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[Doctor Gollum]

Constant speed variable pitch propellers are readily available.

These would allow for variable volumes of air (ie winds) whilst turning at a constant rate, thus making the generation more consistent.

[dave the builder]

Gravity batteries should be used more IMO, not chemical batteries with a short life span
Dinorwig 288 megawatt  clicky
It will mean flooding some parts of the UK ,but I'm OK with that ,they flood anyway and bump my insurance up   
better flood management could work out well .

[Doctor Gollum]

Doesn't work as well in practice... Look at California... Similar size and population as the UK, but because most of the demand for water is Los Angeles, there's often a few months of the year where the resservoirs, sorry, gravity batteries can't spin a turbine, let alone supply the first farms down stream.

The trouble is, every new housing estate that spring up increases demand on local water tables. There is only a finite amount of water in the system, whether it is in pipes, puddles, the ground or the sky.

Which means moving water away from the reservoirs to new ones in other areas. Any power they generate on each through flow only serves to pump it elsewhere. Once you start using it for irrigation and moreso industry and domestic purposes, there's less to run the turbines. Ergo less electric.

Although, in theory you can run a closed system indefinitely.

[STEMO]

I believe our climate is a bit damper than California. 

[dave the builder]

Doesn't work as well in practice...

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

[Doctor Gollum]

Well, it happens that California isn't quite a direct comparison. It's 1.7 times bigger for a start and has two thirds our population.

Also, because they are odd, their average annual precipitation is 19", whilst the mountains reliably see 5-6 feet of snow each year   So an extra 6-7" of water... ie 25"...

Whereas as our average of 33" includes snow... Go figure. 

So we need more water than they do by virtue of the larger population but, by population, we actually get around the same combined rainfall.

[Doctor Gollum]

Doesn't work as well in practice...

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

But they obviously don't supply Lundin and Brum with water or they'd have none to pump back uphill. 

I don't dispute the principle, or that it works in isolation from the rest of the world.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I believe our climate is a bit damper than California. 

Is that specific to Barnsleywakefieldgrad or the UK in general?

[Kevin Wood]

Californians do waste an awful lot of water by trying to make golf courses in the desert, mind.

[Doctor Gollum]

Californians do waste an awful lot of water by trying to make golf courses in the desert, mind.

I never said they were bright... 

[STEMO]

Doesn't work as well in practice...

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

But they obviously don't supply Lundin and Brum with water or they'd have none to pump back uphill. 

I don't dispute the principle, or that it works in isolation from the rest of the world.

During peak demand, water, from up high, falls down and drives a turbine. This water is collected in a huge cavern below and is pumped back up using non- peak electricity. No water is supplied to Brum, London or Los Angeles.   

[dave the builder]

Doesn't work as well in practice...

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

But they obviously don't supply Lundin and Brum with water or they'd have none to pump back uphill. 

I don't dispute the principle, or that it works in isolation from the rest of the world.

During peak demand, water, from up high, falls down and drives a turbine. This water is collected in a huge cavern below and is pumped back up using non- peak electricity. No water is supplied to Brum, London or Los Angeles.   

indeed 
but it could also supply water where needed and drain flooded areas IF a decent system was in place .(all pumped about with spare solar and wind power)
but just as a battery it works well too .

[Sir Tigger KC]

Doesn't work as well in practice...

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

But they obviously don't supply Lundin and Brum with water or they'd have none to pump back uphill. 

I don't dispute the principle, or that it works in isolation from the rest of the world.

During peak demand, water, from up high, falls down and drives a turbine. This water is collected in a huge cavern below and is pumped back up using non- peak electricity. No water is supplied to Brum, London or Los Angeles.   

indeed 
but it could also supply water where needed and drain flooded areas IF a decent system was in place .(all pumped about with spare solar and wind power)
but just as a battery it works well too .

I'm not sure there will be any spare solar or wind available once it's been chucked into the grid for everyday domestic purposes, and then there are other competing users like green hydrogen producers. I understand producing hydrogen uses a lot of energy of one kind or another so not quite the panacea some would have us believe? 

[Lizzie Zoom]

Doesn't work as well in practice...

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

Not in the South East we don't.  In fact due to the declining amounts of rain we have seen in recent years, a new massive reservoir is planned for Broad Oak, Canterbury by South Eastern Water.

As for power generation we just need new nuclear plants around the country.  The trouble is successive governments have been slow to extend the network or even replace those that have been, or will be, decommissioned.  All too late really, but that is what is urgently required beyond the new one at Hinckley Point.

The proposed mini-nuclear reactor programme could be our saviour though.

As for gas; just have the fracking schemes given a new lease of life and shoot those against them!

[dave the builder]

it already does , see the link 
a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .
we have plenty of water in the UK.

Not in the South East we don't. 

the "South east " is part of the UK 

please read these bits

a good national infrastructure system could be used to manage water and store electricity .

AND

but it could also supply water where needed and drain flooded areas IF a decent system was in place .(all pumped about with spare solar and wind power)