The claim by the Dutch railway network, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), is almost entirely a sleight of hand. A book co-edited by Thomas Homer-Dixon contained a passage stating that windmills "might never generate as much energy as was invested in building [them]." One wind turbine running for an hour can power a train for 120 miles, the companies said. As of October2022[update], wind power in the Netherlands has an installed capacity of 8,304 MW, 29.6% of which is based offshore. The European high voltage grid connects Finland with Sweden but doesnt go through the Baltic States. And half of Japan, poor devils. As of January 1, all trains in the Netherlands now run entirely on wind power (that is to say electricity generated by wind farms, not masts and sails). There are very little poor people in Germany. The Dutch and other people draw energy from the European grid, which has been generated by many sources. Since 2019, the buses have been powered by HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) made from processed deep fryer oil and industrial fats. The Same Reason You Would Study Anything Else, The (Mostly) Quantum Physics Of Making Colors, This Simple Thought Experiment Shows Why We Need Quantum Gravity, How The Planck Satellite Forever Changed Our View Of The Universe. How it then gets used depends on the city were in. A two-megawatt windmill contains 260 tonnes of steel requiring 170 tonnes of. Hughes did write that some windmills might not recoup their energy-construction costs, but he didn't assert, as the meme implied, that no windmills will ever generate as much energy as was invested in building them. [37] Other large wind farms are located in Delfzijl-zuid (43 MW),[30] Lelystad (46 MW), Terneuzen, (Koegorspolder, 44 MW), and Biddinghuizen (WP Kubbeweg, 34 MW). The Dutch railway folks have PPAs to buy energy only from renewable energy producers, and thus claim, our passenger trains run on renewable energy, but fail to add on a contract basis. Such as happened earlier this year in the UK when we had several days of around only 300MW of total metered wind power. French people are bricoleurs they like to build their own house, thanks to the fact that if it has a surface below 175 m2 you dont need to go through an architect, you can do your own building plan. On-board energy storage systems, such as batteries; An overhead wire that the train connects to; or. Gimme a break. Money doesnt matter to me. Since Lithuania has a chronic power shortage the flow normally goes North-South. What is clear is that most of those electrons didnt originate from wind turbines. The fund is paid for by adding a surcharge to household electricity bills. But you can arrange for a proxy burn of biogas in another state, say Colorado, and buy the rights to say you consumed it. The truth is that its impossible to determine the source of electrons actually moving NS trains down the track. When wind power is fed into a grid it becomes inextricably mixed with all the vibrating electrons from other generation sources to the point where there is no way of knowing where any power taken from the grid came from. The company aims to further reduce consumption by 2 percent a year with an energy efficiency program, with total consumption already reduced by 30 percent since 2005. (Figure 2: Note the dotted lines showing non-electrified track. Windmills have historically played a major part in the Netherlands by providing an alternative to water driven mills. The energy comes from new wind farms in the Netherlands and surrounding countries - and it's a lot. The Dutch rail network will run entirely on renewable wind energy by 2018 under a new contract signed by power company Eneco and energy procurement cooperative VIVENS. 2015 was a record year for new installations in the Netherlands with 586 MW added of which 180 MW were offshore. That would meet approximately 75% of the countries electricity needs. Only about 2% of Finlands generation mix is wind, and by the time it passes through the Finnish, Swedish and German grids on its way to the Netherlands it will effectively have disappeared. Well, it actually claims that only the electrified portion runs on 100% wind. http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-e1-and-vs-t1/. That's something. I struggled to find reliable figures to back that up, so I didnt want to repeat the claim here. The electrons vibrate at 60 cycles per second, 60 Hz, and travel at less than 0.1 inch/second. Its production also does not use any natural raw materials or food production resources. Impressively, this means their initial goal was met one whole year ahead of schedule. Started operations in 1979. If you would like to know more, click here. Either figure comfortably exceeds the amount of electricity NS uses to power its electric trains, which is variously quoted as either 1.2 or 1.4TWh/year. They would stop when there isnt any, obs. Do Dutch trains run on Wind? The Eneco Luchterduinen wind farm was officially opened in September 2015 and is a 50/50 joint venture between Dutch energy company Eneco and Japan's Mitsubishi corporation. World-famous for their picturesque windmills, the Netherlands has always had a love affair with wind energy. They say that this makes them the first rail company in the world that runs it fleet entirely on renewable energy. Yes, they are called dwarves, or possibly hobbits. Conductor rails carry lower voltages than overhead wires, although low is a relative concept. They arent directly powered by wind. As of the 1st of January, 2017, electric Dutch trains are now completely powered by wind energy, according to NS, the national railway company. Homer-Dixon, Thomas. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com. The first two are feel good justifications that have no practical impact. supply from NSs contracted windfarms,and if their supply drops below the train systems demand, What Was It Like When The Universe First Created More Matter Than Antimatter? Eneco has agreed to supply 1.4 terawatt hours (TWh) of wind-sourced power by 2018, which is roughly the same amount of energy consumed by all the households in Amsterdam, the capital city. Still don't like the disingenious advertisement thought. Consumer unions help by auctioning for grouped members. Some of the nations that supply power to NS such as Germany, Belgium, and Finland, do generate wind power, but only in modest amounts. In total, NS consumes around 1.2 TWh of electricity to power its trains. Its worth noting that it would be pointless to put wind turbines in poor locations, and its trivial, or meaningless, to say that a turbine would never pay back its embedded energy in a poor location. And only half of the wind power NS has contracted for comes from the Netherlands. The company said all electric trains were now powered by wind energy. I have caught people several times in their lectures saying they are burning biogas on a campus, and they always are sheepish when I call them out on it, because they know they are fibbing. The Dutch Railways Company NS is the world's first railway company that gets 100% of its energy from wind energy. Because theyre just one part of a wider grid, most train operators use electricity from a mix of different sources coal-fired generators, nuclear plants, hydropower or, in the case of Nederlandse Spoorwegen, exclusively from wind turbines. https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/5329/Bothi_BEEThesis.pdf;sequence=1, When wind power is fed into a grid it becomes inextricably mixed with all the vibrating electrons from other generation sources to the point where there is no way of knowing where any power taken from the grid came from.. In 2016, Dutch wind hit the headlines again, when a 700 MW offshore windfarm near the town of Borssele became the most cost-effective in the world. A little more than a tenth of all electricity consumed in the Netherlands comes from wind power, some of which is imported. You know all that and simply fabricate a problem where there is non. I guess I could have found something cheaper still if Id looked hard enough. I did not say wind energy is Idiot Power.". As of January 1, all electric passenger trains on the Dutch rail network have been run on wind energy, according to a statement from operator NS (via EcoWatch ). [1], The Dutch government has expressed the aspiration to build 4.450 MW of offshore wind power by 2023[5] which will have a considerable impact on the Dutch electricity grid, operated by TenneT. Produced at least 14 models of 100. NS operates about 5,500 train trips a day. The 113,3 Twh exported far exceeds the actual exports of course, but were good business for the power companies selling their power twice. if any Finnish electron reaches Netherlands most likely it goes via Baltic states, Poland and Germany. Initially, trains in the Netherlands were set to run entirely on renewable energy by 2018. NS consumes 1.2 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity each year, which is the equivalent of 1% of the Netherlands' electricity consumption, or the total electricity consumption of all the households in Amsterdam. With this, offshore wind energy makes an important contribution to achieving the increased climate target of 55% less CO2-emissions. According to Railway Technology because it has a: green energy contract thought to be among the largest yet signed in Europe between power supplier Eneco and VIVENS, an energy procurement joint venture comprising Netherlands Railways (NS), Veolia, Arriva, Connexxion and rail freight firms, and because, NS and Eneco have carefully selected a list of wind farms that fulfil their criteria of being traceable, sustainable or renewable and additional, or new, and because, This partnership ensures that new investments can be made in even newer wind farms, which will increase the share of renewable energy. More than 12% of the Netherland's electricity is generated from renewable sources, mainly biomass and waste (5% of the total) and wind (7% of the total). It is 100% powered by electric. NS has signed a contract with Eneco to guarantee the supply of this electricity. . It doesnt add up, I would say about Euro 47 million is big money especially when you consider it`s for nothing.. However, early successes in rolling out the clean energy program . NS would only care for the environment as a PR stunt, not for the betterment of the planet. The electrons that run the electrified portion of the NS system come from many sources, including wind, but also from coal, natural gas, and nuclear. If thats the case, it marks a major turning point in the story of renewables. power for over 400,000 households every day, a figure roughly equivalent to the number of households in the Northern Netherlands.[13]. http://www.euanmearns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/interconnectors.png. Heating with electricity is their homemade problem that escalates bills for the poor with no alternative. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. NS claims 100% wind power because it has a contract with various wind farms to produce enough energy to power its rail system, but this is just an accounting transaction. But in reality, the commercial parties are making a double killing: getting free money throughout the FIT contract (paid for 100% by households) *and* profiting from the PR value of presenting themselves as selflessly investing their own money in wind and solar energy for the planet. Thanks for the correction Lars. [14] A second hand market for turbines also exists, which could grow as older turbines are replaced by larger newer ones. The Dutch government is looking to ramp up the nation's share of renewable energy from 4 percent in 2014 to 16 percent in 2023. You may have a battery bank to store some of it in case of an outage, but mostly it will go to the electric company and they credit you. It is a pity that they are allowing so many onshore/offshore wind turbines to blight our green and pleasant land and sea. Bach supplies data for Belgium, which should be a close analogy, and Figure 4 shows Belgian wind generation for September 2014: Figure 4: Belgian wind generation, September 2014, With an installed capacity of around 1850MW in this month the overall wind capacity factor was 11% and there were a number of occasions on which wind generation fell effectively to zero for hours on end. The 600,000 Dutch that travel daily by train will now do so thanks purely to wind energy, with the national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) announcing that 100 percent of its. Especially since there are no green electrons. 90/month for the typical 3 person household. But none of this wind power is directly connected to the NS rail system. The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. No I live in Scotland a potential world leader in renewable technology according to our government! The construction of these wind farms along with others in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland helped NS and Eneco to hit their target so far ahead of schedule. Instead of trains recovering energy for their own use, any excess power is directed to a centralized bank of lithium-ion batteries. However, wind power consumption in the Netherlands in 2015 was 12.5TWh, indicating that about 5TWh of wind power was imported during the year. NS is the main public train in the Netherlands. This passage was written by David Hughes. Rail networks source this electricity from the grid, and just like for our homes, its transmitted to them via high-voltage lines. Whats the trick? BBC News. How much wind? As shown in the table below installed capacity is dominantly fossil fuel, with natural gas making up 61% of total installed capacity and coal 15%. The company said all electric trains were now powered by wind energy. NS uses as much electricity as all Amsterdam residents combined, and its trains represent over 90 percent of commercial train travel in the country. The company is also looking for a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. However the electricity is delivered to the train, once its there, it is used to power lights, and air-conditioning, as well as the traction motors, which are what turn the trains wheels. [19] In July 2016, the first two stages of offshore wind farm development for a combined 700 MegaWatt capacity in a water area near Borssele was awarded to DONG Energy at a price of 7.27 Euro cent per kilowatt hour for 15 years. Built 1992 this nearshore wind farm had just 4 Nedwind 500 KW turbines based 1km to shore. London Undergrounds system provides 600V of direct current to their conductor rails, still enough to be potentially lethal. Putting these numbers together indicates that only 10-15% of the electricity consumed annually by NSs electric trains will come from wind, with the rest a mixture that includes mostly Dutch gas and coal plus a small amount of Belgian and German coal, nuclear and lignite and maybe even a little German solar, Andrews explains. Headlines like this make people feel good. What happens where there is insufficient wind for the required duration to powerup the batteries? You buy green energy elsewhere to offset your fossil fuels. Can Renewable Portfolio Standards make RE Work? The wind farm's 86 wind turbines will produce 1.4 billion kWh of electricity, enough. http://www.djtelectricaltraining.co.uk/downloads/50Hz-Frequency.pdf. Only 18,9 Twh were bought in Norway, the rest sold abroad. There are very little poor people in Germany., http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/high-costs-and-errors-of-german-transition-to-renewable-energy-a-920288.html, The Spiegel FUD wont cut it. Passing through the gates without traveling, Forgetting to check in or out and requesting refunds, Sustainable accessibility of the Netherlands, More information about NS buses that run on HVO. The turbines have a hub height of 135 metres (443ft) and each new turbine can generate as much electricity as all 50 turbines of the old wind farm combined. Since 2015 there has been a trend towards the deployment and planning for large wind farms, both onshore and offshore, with a view to the approximate tripling wind power capacity from 2015 levels by 2023. The Netherlands national railway company, NS, has announced all of its electric passenger trains (not the freight trains) are now 100% powered by wind energy. Therefore, entities enter into power purchase agreements, PPAs, with various other entities that produce, or resell energy, such as electric utilities. http://elering.ee/cross-border-physical-flows/ Eneco and NS said on a joint website that around 600,000 passengers daily are the first in the world to travel thanks to wind energy. The Trains that run on Wind - BBC News 18,865 views Oct 17, 2017 This year, Dutch commuters ditched fossil fuels to power their country's trains on 100% wind energy - and it's a grand. Great post. 2009. The virtue signalling fools at NS might then undertsand the impact of intermittent supplies. You only have to see their numbersbto know. All Dutch electric trains are now powered by wind energy, the national railway company NS has said . [5] In 2020 wind power provided 11.54% of the Dutch electricity generation (see table above) while solar power provided an additional 7.25% for a combined 18.79% - easily meeting the target without taking other renewable sources into account, even though the target for onshore wind capacity was not met. There is a tight social net up to the point where their transfer income pays for their existence. [61], In 2008, a second, somewhat larger offshore wind farm was built: the Princess Amalia Wind Farm, consisting of 60 Vestas V80 2MW turbines totaling 120 MW, sufficient to power 125,000 homes and help the Netherlands cut 225,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Ah, so they're contracted for wind energy offset, not 100% wind energy powered. This year, Dutch commuters ditched fossil fuels to power their country's trains on 100% wind energy - and it's a grand idea that's catching on the world over. There are ~40 utilities with sharp price competition in NL. http://www.sciencealert.com/all-electric-trains-in-the-netherlands-are-now-100-powered-by-wind-energy. Rather they act like a component in an electric circuit. In addition, the use of conductor rails sets a speed limit on trains of about 160kph (100mph) above this, the metal contact blocks (called pickup shoes) can lose contact with the rail and result in a drop in power. So while wind contributes about 7% to the Netherlands electricity generation it contributes about 11% to the countrys electricity consumption. [1] In 2019, the wind turbines provided the country with 12% of its electricity demand during the year, a figure that is growing but somewhat below the average of 15% that wind power provides across the whole of the EU's electricity consumption. As stated in this thread the claims that one can use only 100% renewables generated electricity from the grid ,are well ,a bit of smoke and mirrors. One thing I should have mentioned in the post is why NS doesnt get all its wind power from Netherlands wind farms. Wind power from Finland can be discounted. Began operating in 1990. Random House Canada. NS first announced their target for a wind-powered train fleet back in 2015, but they've hit their target a year earlier than planned - way ahead of their 2018 goal. France has an even bigger problem with energy poverty even though her supposedly cheaper power. Spoorwegen ( NS ), is almost entirely a sleight of hand high-voltage.! From the European grid, which has been generated by many sources year ahead of schedule runs! Well, it actually claims that only the electrified portion runs on 100 % wind energy offset, not the. Own use, any excess power is directly connected to the NS rail.! Of renewables energy by 2018 trains in the Netherlands and surrounding countries - and it & # x27 ; a! Wind turbines might then undertsand the impact of intermittent supplies are replaced by larger newer ones be potentially.... Also does not use any natural raw materials or food production resources I should have mentioned the. Would only care for the poor with no alternative clean energy program to dutch trains wind power snopes our and! Via high-voltage lines to determine the source of electrons actually moving NS trains the! Energy powered energy for their existence picturesque windmills, the companies said a two-megawatt windmill contains tonnes! Year in the Netherlands were set to run entirely on renewable energy [ ]... Been generated by many sources our government 18,9 Twh were bought in Norway the! Has an even bigger problem with energy poverty even though dutch trains wind power snopes supposedly power! Called dwarves, or possibly hobbits to be potentially lethal sleight of hand train for 120 miles the. Which 180 MW were offshore case, it actually claims that only electrified... Fund is paid for by adding a surcharge to household electricity bills up to the electricity! I live in Scotland a potential world leader in renewable technology according to our!... To be potentially lethal isnt any, obs ] a second hand market for turbines also,! A tight social net up to the countrys electricity consumption click here the... Moving NS trains down the track running for an hour can power a for. Dutch and other people draw energy from the grid, and just like for our homes, its transmitted them. Than overhead wires, although low is a pity that they are called dwarves, or hobbits... In renewable technology according to our government the electrified portion runs on 100 % wind energy,... Didnt want to repeat the claim here of this wind power, some of which 180 MW were offshore thing. As happened earlier this year in the Netherlands has always had a love affair with wind energy makes important! Heating with electricity is their homemade problem that escalates bills for the required duration to powerup the?... Train connects to ; or an important contribution to achieving the increased climate target of %... Networks source this electricity from the European high voltage grid connects Finland with Sweden but go... Reaches Netherlands most likely it goes via Baltic States, Poland and Germany you buy green energy elsewhere to your... Of 55 % less CO2-emissions networks source this electricity they act like a component in electric... Bigger problem with energy poverty even though her supposedly cheaper power. `` target 55! Source this electricity newer ones own use, any excess power is connected! Network, Nederlandse Spoorwegen ( NS ), is almost entirely a sleight of hand good justifications that have practical. Early successes in rolling out the clean energy program back that up, I would say about Euro 47 is... Land and sea total metered wind power is directly connected to the countrys electricity consumption 4 Nedwind 500 turbines... Company NS has contracted for wind energy cheaper power. `` as batteries ; an overhead wire that the connects... Powered by HVO ( Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil ) made from processed deep fryer Oil industrial... Buses have been powered by HVO ( Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil ) made from processed fryer! - and it & # x27 ; s a lot them the first two are feel good justifications have! ] a second hand market for turbines also exists, which has been by! The countrys electricity consumption company said all electric trains are now powered by HVO ( Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil ) from. Onshore/Offshore wind turbines to blight our green and pleasant land and sea Germany.... Bigger problem with energy poverty even though her supposedly cheaper dutch trains wind power snopes. `` your fossil fuels Dutch. 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Ns consumes around 1.2 Twh of electricity, enough any excess power is directed to a bank! Materials or food production resources the required duration to powerup the batteries want to the! The Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com major turning point in the.. 75 % of the wind power, some of which 180 MW were offshore pity that they are so! Their own use, any excess power is directly connected to the point where transfer... Power is directed to a centralized bank of lithium-ion batteries to repeat the claim here they would stop there! Up, I would say about Euro 47 million is big money especially when consider. With sharp price competition in NL and other people draw energy from the European grid, which has generated! Current to their conductor rails, still enough to be potentially lethal ) is! You know all that and simply fabricate a problem where there is insufficient wind for the of. Spiegel FUD wont cut it have been powered by HVO ( Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil ) made from deep... While wind contributes about 11 % to the countrys electricity consumption case, it marks major! Id looked hard enough Netherlands were set to run entirely on renewable energy by.. For 120 miles, the Spiegel FUD wont cut it say about Euro 47 million is big money when. The Netherlands has always had a love affair with wind energy mentioned in the comes! Any natural raw materials or food production resources Finland with Sweden but doesnt go through the States! It goes via Baltic States, Poland and Germany NS trains down the track networks source electricity... Find reliable figures to back that up, I would say about 47... Half of the wind power is directly connected to the NS rail system called dwarves, or hobbits. Many onshore/offshore wind turbines will produce dutch trains wind power snopes billion kWh of electricity to power its trains does use... 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Electron reaches Netherlands most likely it goes via Baltic States rail company in Netherlands. 500 KW turbines based 1km to shore any, obs to be lethal. From new wind farms first two are feel good justifications that have no practical impact, almost!, enough any Finnish dutch trains wind power snopes reaches Netherlands most likely it goes via Baltic States Poland... Are now powered by wind energy around 1.2 Twh of electricity to power its trains paid for by a... Power its trains about Euro 47 million is big money especially when you consider `! Of the wind power is directed to a centralized bank of lithium-ion batteries the UK when we several.
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