Power ships: a real solution to South Africa’s short-term energy needs

[rpm]

Power ships: a real solution to South Africa’s short-term energy needs

A set of cost-effective privately owned and operated floating power stations, moored at a number of South African harbours, would provide much needed electricity to the country and would remove the need for most of the loadshedding currently being experienced. These floating power stations are known as power ships

 

[xumwun]

Not this again.

 

[LazyLion]

We'll take twenty plz.

 

[mister]

Not this again.

Yeah, why is this being repeated?

 

[Compton_effect]

Yeah, why is this being repeated?

Because people don't read.
And no - the Russians only built one so far, and it only has a 60MW reactor designed for icebreakers.

(Stopped the next inevitable suggestion)

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

This article has more specific detail and addresses many of the questions raised in previous forum discussions on the topic.

But I agree, it needs to be the last one

Unless there is discussion around the specifics - such as where the fuel lines could be fed into the system and where the HV infrastructure exists within our ports for faster deployment.

 

[LazyLion]

Rehashed again? Why?

 

[HavocXphere]

Unless there is discussion around the specifics - such as where the fuel lines could be fed into the system and where the HV infrastructure exists within our ports for faster deployment.

One of the previous articles had a list of locations under consideration - 4 of them....only recall Coega and Koeberg.

Little concerned that they plan on using a heavy grade of fuel...that stuff is flippin nasty.

 

[Compton_effect]

Also- the biggest powership in the world - Kaya Bey, has a output capacity of around 216MW.
We'd need 10 of them.
Not 4 of 500MW each - as the article suggested.

 

[mister]

Yeah, why is this being repeated?

For god sake, repeated AGAIN 5 days later? seriously?

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Because people don't read.
And no - the Russians only built one so far, and it only has a 60MW reactor designed for icebreakers.

(Stopped the next inevitable suggestion)

The Russians only built one, ja. They're not the only ones. Turkey had built more than that in the past few years, just Google a bit. On Wikipedia, they show 7 in use: LINK
Plus, way more power barges in use.

 

[Johnfpro]

This story of using energy ships to supply power, although a possibility, is not feasible by the end of the year for the following reasons:

1) we assume the company(ies) that supply these ships have the correct model(s) lying around "just in case" (mostly Turkish)
2) we assume that all the pricing and contracts, together with kickbacks are all in place
3) we would still have to build the infrastructure to connect the power from the ships to land and then the grid

and this all to happen in 7 months? Dream on.

 

[MagicDude4Eva]

I think it would take Eskom a few years to just put a fuel tank up at a port. To be honest you will be much quicker rolling out smaller solar stations which feed into towns and cities.

If the government were to provide subsidies or tax breaks for individuals and businesses to generate alternative power this wouldn't even be a problem right now.

 

[FNfal]

So where is the ship ?
We need one here in durbs .
The rossburgh substation is close enough to the harbour to connect one of these ships to the grid .
Perfect solution to south africas problem , no strikes and labour unrest while building the thing just park it and connect it .

 

[Compton_effect]

The Russians only built one, ja. They're not the only ones. Turkey had built more than that in the past few years, just Google a bit. On Wikipedia, they show 7 in use: LINK
Plus, way more power barges in use.

Turkey is building Nuclear Reactors? :wtf:

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Turkey is building Nuclear Reactors? :wtf:

Who said anything about Nuclear?

 

[satanboy]

Who said anything about Nuclear?

 

[sovielenamen]

It is not that they build ships but they modify existing hulls which are plenty. This saves a lot of time.
For being modular it does not matter how big they get as long a hull big enough to house it exists. Important is the experience and the guarantee they give. Also there is no shutdown of the whole station needed for maintenance, just a part is affected, same for problems.

What puzzles me is that it is told they use gasturbines for power generation (plus one steam additionally to use excess heat), but in the pictures it looks to me much more like a bunch of MAN shipdiesels?

This would make a lot of sense for the machines are much more economical on fuel consumption then turbines, take about everything including natural gas and are cheap and quick to aquire for the shipbuilding industry is pretty down at the moment.
Very reliable too, don't know about those depicted which look a bit on the small side, but with the bigger ones single cylinders can be switched off in case of problems, a big advantage to a turbine which is off and hard to repair in place.

 

[bwana]

What puzzles me is that it is told they use gasturbines for power generation (plus one steam additionally to use excess heat), but in the pictures it looks to me much more like a bunch of MAN shipdiesels?

As per the article

The electricity is generated by a number of high power alternators in the hull of the power ship, driven by reciprocating engines which can run on natural gas or heavy fuel oil. Since most harbours already have storage facilities for heavy fuel oil, all that would be required is for a fuel line to be run from the storage tanks to the ship. Each ship also has its own fuel storage tanks onboard which act as a buffer to prevent power interruption should the onshore storage tanks run low. In addition to the fuel line, high voltage powerlines will be required to evacuate the electricity from the ship’s on-board substation to the electricity grid.

 

[LaraC]

Gosh, so many who didn’t like the article.
I found it insightful and think it is a possible solution to our electricity needs.