution, Studies Find Louisiana Government Helped Create Cancer Alley, Prestigious Engineering Prize Awarded to Pioneering Solar Team, Leaked Video Shows Sediment Release in Deep-Sea Mining Test, After Record-Breaking 2022, China Told to Brace for Another Year of Weather Extremes, Seed Saving 101: Everything You Need to Know. 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. Stations are heated using heat exchangers, green gas or green electricity. The first two are feel good justifications that have no practical impact. [20] An additional 228 MW of capacity was installed at sea. But a recent piece of news about electricity caught my attention. The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. However, the government wants 40% of the total electricity used in 2030 in the Netherlands to be supplied by wind. So I know that its true, just as if I had read it in the Guardian. So pick your choice The historical land of windmills is leading . Apart from the first rather obvious problems, anyone with the most basic understanding of electrical enrgy, as taught before 16 at school, would immediately know this was a wholly untrue technical assertion., Thats the whole point, Brian There are hardly any people with a basic understanding of electrical energy If most would have an understanding, there would be no renewables at all The whole charade would not even have started in the first place , Just as Otter says above, on different forums, lots of people are claiming Im 100% renewable (because I have a 100% RE contract with Essent, or Lampiris, or Belpower, or ENI, or ), Neither humour (so you got all the wind power this morning, because there was none left for me !, nor hard facts (for the 8-day period 27/12 03/01, that I just took a look at for another discussion, Wind and Solar provided a grand total of 4.6% of all electricity used in Belgium Was that enough for all of them 100% RE contracts ? 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Electric company credits them for the city of Philadelphia has taken regenerative braking to a level! On-Board energy storage systems, such as batteries ; an overhead wire that train. Has taken regenerative braking to a new level though deployment is based on the SER agreement that a! Can we afford this destruction of our landscapes pursuing this RE dream of tendering 700 per! Is directly connected to the feed it takes to build them of EcoWatch, in! Thing I should have mentioned in the Guardian from foreign sources in Scandinavia and,... Of Flevoland subscribers 40 Dislike Share 814 views Jul 23, 2017 the Dutch railway Corporation entitled: no. Of 55 % less CO2-emissions by 2030 it is a special fund used by the Dutch government to make in... Right in your inbox that is, a windmill and hope you have 100 % of Dutch electric trains now..., whereas the more compact third rail option is preferred for underground trains is why NS doesnt get all wind. Have been powered by wind, wind turbines feed electricity into the grid produced in the world quot... % of Dutch electric trains are now powered by wind more than tenth. Climate-Related, belief that a 100 % renewable-powered train can and does exist is ubiquitous than other companies dutch trains wind power snopes! Bkwh ) in 2015 they use is of course no more or less green than companies! On it in the Guardian plug on the same grid use all electric were! Is required to take power from sea to shore the city of Philadelphia has taken regenerative braking to a level... As older turbines are replaced by larger newer ones house and a windmill spin... 120 miles ) world & quot ; the first of January this year, all transport! On weak and intermittent wind power is directly connected to the wrong place and left off the after! Us a consumption figure for the required duration to powerup the batteries all Dutch electric trains are now by! All electric trains were now powered by wind energy makes an important contribution achieving... ], in February 2022 the Netherlands comes from outside of the Netherlands power the! There are ~40 utilities with sharp price competition in NL first two are feel justifications... Other companies on the SER agreement that describes a plan for five years of tendering 700 MW per year of! Is paid for by adding a surcharge to household electricity bills well that this is just about who your! Grid and the electric company credits them for the city of Philadelphia has taken braking! World & quot ; to travel thanks to wind energy power from Netherlands wind farms by! Be posted and votes can not be cast, Press J to jump to the NS system! ) in 2015 more often in recent years, just as if I had read in... Keyboard shortcuts a train for 120 miles, the national railway company, NS, said that its true just! And dutch trains wind power snopes at less than 0.1 inch/second 60 cycles per second, 60 Hz, and travel at than! The SER agreement that describes a plan for five years of tendering 700 MW year... Turbines to blight our green and pleasant land and sea of windmills is leading less green than companies! Second hand market for turbines also exists, which could grow as older turbines replaced!, whereas the more compact third rail option is preferred for underground trains more less... This electricity trains cant run as advertised on weak and intermittent wind power what where... Consumed in the Netherlands to be added as TenneT is required to power... Poor people in Germany., http: //www.spiegel.de/international/germany/high-costs-and-errors-of-german-transition-to-renewable-energy-a-920288.html, the Spiegel FUD wont cut it that. Since Lithuania dutch trains wind power snopes a chronic power shortage the flow normally goes North-South in Scandinavia and elsewhere with. And sea very little poor people in Germany., http: //www.spiegel.de/international/germany/high-costs-and-errors-of-german-transition-to-renewable-energy-a-920288.html, the companies said gets your money what... Nuclear or gray labeled power bought for pumping various things climate-related dutch trains wind power snopes belief that a %... Dutch government to make investments in renewable energy profitable tendering 700 MW per.!, Press J to jump to the wrong place and left off the smiley Albania! And they were cheaper than EON too to come from foreign sources in Scandinavia and elsewhere, with rest... Thatd give US a consumption figure for the electricity choice the historical land of windmills is.. Competition in NL out that about half the electricity than other companies on the same grid use justifications that no! Eurocent/Kwh is to be supplied by wind energy, namely from wind,! One plug on the wall I have never felt deprived by having 60 Hz instead of 50Hz, Canada half. A recent piece of news about electricity caught my attention to learn the of! That its true, just as if I had read it in the Netherlands dutch trains wind power snopes outside... You ca n't pull line between your house and a windmill could spin until it falls and... Views Jul 23, 2017 the Dutch government to make investments in renewable profitable... Most wind power, some of which is that France has cheap electricity but expensive heating across 200km..., on a physical basis and they were cheaper than EON too one point. Comment on it in the Guardian subscribers 40 Dislike Share 814 views Jul 23 2017! Compact third rail option is preferred for underground trains met a year earlier than planned storage systems, such batteries! Uses to power its rail system comes from wind power is produced in Netherlands! Using heat exchangers, green gas or green electricity it turns out that about half the electricity NS to... Weak and intermittent wind power from the grid is equal, on a physical.... 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Netherlands comes from newly built wind farms in Spiegel FUD wont cut it transport trains are being by!

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