“The Natural Grid” – canal from the Scottish Borders supplying water and electrical energy to England’s South-East, funded in part from uplift in land values

“The Natural Grid” would take water from the relatively wet, high area of the Scottish borders to South-East England. It could transmit (largely renewable) electricity from Scotland and Iceland by incorporating a water-cooled HVDC cable. The scheme could be part-funded by uplifts in developed land and property values.

Transcript

1. ‘The Natural Grid’ canal 19th September 2016
2. THE PROBLEMS ADDRESSED In 2009, the government’s chief scientist, Sir John Beddington, warned of a perfect storm of problems by 2030. He said: “Our food reserves are at a 50-year low, but by 2030 we need to be producing 50 per cent more food. At the same time, we will need 50 per cent more energy, and 30 per cent more fresh Water”. Can piecemeal measures be sufficient in the long term, or do we need a bigger plan?
3. • 1942 Pownall Grand Contour Canal • Original plan was close to the 300 foot contour throughout • No locks through main route! • Many lifts down to existing canals and navigable rivers. • Main purpose was transport of coal and heavy UK manufactured goods WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?
4. • Canal from North (Kielder) to South primarily to supply water • No pumping – flows downhill all the way • Additional uses for – Electricity transmission – Transport – Leisure – New (water) garden towns • Cost in range £10-20 billion What is the idea now?
5. • Water companies in the South-East are facing pressure and supply problems from: – Population growth – Climate change – and reduction in permissible abstractions. (Loss of water for just Anglia, Thames and Affinity, will be about 600Ml/day- about 320m m3 p.a.) • They are intending do respond with a mix of measures, but mainly: – Addressing leakage, and demand reduction (incl metering) – Transfers between river basins within regions and between regions – New reservoirs, and – Desalination plants Also, a report in February 2014 by Newcastle and Oxford universities, suggest that water shortages risk power cuts in future. Water supply
6. • Huge unmet water demand, especially in South East • We currently only grow 59% of the food we consume in the UK Water supply • Kielder water could supply about 900Ml/day (329m m3 p.a.). • However, in event of drought in NE, may need to supply The Tyne and Tees areas through existing links, so may only have 450Ml/day for areas further south. • But opportunities to get water from NW of Kielder if needed long term + opportunities for pumped hydro generation / storage. • STOR (short term operating reserve) technologies command enhanced revenue / kWhr • Pumped hydro is the most efficient and responsive of all STOR technologies Water demand for food
7. WATER STRESS Current plans are for more transfers between river basins and regions, but this has issues: • Problem 1: Being between low areas, need a lot of energy for pumping • Problem 2: Lack of resilience because the supplying areas get similar weather to the supplied areas
8. WATER STRESS (showing average rainfall)
9. The need to span climate zones: 

10. POWER GENERATION • We need to increase our low carbon power generation. • While the south is better for solar energy, our coasts, and especially the north and Scotland are better for other major renewable energy sources, being on-shore wind, off-shore wind, tidal energy, and in time, wave energy. • These sources are more predictable than solar PV power over a few hours, and so more manageable • Will need better transmission to the south
11. • Target is 14 – 16 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2020, • But planning 30 GW with a view to export • If and when wave and or deep off-shore wind becomes viable, then the potential is way beyond 30 GW • In 2012, UK average electrical energy was about 36GW, and peak was about 58GW • Current intention: some routed by Irish Sea, some by North Sea • Planned 800MW to 1200 MW link to Iceland (for hydro and geo- thermal power) • Intend to have more pumped-hydro power (which might suit expansion in later phases) Scottish Generation Policy Statement http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/ 2012/03/9434 POWER GENERATION
12. Western Link 
 (now underway) 2,200MW 420km to Deeside Approx £1,000,000,000 (Siemens and Prysmian) POWER GENERATION
13. • Cheaper than under-sea and with much less risk • Could upgrade in smaller stages (like 500 MW stages) • Easy to monitor and maintain • Secure • Water will cool cables and improve transmission efficiency (2.4 times more current per mm2 than the equivalent cable if it’s buried) • Very easy to add cables to increase transmission strength as more generation comes on stream • Consider using to power recharging stations for electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered canal boats • Avoids the planning problems of pylons • Following discussions, the National Grid has agreed to evaluate this proposal. POWER TRANSMISSION Advantages of canal as a power corridor
14. CANAL SECTION
15. POWER STORAGE
16. • From ICE “State of the Nation – Transport 2013” ,specific recommendations, included: • “Supporting continued mode shift from road to rail, short sea shipping and inland waterways” • Inshore water transport has lower CO2e / klm Tonne than rail and very much lower than road. Also, canal boats likely to be electric–powered in future • Carbon taxes set to rise steeply after 2020. ADDITIONAL BENEFITS: TRANSPORT
17. Overview of findings
 • The route is possible! • Available at different contours • GIS tools help us to avoid towns and Motorways etc • Canal length approximately 620 km • Direct distance approximately 450 km • Could supply 500-2500 Ml/ day
18. • Low tech nature of most work generates high economic multiplier effects. • Good opportunities for eco-towns / villages around pounds, basins and arms • Could be funded partly though uplifts in property prices and rental values. Economic aspects:
19. • The basins serving the canals and providing anchorage, could also be used for storage and help to alleviate flooding. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canal_basin_at_Aylesbury_-_geograph.org.uk_-_7958.jpg FLOODING SOLUTIONS • Use canal for discharge, to partially empty basins between flooding events. • Very unlikely to have flooding in north and S.E simultaneously
20. • North Glasgow Integrated Water Management System • ‘Bringing Water Sensitive Urban Design to Life’ FLOODING SOLUTIONS- Example Utilises the summit pound of the canal for storage during forecasted extreme events – there is potentially ~42,000m3 of storage available.
21. • From http://pulptastic.com/19-most-beautiful-places-to- live/. • Burano, Italy ADDITIONAL BENEFITS: DEVELOPMENT #1. Burano, Italy

22. • From http://pulptastic.com/19-most-beautiful-places-to- live/. • Glethoorn, Netherlands ADDITIONAL BENEFITS: DEVELOPMENT
23. • Estimated cost between £10 and £20bn. • Assessment of benefits of water supply only, (based on 0.15p/litre) give a benefit / cost ratio of about 1.3 to 1. This may vary a bit according to the agreed volume of supply. • Adding leisure and tourism pushes this up to about 1.6 to 1 ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT (partial only– sorry) http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/aug/ 08/best-urban-walks-tours-britain
24. • However, the counter-factual option of more region to region transfers and additional reservoirs is cheaper, so has a better benefit / cost ratio of about 2.3 to 1. • BUT, if we were to add benefits for freight transport, power transmission, uplifts in property values, flood relief in some areas, plus socio / economic factors, etc, the canal would be much more economic than the counter-factual option. • Then there’s Gross National Happiness to consider! ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT (partial only – sorry) http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/aug/ 08/best-urban-walks-tours-britain
25. Three MSc studies, supervised by Dr James Bathurst, of Newcastle University • 1. Design, including cross sections, lock design and route options, using GIS - Peter Small • 2. Estimating the cost - Peter Forster • 3. Environmental impacts - Angus Kerry – (Risks: siltation if flow is too slow; damming leading to flooding in some areas; difference in PH levels and nitration; dissolved oxygen concentration and biochemical oxygen demand; invasive species, being mainly Ponto-Caspian species (foreign mussels) ACADEMIC STUDIES:
26. • The only proposal for large scale water transfer without pumping, scale being considered • £billions of savings for power transfer, with improved upgradeability • Opportunities for regeneration / eco-developments • Transport – considering suitable size • Leisure and tourism opportunities • Hydro power and energy storage • Data-transmission, and energy savings for data-centres in north • Possibility of flood relief in some areas? • Source for tackling fires CONCLUSION
27. • Freshwater depletion is a massive problem in many regions, especially where glaciers are melting over the long term so reducing flows in spring and summer. • Consider a canal running down from the wet NW of South America, running down the east side of the Andes to feed Bolivia. • South of Himalayas? VARIANTS AROUND THE WORLD?:
28. Questions and ideas please !