PLAN SCS Bases/Islands/Vessels (Not a Strategy Page)
- Thread starter lilzz
- Start date
joshuatree
Captain
Someone already posted they've ran fiber optic cables to Woody Island, so is a power cable that much more? I think with a power cable, one doesn't have to worry about power restrictions. Aside from a nuclear power plant, refueling a power plant would be another logistics problem such as fuel storage. Not sure, maybe renewables are able to supply power needs but I was always under the impression that they supplement but couldn't really cover all power needs out there.
Geographer
Junior Member
Radioisotope thermoelectric generators have long been used on spacecraft and isolated lighthouses and beacons. They were used on the Voyager spacecraft, the current New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto, and the current MSL Mars rover. They are small and can provide substantial power for years with no moving parts. The power output is quite small though, just 470 watts--good enough for a spacecraft but not for an inhabited island. There'd be a big risk of contamination if a typhoon hits and floods the island.
antiterror13
Brigadier
Maybe should just drill oil in South China sea and then ship it directly to the islands as energy source.
do you mean also to build an oil refinery there as well? hahahahahah
antiterror13
Brigadier
ohh well, power system engineering is my area, so I know a bit of that. Laying fibre optic to the island and put a submarine power cable to the island are totally different beast. Also remember the power demand for the island would be very small (my estimate; max 20MVA), it would be unimaginably expensive per unit power (kWh)
joshuatree
Captain
Exactly why not such a great idea on any of those outposts. Not enough power output for what's needed and potential risk of contamination if breached. On the smaller and remote outposts, it would seem solar water heating, wind power, and some generators would be the most cost efficient infrastructure. Larger ones like Woody Island could conceivably have a more formal central plant and given relative proximity to Hainan, a candidate for power cables.
In fact, Hainan itself has three 32km submarine power cables to the mainland at 500kV.
joshuatree
Captain
While small, would you say the cost of cable laying be offset by the logistics of building a power plant on the island and need for fuel storage? I remember reading a desalination plant will be built on Woody so how much power consumption would that take?
antiterror13
Brigadier
not sure .... it depends on how big the desalination plant is. I would be surprised if Woody Island would need more than 20MVA.
I still believe "Micro nuclear reactor" is the way to go for China to develop and build .... I am sure China has the capability to do that
something like Hyperion or Toshiba 4S
antiterror13
Brigadier
Exactly ... and each I believe has the capacity of 600MW or total 1.8GW (and the submarine cable is "only" less than 40kms)
But to integrate Woody island which is over 300kms from the closest point in Hainan island and only have 20MVA demand ... is just out of question