Britain's Largest Battery A MASSIVE Lake in Wales | Fully Charged

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  • Опубліковано 5 кві 2018
  • Robert goes into the middle of a Welsh mountain to witness the enormous engineering in the UK's biggest pumped storage facility at Dinorwig.
    It's open to the public and is an extraordinary and truly giant installation.
    More info: www.electricmountain.co.uk/Din...
    Patreon: / fullychargedshow
  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 943

  • @MrHSIE
    @MrHSIE 6 років тому +246

    Just incredible.
    A magnificent blend of technical, artistic, humour and fact. Love the images, setting the scene and the planning and long shots with the narration still continuing. Not just amazing engineering but simply stunning production. Magical even. I’m literally waking up each day here in Oz and hitting the ‘refresh button’ on UA-cam to see if there is another episode. Keep up the great work and I love the stories you guys (and gals presumably) are producing. Well done. 👏🏼😁

    • @torresalex
      @torresalex 6 років тому +4

      I second that (though I'm not in Australia :D)

    • @dlittlester
      @dlittlester 6 років тому +8

      I agree. This show has become one of, if not the best documentary series on UA-cam.

    • @drewbransby4600
      @drewbransby4600 6 років тому +2

      Perfect description, I feel every single point the same.

    • @santiagoferrari1973
      @santiagoferrari1973 4 роки тому

      test

    • @tommcneilvt
      @tommcneilvt 4 роки тому

      Steve Williams apaazazzZ%

  • @afuel4sport
    @afuel4sport 6 років тому +17

    Thanks Robert nice to see the old place again, my father was part of the team that built the heavy engineering that went into Dinorwig and we were invited to the official opening day. At the time as a lad it just blew my mind at the sheer size of everything. Still does today in fact.

  • @PeterNajar
    @PeterNajar 6 років тому +47

    In 2014 while touring Wales as tourists from the States we happened to drive by the plant. On a lark we decided to stop and take the offered tour. It was an education. I had never realized that plants had to be built to manage surge demand. That visit started a process to learning more about back up systems for other plants in the USA and backup systems for homes. All of that started us down a road were two years later we bought our first EV, then recently a second. Now we’re trying to figure out how to generate solar energy and then store it for later use and for emergency backup.

    • @jeroeneeuwes
      @jeroeneeuwes 6 років тому +5

      Peter Najar It seems pretty easy really.
      1) you have to have a backyard with a mountain
      2) make sure there's a lake on top
      3) excavate the mountain
      4) build a huge waterpower station inside
      5) Profit!

    • @Bluswede
      @Bluswede 6 років тому

      Peter Najar
      First you need to own a fair parcel of land at the top of a hill. (helps with wind generation)
      Then you put up a water tower with enough volume/head pressure to cover a few days without wind or sun.
      Then you install enough solar and wind to cover pumping the required volume of water up the water tower PLUS the 25% system losses WHILE running your home at normal usage. You'll need to determine the 'average Solar hours' available daily at your location as a part of this calculation, also.
      That should cover it...all mechanical storage versus a battery's electrochemical storage. Now balance the cost versus a large 'flow battery'. (there IS a Fully Charged episode on these) It won't be cheap, and you need to be in the right 'situation', but it's doable! There ARE residential-sized wind and water turbines out there, or you can build your own. (search UA-cam for how-to videos, and do a lot of math!)
      Also...make sure you account for charging your EVs, AND be aware that you can also use them as storage batteries with the right software!

    • @PeterNajar
      @PeterNajar 6 років тому +1

      Bluswede
      Or more, simply solar panels and batteries. That way there are no moving parts to wear.

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 5 років тому +2

      The UK has far more surge demand than the USA. See "TV Pickup".

    • @mgabrielle2343
      @mgabrielle2343 4 роки тому

      you could perhaps make large tall towers to store water during the times when your solar panels are not required to power your home to full capacity, so they can pump up the water in these towers, or alternative use lion batteries , anyone for storing energy in huge springs?

  • @oisiaa
    @oisiaa 6 років тому +7

    OUTSTANDING video! More like this!! Old fashion TV never had shows like this. A "general audience" doesn't have the attention span for this, but your audience is very specific and we love it!

    • @EleanorPeterson
      @EleanorPeterson 5 років тому +2

      oisiaa - Hi! But... old-fashioned TV in Britain used to be stuffed with fascinating, factual, mildly educational programmes like this. The BBC was famous for it. The late night Open University was utterly amazing. But then the socially-inclusive, right-on, anti-education, show-us-your-pain-and-misery human interest tossers took over, and it degenerated into a sticky-sweet mass of brain-dead reality shows, cookery shows, reality shows, game shows, reality shows, and more bleedin' reality shows. Thankfully, chaps like Robert left the Beeb at just the right moment to help create brilliant UA-cam stuff like this. Phew! Nice one, Kryters, old buddy, old pal!

  • @picturemaker
    @picturemaker 6 років тому +19

    Cruachan Power Station (also known locally as The Hollow Mountain) in Argyll, Scotland is an impressive pumped storage hydro electric facility that was opened in 1965. 19 years before Dinorwig. Come and visit sometime. It's also a great mountain to climb.

  • @JB-xu1pm
    @JB-xu1pm 6 років тому +212

    Robert Another excellent show. I am going to increase my Patreon going to Fully Charged. The quality of the programs are showing the increased funding you have available. I have been watching your show since the beginning, years ago. Always look forward to each new episode. One of my granddaughters is going to study Renewables + Engineering in college.
    I sent her the Fully Charged channel to her as inspiration and to increase her awareness. Again, thanks!

    • @dr-k1667
      @dr-k1667 6 років тому +15

      What a fab thing to do for your granddaughters. Wishing them all the very best.

    • @DavidOfWhitehills
      @DavidOfWhitehills 6 років тому

      Ben Cruachan.

    • @MrHSIE
      @MrHSIE 6 років тому +7

      After watching this episode J B I am also going to become a patron supporter as I feel this level of production deserves additional funding.

  • @ruifilipedl
    @ruifilipedl 6 років тому +25

    In Portugal we use the same system, but with dams. Basically we have the main dam and downstream a secondary dam.
    This systems use the surplus of energy produced by wind during the night to pump the water.

  • @nimblybimbly4002
    @nimblybimbly4002 6 років тому +109

    It would be the ultimate to have all the power used to push the water back up come from renewable sources. Pump it up while the sun shines and the wind blows. Cool facility!

    • @ComicalFlask
      @ComicalFlask 6 років тому +26

      If they’re buying the cheapest available power overnight then it’s presumably wind-generated pretty much all the time. It’s probably even free sometimes.

    • @octapc
      @octapc 6 років тому +4

      Nick Name but why do it when instead of powering an efficient system when a wind turbine etc can provide same power direct to homes etc.

    • @SD-tj5dh
      @SD-tj5dh 6 років тому +4

      I would say have a local wind turbine that powers the return pumps.
      I guess they also have to consider the beauty of the surrounding area. Wind turbines don't exactly do much good to a pretty landscape unless you are horny for wind turbines.

    • @AleksandarStefanovic
      @AleksandarStefanovic 6 років тому +18

      Nicholas Heidl because sometimes wind turbines produce more energy than what is needed to power homes, and so this energy is stored as potential energy of the water

    • @octapc
      @octapc 6 років тому +1

      Aleksandar Stefanović then batteries are a must

  • @droknron
    @droknron 6 років тому +23

    This channel is just going from strength to strength. Such great content!

  • @HistoryNeedsYou
    @HistoryNeedsYou 6 років тому +104

    The machine hall is so big, the architects had to account for the curvature of the earth! Engineering on an epic scale.

    • @PenneyThoughts
      @PenneyThoughts 6 років тому +22

      lol, tell that to a flat-earther and watch their head explode. Neat fact tho! Bobby should have mentioned it.

    • @mikemhz
      @mikemhz 6 років тому +1

      MichaelKingsfordGray do you think there would be vector divergence between two pendulums at either end of the hall?

    • @vikramligde
      @vikramligde 6 років тому +2

      Just incredible....
      It's been long since a latest video has been posted here. Hats off to you Robert for your dedication to promote the thought which very few would understand...
      Thank You

    • @yash1152
      @yash1152 4 роки тому +1

      @MichaelKingsfordGray Thanks for introduction to a new topic (for me)! Never heard of them before. 😇

    • @obviouslytwo4u
      @obviouslytwo4u 3 роки тому

      Gyrotheodolites only work in straight lines, sorry your school failed you.

  • @adddude7524
    @adddude7524 6 років тому +5

    This is an insanely great episode! I am so happy you cover more than just electric cars. This one and the Orkney Islands episodes were my favorites so far. Thank you for producing content at a quality that TV couldn't even dream of!

  • @ahaveland
    @ahaveland 6 років тому +4

    Awesome... 11 minutes just flew by with total absorption. The world needs more of these.

  • @jhg-lu5163
    @jhg-lu5163 6 років тому +18

    I love this show. Please do not stop. I do not use , patreon, financial problems of my own. Still love the show. Very informative as well as entertaining.

  • @rudyvandewalle1400
    @rudyvandewalle1400 6 років тому +10

    Living in northern Italy, I wanted to say that Italy has plenty of these hydraulic systems in the Alps. It's an old technology of using cheaper electricity at night to pump up de water to the upper lake and use it donward during the day to produce energy.

  • @ColinRichardson
    @ColinRichardson 6 років тому +81

    The whole 3:4 ratio is quite interesting. Love the random stuff you learn on this show

    • @letsgocamping88
      @letsgocamping88 6 років тому +5

      Colin Richardson bearing in mind that it’s 40 year old technology, unless it’s been refitted, I wonder if that ratio could be improved upon today?

    • @RubenKelevra
      @RubenKelevra 6 років тому +9

      In Germany, the average efficiency of all installed water pump power storages is 70%. Newer systems have 75 to 80% and it's mainly depending on the needs for lateral movement.

    • @PETATNISSEN
      @PETATNISSEN 6 років тому +9

      According to this article www.tu.no/artikler/na-lonner-det-seg-a-pumpe-vannet-i-hoyden-om-sommeren-for-a-bruke-det-om-vinteren/225407 (sorry, it's Norwegian - use Google translate) Aurland power station has a 87% ratio

    • @AlexdaCunha
      @AlexdaCunha 6 років тому +5

      True, I had no idea that the efficiency was that good... I thought it would be well under 50%. For such a huge mechanical system is quite impressive.

    • @adammilward2820
      @adammilward2820 6 років тому

      Benjamin Harvey that was my thinking too. I wonder if like in the dual motor Tesla’s they could have two motors tuned differently to get get better efficiency. Use one purely tuned to better generate electricity and the other to efficiently transfer the water back.

  • @admiralpicard2010
    @admiralpicard2010 6 років тому +12

    I’ve been there,it was really good & interesting. Definitely worth a few hours visit.

  • @gunnar6674
    @gunnar6674 6 років тому +8

    I really enjoy looking at hydro-power facilites like these. My uncle used to work at one, and I'm both awestruck and slightly terrified of the massive scale and pressures involved.

  • @NigelR8
    @NigelR8 6 років тому +3

    As gentlemen said in previous post ! Your programme is inspirational and quality is top ! I will start patreon immediately.

  • @ion337
    @ion337 6 років тому

    Superb video, great to see fascinating engineering shown off with excellent production and editing. Well done Robert & team!

  • @GeoStreber
    @GeoStreber 6 років тому +175

    looks like the bowels of Aperture Science

    • @TonGi018
      @TonGi018 6 років тому +11

      My father works at a big pumped storage facility in central Europe and I agree, it really does look like Aperture Science, especially the old parts shown in Portal 2. I bet the Portal developers were inspired by big hydro powerplants for the map design.

    • @IamBHM
      @IamBHM 6 років тому +12

      I was thinking Black Mesa with the long roads carved through the mountain leading to the giant science station. But yeah, some of those textures and railings did have a 1970's era underground Aperture Science feel to them.

    • @TonGi018
      @TonGi018 6 років тому +3

      Bad Hair Man The wood in the control room is just so 70s.

    • @BOSTLEMANN
      @BOSTLEMANN 6 років тому

      first thing i thought at 2.08 was OMG half-life! :)

    • @nicolojavier
      @nicolojavier 6 років тому +7

      Robert does say Valve a lot so there might be something there.

  • @Richster64
    @Richster64 6 років тому +15

    It's a fabulous place to visit, well worth it if you are in north east Wales. Lots of information and tours.

    • @QALibrary
      @QALibrary 6 років тому +2

      if you near Aberystwyth nearby they have a hydro dam and windfarm that you can go and visit as well

    • @nadeemahmed324
      @nadeemahmed324 6 років тому

      All I have to do now is to wait for my wife and 2 year old and 4 year old and 6 year old to develop an interest in engineering and renewable clean energy...

    • @nautilus1872
      @nautilus1872 5 років тому

      north west

  • @marvintpandroid2213
    @marvintpandroid2213 6 років тому +3

    Hi Robert, Love this kind of big power tech.

  • @richardmolby9189
    @richardmolby9189 6 років тому +1

    Thanks for sharing this with us. Simply amazing to see this from the inside.

  • @NigelR8
    @NigelR8 6 років тому +2

    That is quite amazing !!! Great music for feature :)

  • @bren106
    @bren106 6 років тому +25

    That one body of water in those lakes has been used to generate electricity over 12,500 times since 1984. A coal or oil power station would have needed a separate amount of fuel for every session of operation. But, but, but but renewable energy isn't practical or economic says Mr Lobbyist.
    I've done the public tour of Dinorwig, and recommend it to anyone, it is mind blowing.

    • @Tokamak91
      @Tokamak91 6 років тому

      Mr lobbyist category renewable energy production and conventional energy production (including hydro power). Profitability is a matter of size and grid stability. high initial costs will only be taken when the power outcome is big enough. They can only sell regulation energy, if the grid is highly dynamic.

    • @DiscoFang
      @DiscoFang 6 років тому +9

      bren106 I think you've misunderstood what this station does. It's doesn't 'generate' power it stores power generated elsewhere and then re-distributes it. This is not renewable energy in the common meaning of the phrase, it's only renewable in the same way a battery is. In fact if you understood what was explained, this is 75% efficient so therefore it CONSUMES power. For every one of those 12,500 times it has been generating electricity, in the ratio of 3:4 it has also effectively consumed 16,666 'times'.

    • @DrWhom
      @DrWhom 6 років тому +2

      Don't confuse storage with generation. That's exactly the misunderstanding the fossil lobby keeps harping on for the benefit of the deplorable electorate. Our side should be smarter than that...

  • @esdrasUrbina
    @esdrasUrbina 6 років тому +6

    Ohhh i dint know this was a real show this is so cool.sooooo cool

  • @docpaul
    @docpaul 6 років тому +1

    I've visited The Electric mountain twice - I love these large scale engineering projects.

  • @outbacktesla
    @outbacktesla 6 років тому

    Another very informative episode from the FCS team. Interesting to hear the economics of this pumped hydro at 3:4 and how that stacks up.

  • @TheAlexandermaclean
    @TheAlexandermaclean 6 років тому +33

    Cruachan Power Station works on the same principle which, last time I checked was in Scotland. Just Saying! I always look forward to the energy generation and storage episodes. Particular favorites have been the videos on Star heat pumps and Sunamp heat batteries. Both companies blazing an non combustive trail from Scotland. Just saying! Well done on the great content.

    • @nigelpentland3491
      @nigelpentland3491 6 років тому +2

      Alexander Maclean my thoughts too. Think from memory Cruachan dates from the sixties but isn’t quite the same scale, still pretty impressive though

    • @doubledutch13
      @doubledutch13 6 років тому +3

      Absolutely. Visited Cruachan last year and it’s identical. Generates on peak and pumps overnight. Uses more than it generates. So no different.

    • @martinwatt6821
      @martinwatt6821 6 років тому +2

      Glendoe on Loch Ness as well

    • @JohnDunkley
      @JohnDunkley 6 років тому

      Is that the one at the end of Loch Lomond?

    • @TheAlexandermaclean
      @TheAlexandermaclean 6 років тому +2

      No, Loch Awe. I think I know the one you mean by the road but i'm not sure that's the same thing.

  • @KarlXByrne
    @KarlXByrne 6 років тому +36

    I'm thinking that bus which drove you underground was not electric. I hope you had a word. Great show.

    • @tycobur199
      @tycobur199 6 років тому +2

      duuude I hope they have proper ventilation

  • @WillFealey
    @WillFealey 6 років тому

    You failed to mention this place is open to the public and is well worth a visit. Superb episode as always! Thanks

  • @LossyLossnitzer
    @LossyLossnitzer 6 років тому +2

    Thank you for this insight - Keep up the good work

  • @ZekeKnight
    @ZekeKnight 6 років тому +3

    When that alarm first went off, all I could hear in my head was, 'change to red alert... Are you sure sir? It does mean changing the bulb!'

  • @M0LHA
    @M0LHA 6 років тому +5

    Couldn't help but think of austin powers throughout this video :P

  • @unpluggedEV
    @unpluggedEV 6 років тому

    WOW, thanks for another amazing video. Great work, team!

  • @Hailexx
    @Hailexx 4 роки тому

    Not only is the story super interesting, your genuine enthusiasm and charisma makes this a million times better than most any "professional" documentaries. Bravo!

  • @bujin1977
    @bujin1977 6 років тому +7

    If anyone's interested in seeing the lake at the top of the mountain that's referred to in this video (Marchlyn Mawr), here's a panoramic pic I took on a stroll in some actually quite sunny weather for a change last summer. It's the one on the right. flic.kr/p/Xr7rHB

  • @hornetluca
    @hornetluca 6 років тому +5

    Where can I find the sound of the intro of _Fully Charged_ ?
    I would like to set it as notification for my phone.
    Thanks 😚

    • @doctormo
      @doctormo 6 років тому +1

      youtube-dl and audacity are the tools to use

  • @thefoodhobbyists7352
    @thefoodhobbyists7352 6 років тому +1

    Brilliant video i love the big engineering videos the more the better!

  • @alwAudio
    @alwAudio 6 років тому

    Another great video, the scale and the location make it particularly impressive!

  • @nicosmind3
    @nicosmind3 6 років тому +25

    60x Earth's atmosphere or 2/3rds Venus's

  • @peterfaber9316
    @peterfaber9316 6 років тому +4

    Cool, more videos like this one please.
    If they have so much wind up there, why not install some wind mills to pump the water back up?

    • @chmd22
      @chmd22 6 років тому +1

      They do, sort of. Being connected to the grid, a significant portion of the electricity they use to pump water back up is in fact coming from wind farms. If local wind resources are good, they certainly can build the farms there, but they don't have to dedicate their output to this particular facility.

    • @sharkheadism
      @sharkheadism 4 роки тому

      Because the pumps consume enormous amounts of energy that comes from large plants that can't be throttled quickly, like coal, oil, and nuclear plants.

  • @geraldhenrickson7472
    @geraldhenrickson7472 6 років тому

    Excellent stuff Robert. Thanks for doing what you do.

  • @allencevans
    @allencevans 6 років тому

    Really interesting to see, thank you. Love the editing too!

  • @Mukeshmiktecrep
    @Mukeshmiktecrep 4 роки тому +12

    Who's agree that instead of talking to each other, they should have recorded a guided tour on what the thing is and who it works ?

  • @zapfanzapfan
    @zapfanzapfan 6 років тому +25

    I'm glad you didn't run across any orcs or cave trolls, or drop a bucket down a well and woke up the Balrog :-)

    • @indianasquatchunters
      @indianasquatchunters 6 років тому +1

      zapfanzapfan Love Robert’s very Lord of the Ringsy 😂. Tolkien sure did love his folklore. I wasn’t all Nordic either British Isles folklore played a big part, including beautiful Wales :).

    • @andrasbiro3007
      @andrasbiro3007 6 років тому +3

      Actually a Balrog would be an excellent power source.

    • @zapfanzapfan
      @zapfanzapfan 6 років тому +2

      András Bíró: Yeah, it seemed to give off quite a bit of heat :-)

    • @krashd
      @krashd 4 роки тому +1

      @@magnusekeberg2168 The best Pot Noodle seams can be up to a kilometre underground.

  • @williamresham703
    @williamresham703 4 роки тому

    Great video tour. Thanks.

  • @chriskelvin248
    @chriskelvin248 4 роки тому +1

    I was there on vacation in '17- FASCINATED by the old slate mine and learning about the massive "water battery" that is the reservoirs. Striking landscape as well. Fell in love with Caenarfon below. I seem to remember a rather tasty beer on tap at the Black Buoy called Electric Mountain.

  • @jimwilliams1536
    @jimwilliams1536 6 років тому +4

    Get some of those big wind turbines up there quick!

  • @arturasp9738
    @arturasp9738 6 років тому +9

    We have something like that in Lithuania, check out the video in english ua-cam.com/video/hr3YqH_pjs0/v-deo.html
    I think its not necessary to do something as crazy as building it inside the mountain, just find a flat area near the water and build a reservoir .

    • @Simon-nx1sc
      @Simon-nx1sc 6 років тому +1

      I watched the video and indeed, I can't see why this has to be inside a mountain.
      That said, the tunnel probably already existed for the most part because of mining activities.

    • @FreekHoekstra
      @FreekHoekstra 6 років тому +4

      the mountain is there to create the vertical height difference,
      the power comes from the volume of water * the height difference.
      so the bigger the second the less volume you need.

    • @manpetepetrop8034
      @manpetepetrop8034 6 років тому +4

      Greater Height = More Potential Energy = More Power.
      As Robert Pointed in the video its 600m difference between the top lake and the Generator versus 100m in the video in Lithuania, Also Count less piping length = Fewer Losses due to friction and a more inclined pipe = Greater water speed = More Kinetic Energy = More MW for Generation...

    • @Charlie-UK
      @Charlie-UK 6 років тому +4

      FYI... Dinorwig, was designed that way, to be protected from , a nuclear attack. So it could be used to reboot, the UK electricity grid, if needed...

    • @mrc4147
      @mrc4147 6 років тому

      The other pumped storage site the guy mentioned at Ffestiniog is all external. A dam with pipes from an upper lake to a lower lake. Flow is reversed at night.

  • @petercrutchley6085
    @petercrutchley6085 6 років тому

    Excellent engineering and video. Thank you for posting. From New Zealand..

  • @istvanmeszaros4112
    @istvanmeszaros4112 6 років тому

    Amazing piece of engineering. Thank you for the very informative episode!

  • @terryendicott2939
    @terryendicott2939 6 років тому +8

    If they used wind, solar, waves or some other sort of intermittent non-grid power dedicated to pump the lower lake to the upper lake could this be less dependent on the grid?

    • @MrKristyon
      @MrKristyon 6 років тому +5

      The more renewables that come online, even more this comes into play. It's connected to the national grid, just like large scale wind and solar. It's likely that excess wind is pumping water at night some of the time.

    • @terryendicott2939
      @terryendicott2939 6 років тому +4

      MrKristyon - Thanks - I keep forgetting that the grid is getting more and more populated with wind etc.

    • @Kingsoupturbo
      @Kingsoupturbo 6 років тому

      Thats got to be the only way its feasable to keep this place online, its unusual as there are so many hydro electric plants in north america that don't have to repump water.

    • @brucemcfarling7810
      @brucemcfarling7810 6 років тому +4

      It does a lot of good for integrating wind & solar on the grid. Demand response will takes longer to respond & battery storage costs more per KWh, so a portfolio of demand response, pumped hydro and battery offers more flexibility than any one on their own.

  • @tracyofbg
    @tracyofbg 6 років тому +16

    What kind of person can thumb this down and why?

    • @beyondfossil
      @beyondfossil 6 років тому +10

      Fossil fuel executives.

    • @zapfanzapfan
      @zapfanzapfan 6 років тому +8

      The Cock-brothers? :-)

    • @aljazhusak1360
      @aljazhusak1360 6 років тому +1

      Well it does use more energy than it producess to cover price spikes of the power market... personally I think its a great video but to someone living off grid in a straw hut is as ofensive as anything, I can kinda get that.

    • @EleanorPeterson
      @EleanorPeterson 5 років тому

      Hydrophobes.

    • @krashd
      @krashd 4 роки тому

      Young children who get it in their recommended while looking for Minecraft videos.

  • @SpringDivers
    @SpringDivers 6 років тому

    Amazing conversation, gentlemen. Thanks for the video.

  • @Slash1066
    @Slash1066 6 років тому

    Its an amazing place to visit, did the tour years ago. Those valves and weights are truly a sight to behold.

  • @siviter
    @siviter 6 років тому +3

    As there aren't many mountains to bore into. Could we not use old coal mines instead? Lake at the top, pumping water up and back down old shafts? Has to be cheaper than machining rock from scratch or grid level battery storage? Would also put some much needed life back into Northern towns.

    • @mrc4147
      @mrc4147 6 років тому +2

      That is indeed being looked into. Of course you need a lake at the top which requires a bit of space so very few locations where this would be feasible. Disused quarries are another potential consideration.

    • @danielx9011
      @danielx9011 6 років тому +1

      Gravitricity are proposing concrete weights in mine shafts as energy storage. Already covered by Mr Llewellyn in a news feature: ua-cam.com/video/dTZ6HBQgq8E/v-deo.html

    • @siviter
      @siviter 6 років тому +1

      Daniel x thanks for the reply. Yeah I've seen this, I feel it is limited by volume compared to a mine. A fair few coal mines have large brown field areas around them that could be regenerated into a park if you flooded part of it for pumped storage, you wouldn't have to completely drain it.

    • @jur4x
      @jur4x 6 років тому +3

      You don't even need huge height differences actually. Just 2 reservoirs with some level separation. Some of pumped storage stations have less then a hundred meters between reservoir levels. Can be located next next to each other.

    • @nautilus1872
      @nautilus1872 5 років тому

      There were other reasons to dig into a granite mountain during the cold war the power station was a side line.

  • @joeyandres
    @joeyandres 6 років тому +15

    Really smart. The whole thing is basically just a big battery.

    • @fionafiona1146
      @fionafiona1146 6 років тому +4

      Joey Andres a battery that barely loses any charge at a massive scale 😍

    • @FreekHoekstra
      @FreekHoekstra 6 років тому +9

      it actually gains charge as it rains ;)

    • @jur4x
      @jur4x 6 років тому +2

      It's UK. So it gains charge quite a lot :)

  • @MattTester
    @MattTester 6 років тому

    What a beautiful place, I've only driven past on the main road but it's great to see what goes on inside.

  • @uwemuller2944
    @uwemuller2944 6 років тому +1

    A very interesting video again! Thanks a lot!

  • @UAPJedi
    @UAPJedi 6 років тому +65

    British engineering at its best.

    • @hier0dingens0weiste
      @hier0dingens0weiste 6 років тому +37

      that is also exactly why it is leaking at 1:16 :*D

    • @tomekstanek
      @tomekstanek 6 років тому +4

      But imagine how big batter storage can be build today for cost of that?

    • @Taolishao
      @Taolishao 6 років тому +1

      Bwahaha.

    • @FreekHoekstra
      @FreekHoekstra 6 років тому +6

      This is actually very cost efficient, the amount of infrastructure for the amount of energy stored is very low.
      the issue is that it requires specific geography namely a mountain with a lake on top.
      so it only works in certain areas.

    • @Rupietta
      @Rupietta 6 років тому +8

      With help from a Swiss construction company...

  • @nicksgarage8295
    @nicksgarage8295 4 роки тому +6

    I wanted to see the turbine halls not a conversation about yada yada yada....

    • @jamesedwards6589
      @jamesedwards6589 4 роки тому

      I want to see the massive vortex when the water is getting sucked back up from the bottom of the pond lol

  • @3DLL.
    @3DLL. 6 років тому

    i went there when i was 9 years old i'm 27 now and i can still remember it clearly.
    love to go back again

  • @the_real_foamidable
    @the_real_foamidable 6 років тому

    Cool episode! Thanks for sharing.

  • @dledden4433
    @dledden4433 6 років тому +3

    Shame it's no longer British owned :-(

  • @reik2006
    @reik2006 6 років тому +3

    3:55 1 cubic meter of water dropping one meter yields a change in gravitational potential energy of about 0.003 kWh.

    • @begood6011
      @begood6011 6 років тому

      1 cubic metre of water has a mass of 1000kg, potential energy is given by m x g x h = 1000 x 9.81 x 1 = 9810 joules. If this energy is discharged in a second then that's equivalent to 9.81kw, I'm not sure where the guy gets 1kw from? It would need to discharge in about 10s to generate 1kw, but water is going to fall 1m a lot quicker than 10s...

    • @ahaveland
      @ahaveland 6 років тому

      9.81kW for one second is 9.81/3600 = 0.0027 kWh to lift a ton of water 1m.
      Therefore mgh for a ton of water falling 600m would be 5886000J, or 1.6kWh, which is a lot closer to the mark.
      That's about the amount of energy in my ebike battery - enough to raise me and the bike 6000m or over 60 miles along the flat.

    • @Bluswede
      @Bluswede 6 років тому +3

      One question: How are you people getting kilowatt hours from a metric tonne of water flowing from a one meter height, through an unknown restriction, in an unspecified amount of time? Kilowatt hours is a time-dependent measurement and kilowatts is not.
      Also...the equation that Robert quoted, roughly, at 3:55 IS, indeed, 1kg dropping 1 meter equalling 1 kilowatt...but that has seconds as a component that need to be cancelled out in the next step (where you stir in time or flow rate) by also adding in the 3,600 sec/hour conversion if you want to get to kilowatt hours as your final answer. This is why some attempts are off by a factor of 1,000...
      Be Good almost had it but got distracted by the mental picture of a glob of water free-falling through space, instead of flowing through a pipe and turbine at a more measured pace, while doing the work of generating electricity.
      Andy Lee Robinson took something from his daily life and did a comparison that made hands-on sense to him...he gets the prize!
      I intuitively knew that Robert's 1, 1, 1 formula was right, but the math wasn't working for me...(it's been a while!)...I finally worked it backward using the flow rate of a small petrol-powered water pump to confirm my belief, then searched the interwebs a bit to find a similar, step-by-step, problem and suss where my math had gone wrong.

    • @ahaveland
      @ahaveland 6 років тому +2

      Bluswede, thanks for your comment...
      I'd just like to fix your confusion - kilowatt hours is *not* time-dependent! It is a unit of energy, regardless of time. Think of it like a bucket of petrol.
      You can spend 1kWh in 1 second (3.6MW) or one year (114mW) - it is the same quantity or work, but if you spend it quickly then that represents more power.
      Power is an instantaneous quantity, a rate of flow. like litres per second or J/s. Energy is J/s x time = J.
      Potential energy, mgh, says nothing about time - that is the energy to raise a mass by height against gravity, or released. If you want to do this quickly, then you need more energy quickly, ie. more joules per second = power.
      Hope that helps.

    • @reik2006
      @reik2006 6 років тому +2

      Conservation of energy principles do not require details of the processes of how one form of energy is converted into another. Lifting one cubic meter of water by one meter with respect to some arbitrarily chosen datum point near the earths surface requires a force acting opposite to the force of gravity over a distance of one meter. This also can be understood as the amount of energy to be transferred from the surroundings into the cubic meter of water where it is being stored as gravitational potential energy. Potential energy quantifies the work that gravity potentially could perform on the amount of water when it is returned back from its final position to the initial datum. This analysis yields an upper bound for the maximum amount of energy that the water possibly could transfer back to its surroundings. A real life process where water falls a couple hundreds of meters and gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, then passes through a turbine producing shaft work which is transformed into some electric potential difference by some generator will have irreversibilities and thus every conversion of energy will reduce the amount of useful work which can be performed with that initial amount of potential energy we started of with. Hence no details are required of how the cycle is performed by the power plant in order to state upper limits of what it can possibly do (or for that matter one cubic meter of water falling one meter).
      Here's how the computation was done:
      mass of one cubic meter:
      1 m^3 = 1000 l = 1000 kg
      change in potential energy with respect to some datum to one significant digit:
      ΔPE = 1000 kg * 10 m/s^2 * 1m = 1E1 kJ
      unit conversion to kWh:
      1 kJ = 1 kWs
      3600 kWs = 1 kWh
      answer to one significant digit:
      ΔPE = 1E1 kJ * [1 kWs/kJ] * [1 kWh/3600 kWs] = 3E-3 kWh = 0.003 kWh.
      One mental experiment to adjust your intuitions: 1 cubic meter equals 100 buckets containing 10 l. To me it is fairly obvious that with some effort I could lift the filled buckets 100 times by one meter and put it into a 1 cubic meter box. I also know just how much effort is required to maintain some continuous power output above 100 watts [see ua-cam.com/video/S4O5voOCqAQ/v-deo.html] much less an output of 1 kW for one hour resulting in 1 kWh. There is no way I possibly converted that much energy with my buckets.

  • @Nardiumms
    @Nardiumms 6 років тому

    Literally my favorite show, Fully Charged :D

  • @greggschuder7478
    @greggschuder7478 4 роки тому

    Fabulous video, Robert! Very interesting. Thanks.

  • @mrrolandlawrence
    @mrrolandlawrence 6 років тому +3

    constructed back in the day when we looked forward to creating infrastructure for our needs. we need some more nuclear power now! we are lacking base load power. coal is dirty and we get gas from russia though the way politics are today, not for much longer.

  • @martinmacdonald
    @martinmacdonald 6 років тому +5

    Who are the 10 people that disliked this video, and for what possible reason??

    • @gwarlow
      @gwarlow 6 років тому

      martin macdonald We may never know what goes on within their troubled minds... Best not to bother wondering, I think. I will focus on the majority who did like this video. (But it bothers me too :-))

    • @dougmc666
      @dougmc666 5 років тому

      They sell batteries

  • @funny-video-YouTube-channel
    @funny-video-YouTube-channel 6 років тому +2

    Wonderful use of the natural landscape.
    We can imagine that the modern day batteries would be cheaper to use, if one would want to build such a facility from scratch.

    • @701983
      @701983 6 років тому +1

      Construction costs could be similar by now.
      But consider lifetime/charging cycles!
      I suppose, pumped storage is still cheaper in the long term.

  • @FrntRow
    @FrntRow 6 років тому

    We love you Robert (and ALL the Fully Charged team!) your passion and character are an inspiration, sharing all this awesome with us in a easily digestible technology sandwich. Please never stop never stopping!
    The fact you used to be a droid makes it even greater

  • @vateoivanov
    @vateoivanov 6 років тому +1

    "12 miles away as the crow flies." Today I learned a beautiful new expression. Thanks Fully Charged!

    • @krashd
      @krashd 4 роки тому

      'As the crow flies' means in a straight line, A to B. Sometimes people use it alongside road distance to show how much a road deviates between two places.

  • @johntisbury
    @johntisbury 6 років тому +1

    Thank you - very interesting.

  • @pemjoe
    @pemjoe 4 роки тому

    The men who align these units are the ones who truly keep the lights on!

  • @bujin1977
    @bujin1977 6 років тому

    I went on the public tour back in the 90s while I was still in school. Fascinating stuff - although obviously I didn't think so at the time as it was an educational trip...

  • @kenbone4535
    @kenbone4535 6 років тому

    Great Robert, wish we had more of them.

  • @chevvakulasrikanth9260
    @chevvakulasrikanth9260 6 років тому

    Thank you for making this wonderful video.👍👍

  • @nicemandan
    @nicemandan 6 років тому

    Wow, I hiked past this on a school trip in the late 80s, and was told it was a reservoir and dam built in an old quarry. Thanks for showing what was really in there!

  • @gwmattos
    @gwmattos 6 років тому

    YOUR real eyes and ears for educating the public is as example of professional news that should be shared with PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, ETC. BEAUTIFUL JOB OF RELEVANT INFORMATION.THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO US.

  • @jacksonbangs6603
    @jacksonbangs6603 5 років тому

    Awesome video and content!

  • @maximilianholland
    @maximilianholland 6 років тому +1

    Awesome! Essentially able to function as a 10GWh battery with upto 1.8GW output with 10 second response time. 75% efficiency is pretty decent too. Thanks Robert for a great video about this amazing facility.

  • @query1527
    @query1527 6 років тому

    That was fantastic Bobby!

  • @kylecramer8489
    @kylecramer8489 6 років тому

    Brilliant. I love how they use the exact same equipment to generate and store the electricity

  • @MartynWhite
    @MartynWhite 6 років тому

    Love this channel and the great team.

  • @stevetarte
    @stevetarte 6 років тому

    Fantastic place to visit. Went with the school in 1990. Will never forget my visit to the 'dragon in the mountain' as it was known then, under the National Grid company.

  • @benpaynter
    @benpaynter 6 років тому +1

    Excellent video

  • @Astilath
    @Astilath 3 роки тому

    Love that view over to the rainbow wall and the inclines.

  • @lewisjones6144
    @lewisjones6144 6 років тому

    Great video. Visited last year!

  • @mitchell.9632
    @mitchell.9632 6 років тому

    Robert and the team you cover interesting places and technology such as this video.

  • @timmayer8723
    @timmayer8723 4 роки тому

    I have been to the generator room of Hoover dam here in the US several times. It is amazing how quiet the massive generators are. This generating station is likewise very quiet. Fascinating.

  • @maariss
    @maariss 4 роки тому

    One of your best videos. Great. Thank you.

  • @Johny40Se7en
    @Johny40Se7en 6 років тому

    Very cool, proper reusable energy and it's very nice to see something that's quite close to Home. Gives a whole new meaning to Dwr Cymru, Gwych =)

  • @simonupton-millard
    @simonupton-millard 6 років тому

    I went there when I was little, lovely place. North Wales has a lot of renewable energy infrastructure hope you do more videos in this neck of the woods

  • @andicookson
    @andicookson 5 років тому

    Got hooked on your videos. Thank you Really interesting stuff

  • @scuddy71
    @scuddy71 5 років тому

    Great resource which of real value to my electrical apprenticeship students!

  • @carlos69rules
    @carlos69rules 6 років тому +1

    This is why I pay for your Patreon. Keep up the good work Robert.

  • @peterseddon8363
    @peterseddon8363 6 років тому

    I visited in 1981 while still under construction, I worked for the C.E.G.B. and was able to get a good look at the construction and the vast volume for the system.

  • @johnfitzpatrick2083
    @johnfitzpatrick2083 6 років тому

    Great concept and still going strong

  • @jkchravel
    @jkchravel 6 років тому

    been there twice. Awesome. great video Robert