How DartmouthWorks Y
2.How we get our energy
ou walk into your kitchen in the evening, switch on a light, turn on the radio and then light your gas hob to cook your evening meal (assuming that is you’re not in Kingswear in which you grimace again at the cost of oil!). All done without a thought – but that sequence of events is only possible thanks to a massive network of power stations and high voltage power cables, pipelines carrying millions of cubic metres of gas, substations and compressor stations. it’s a miracle, and one which is very precarious, in our energy conscious world. Gas gas comes into the country from the north Sea, via pipelines from Holland and belgium, or as liquefied natural gas by container ship at Milford Haven (which was built by Samuel lake, who was from Dartmouth, and gives his name to lake Street), teeside and the isle of grain.
After being treated and checked for purity and its energy content, the gas enters the national grids network of pipes. they pump the gas around the country to where it is needed. its miles of piping carry gas at up to 1,200psi (remember your car tyre will be around 25-30psi). A 50-mile section of pipeline operating at about 1,000psi contains about 200 million cubic feet of gas - enough to power your cooker for more than 2,000 years. the gas travels around the system thanks to 23 pumping or compressor stations which give the gas the energy it needs to get around. the nearest one to the South Hams is in exeter. As the gas comes into the regions, local distributors take over and get the gas to us in our homes– in the South west, our gas distributor is wales & west Utilities ltd. they use local compressor stations to pump the gas into our
towns and down the streets into our homes – they use high quality and incredibly strong pipes to bring the gas into our homes and through the meter, which is how we get access to it. gas pipes require a huge amount of maintenance and care – gas explosions can and have been devastating, and subsequently maintenance is vitally important to the distribution companies. Victoria road will be dug up this Autumn for a major new gas main to be laid. if you get annoyed by the delays remember how you’d feel if there were no gas for you to cook with or to heat your home with in winter – i know which one i’d choose.
South Devon is one of the lowest consumers of gas in the country for individual use. Electricity the national grid has no storage for power. i’ll say that again: the national grid has no storage for the electricity it generates. this means it has to generate it as we need it, and lOtS of planning is needed to make sure we don’t suddenly have blackouts. remember how hard it is to function in a power cut? if the boys at the national the main indication they use
75
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112