STAR of the East

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STAR of the EAST
Suspended Star
Observation Platform
glass
1. Baseline 2. Vision 3. Detail 4.
Outcome
Power Station
T.D.Davies 02/06/03
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STAR of the East

• World-class attraction, demonstration,
  awareness-raising, technology, leadership in East
• Fire imagination
• Statement that the East will lead the renewables
  revolution in the UK/Europe

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Integrated time-lines 1the natural environment

• Natural climate regimes and response of humans
• West Runton Elephant biggest/best in world
• Glacial geology- most spectacular in Europe
• Earliest-known hominid presence in NW Europe
• Only Neanderthal site in UK
• Seahenge unique in the world
• Cromer Forest Bed
• The Elephant Bed
• Other Fossil Beds
• New Museum of Climate Change at Cromer

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Integrated time-lines 2the environment
influenced by the use of energy by humans

• The Broads biggest tourist attraction in EE and
  unique in the world (new National Park) first
  industrial-scale use of non-renewables in UK
  (Europe?) hydrocarbon-1
• Biggest concentration of pre-industrial
  renewables in world windmills/pumps for
  drainage/power major landscape feature
• Most spectacular example of coastal erosion in
  Europe (revealed the Elephant!) lost towns
  (Dunwich)
• Most vulnerable area to sea-level rise in UK
  (Broads also threatened)
• New Broads Headquarters

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Integrated time-lines 3global warming, now and
the future

• Expertise-
• School of Environmental Sciences
• - Tyndall Centre
• - Climatic Research Unit
• - Low Carbon Innovation Centre
• best in world (Gvt Chief Scientific
  Adviser)
• Threats-
• - EE one of most vulnerable in UK
• - Coast (Sizewell?)
• - Broads

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Production of energy has been/will be critical
1Hydrocarbons- now

• Hydrocarbon-3 North Sea
• (Hydrocarbon-2 is 0.5km below)
• Bacton N Sea and now Siberia (lights will go
  out in 2020s Radio 4 Today Programme July 2003)

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Time, environment, energy and regional integration

• EE can become renewables centre of England/UK
  (EEDA ambition?)
• EE can lead way in awareness-raising and
  demonstration of link between energy and the
  environment
• Increase in visitors to region stimulated
• EE can organise/integrate what we already have
  and point to the future

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Production of energy has been/will be critical 2
Beyond-Hydrocarbons

• (Sizewell)
• North Sea (wind)
• Land (wind, biofuel/biomass EE major area)

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Vision

• STAR of the East
• a complete, joined-up story of how the EE could
  and should show the way to the renewables
  revolution
• Climate change environmental change-impacts-risk
  -reduce greenhouse gases-renewables
• Hard- and soft-edge to the wow factor
• A world-landmark

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Norwich

• Wind-turbine and sculpture unique in the world
• Renewables power station biomass (local
  sources), sewage sludge (pipeline in river?),
  (waste), (future? hydrogen?) biofuels unique
  (in world?)
• Rail/river transport
• Historic heat-pump Hydro?
• Major tourist and technological attraction
• Connecting city and country

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Norfolk

• Visual links
• Physical links rail/river (biodiesel?)
• Remote links (tele-c, laser?)
• To

- New Broads HQ (rivers, lakes,conservation,
wetland management, birds etc) - Old
windmills - Cromer Elephant Museum (turbine)
physical models of cliff collapse - Bacton
gas (CO2) import? - Scroby Sands (turbines,
SL, sediment transport, etc) new turbines -
Gas rigs?
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The Region

• Dunwich (Suffolk)
• Sizewell (only nuclear station in UK in 2020s)
• Further W via Swaffham etc, to other
  turbines/plant (EE has favourable topography)
• Only biodiesel train service in UK (Europe?)
  Norwich-Cambridge?

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Aerial Photographs
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Detailed Aerial Photograph
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Map showing location of main photos
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View across Whittlingham Broad - Photo point 1
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View from Thorpe Station - Photo point 2
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from Thorpe Road - Photo point 3
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1. Baseline
Glacial debris landscape, much evidence of
natural climate change,coastal erosion, cliff
collapse, sea level rise threat. Finest whole
specimen of woolly elephant in UK and one of best
in world - not yet put on show.

• North Sea
• Fossil fuel extraction - oil/gas
• Now a source of renewables
• (wind energy)
• - Govt. announcement July
• 14th 2003

Broads Major tourist area in EE, soon to be
National Park. Broads are a consequence of first
major use of fossil fuel in UK - peat.
(opportunity for interesting comparative
illustrations c.f. todays use). Important
landscape features and agents of past prosperity
- windmills/pumps. Susceptible to seal
level-rise/environmental change - sensitive
landscape/management issues. Production of
Biomass
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2. Vision
Visual / high tech Link (microwave/laser)? To
turbine on Cromer Ridge - climate change museum
(mammoth, physical models of cliffs, erosion,
sediment transport etc.
Star of the East - a striking sculpture - star
suspended in air and generating electricity.
Yarmouth/Scroby visual / high tech
link also information on sea-level
Wonderful architectural counterpoint to the
catherdral - providing superb views over Norwich
and Norfolk to the sea.
glass mast with glass lift and observation
deck.
Solar panels
Many wind mills/pumps (some generating
electricity)?
Renewables Power Station wind biomass (from
Broads, Breckland, Norfolk Farmers, sewage works
(2km down river)- pre-processing of some biomass
at Thetford (existing renewables power station)
and shipped in by rail pre-processing of sewage
and shipped by river (boat or pipeline). Waste?
Future capacity for hydrogen (bio-ethanol from
waste) built in.
Physical links rail/river - biodiesel/hydrogen
boats and trains
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3. Detail

• An Angel of the North and an Eden Project
  with a hard edge.
• In Norwich - the STAR of the EAST - a sculpture
  and a turbine.
• Rotor could be star-shaped - invisible mast and
  observation deck. Flexible, future-proofed,
  renewable energy power station and development
  facility
• biofuel pre-processed outside Norwich and
  shipped by rail/river (or pipeline).
• Waste (pre-processed outside Norwich)
• Built in Hydrogen / bio-ethanol capability (CHP
  from biomass plant)
• Exhibition/learning area.

Will throw people out towards New Broads HQ,
new Museum of Climate Change, Yarmouth. Visual
links, high-tech links (turbines at Yarmouth,
Cromer, weather data, wind energy production,
sea-level changes, sediment transport etc.
STAR with draw people in first place - all
railway lines go past it as do both rivers - also
new Riverside development is close by as is
Carrow Road Football Ground.
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3. Detail - continued
Broads HQ Visitor Centre - wetland of global
importance, major tourist area, new National
Park, peat workings (CO2) , conservation
issues, weltland management, climate change
impacts - Sea Level rise, salt water incursion,
effects on bird populations etc, produces
biomass fuel all making point of renewables.
New Museum of Climate Change, Cromer rail link,
the natural climate change story ice-ages,
woolly elephants, vegetation succession, coastal
erosion, cliff collapse etc - leading right up
to greenhouse gas induced climate change.
Yarmouth North Sea Wind farms and the old
fossil fuel provider
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Some Technical and related Information
Biomass plant would have capacity of 30 - 40 MW
and would be sufficient to supply 30 of
electricity of Norwich could be sustained by 120
- 150 sq km of land from across region via rail
links. locally/community derived power - Energy
White Paper Plant would operate as CHP to
provide process heat for biofuel production
(improving CO2 benefit from these fuels). Wind
Turbine would probably reach a 15 load factor
(c.f. 30) because of importance of sculptural
form. Heat Pumps Historically, Norwich was
important in the development of the energy
conservation technology of Heat Pumps when John
Sumner (despite war time difficulties) installed
one in Duke Street. There are plans to re-install
a heat pump when the building is renovated for
city centre apartments.
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4. Outcome

• An architectural/sculptural statement of the
  highest order
• A flexible, multi-process, renewables power
  station linking town and country.
• A major boost to the profile of the East in the
  Renewables area.
• A major tourist attraction in its own right -
  dramatic presence
• impact (laser lights at night)

• An effective mean of propelling people to the
  other three components of this integrated/distribu
  ted initiative.
• A complete, joined-up story of why renewables
  are so important - climate change gtgt
  environmental processes gtgt reduce green house
  gases gtgt renewables

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4. Outcome - continued

• Hard technology put into context of the wow
  factor - superb woolly elephant specimen,
  high-tech remote links - and the softer element
  of windmills, birds, rivers, landscape - and the
  imperative of protecting them

• Opportunity for continuing hard-edged development
  around the STAR (sustainable technology and
  renewables) Park in Norwich - including future
  hydrogen.

• Opportunity for integrated plan (transport etc),
  and continuing development of low carbon links -
  rail shuttle bus (station - STAR), river, road
  etc.

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