Tag Archives: Utilities

GE Gas Engines to Power Alternative Energy Projects

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GE to Supply Jenbacher J620 Engines to Power GWED’s Waste-to-Energy Projects – […] to power a series of Advanced Recycling and Energy Conversion (AREC) plants that GWE’s development subsidiary, Green Waste Energy Development (GWED), plans to build around the world.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>GWED uses C6 Technologies’ proprietary and patent-pending, non-burn waste-advanced pyrolysis technology in its AREC projects. The C6 technology can transform a wide range of wastes into “syngas,” which then can be used in gas engines to generate cleaner electricity or produce greener transportation fuels including diesel and jet fuel. C6T licenses its technology to developers worldwide.

Under terms of the agreement, GE will provide GWED with Jenbacher J620 gas engines, which will use the syngas produced at GWED’s waste-gasification facilities to generate renewable electricity. Each installed gas engine will generate nearly 2MWof reliable on-site power. GE also will provide technical support for GWED’s installed engine fleet.<

See on www.onlinetes.com

Energy Institute offers free online energy management training

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The free module covers the role of an energy manager, developing an energy policy and investment in energy efficiency.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>The first module of a new e-learning course on energy management, which is currently being developed by the Energy Institute (EI), the professional body for the energy industry, is now available free of charge.<

for course click this link:  http://bit.ly/14KLPzZ

See on www.offshore-publication.com

Work begins on largest North American fuel cell – Natural Gas to Electricity

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Dominion, one of the US’ largest energy companies, and FuelCell Energy Inc have begun construction of the largest fuel cell power project in North America.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell, which is being built next to the Interstate 95 motorway and the Northeast rail corridor, will produce 14.9 megawatts of clean energy, enough to power approximately 15,000 homes. It will use an electro-chemical process that converts natural gas into electricity.<

 

See on www.renewableenergyfocus.com

Power plant cancellations: Green Energy Act looms behind gas plant mess | Toronto Star

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The Green Energy Act stripped Ontarians of their right to appeal decisions on locating energy facilities.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Former premier Dalton McGuinty told a legislative committee this week that “there was a faulty selection process for gas plant sites and they were wrongly located and had to be shut down.”

But that faulty process was the result of his much-ballyhooed Green Energy Act. And the cost of the faulty process and the subsequent shutdown of the Oakville and Mississauga sites will be $585 million or more.

[…]

The result is that Ontario electricity rates, at one time among the lowest in North America, are now some of the highest. Ontario residential customers are paying about three times more for electricity than they did when McGuinty took office. Ontario industry, which used to benefit from low electricity costs, is suffering.<

See on www.thestar.com

New Study: Distributed Solar Energy Provides $34 Million in Benefits to Arizona Ratepayers | SEIA

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WASHINGTON, DC – A study released today shows that distributed solar generation (DG) and net energy metering will provide Arizona Public Service (APS) customers with $34 million in annual benefits.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>The study found that for each dollar of cost, DG provides $1.54 worth of benefits to APS customers. The net benefits for APS customers will amount to $34 million per year beginning in 2015. Benefits include savings on expensive and polluting conventional power and power plants; reduced investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure; reduced electricity lost during transportation over power lines, as distributed solar power is generated and consumer locally; and savings on the cost of meeting renewable energy requirements.

“This study clearly shows that solar offers concrete net benefits to all APS ratepayers, regardless of whether or not they have installed solar” said Carrie Cullen Hitt, senior vice president of state affairs at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “It’s essential that we keep smart policies like net metering in place so that Arizona can continue to benefit from its abundant solar resources.”<

See on www.seia.org

Transactive, distributed energy markets hold promise | Intelligent Utility

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Transactive energy markets hold the promise to achieve economic efficiency and reliability across the bulk power system and distribution networks.  This research area was identified in the Caltech Resnick Sustainability Institute’s Grid2020 report released last fall, and was the topic of the third discussion of the series in April 2013.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Significant untapped potential exists to leverage a new class of flexible mixed distributed assets (e.g., distributed generation, responsive demand, storage, power electronics and electric vehicles), what has been called DR 2.0, to manage the power system. But, this requires changes in both market designs and grid operations.  […]

Current wholesale market rules are significant barriers to participation as they effectively do not distinguish a 500 MW power plant from a 5kW electric vehicle battery. This is very unfortunate, as the technology to tap these smaller resources and create significant value for customers is available today. Heather Sanders, Director, DER Policy at CAISO shared that, “a challenge is to create market participation rules that meet operators’ needs for reliability, but also facilitate customer value opportunities.” <

See on www.intelligentutility.com

Wind Power Urged to Compete with Fossil Fuels Head-on: Scientific American

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The industry must fight the perception that wind energy cannot compete with fossil fuels

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Borrowing a page from environmentalists

To that end, some wind power advocates argued that the industry should borrow a page from the environmental movement by challenging renewable energy naysayers head on and ratcheting up its rhetoric on wind energy’s environmental benefits relative to fossil fuels rather than seeking to peacefully coexist alongside the oil, coal and gas sectors.

Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation and one of several high-profile environmental leaders addressing the Chicago conference, told AWEA members that they represent “an insurgent industry” that is “taking on an incumbent industry that plays hardball.”

“I would urge you all to become more aggressive,” he added, “because if you don’t be more creative, more aggressive, more willing to take risks, this industry will move along at a pace that will not solve our problems.”

See on www.scientificamerican.com

EU European Commission agrees China solar panel duties in boldest move yet | alternative renewable energy Pakistan

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The European Commission agreed on Wednesday to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China in a move to guard against what it sees as Chinese dumping of cheap goods in Europe.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

>Shares in German manufacturers SolarWorld, Phoenix Solar and Centrotherm rose as much as 7 percent on the decision, while Frankfurt-listed shares in China’s Suntech were down more than 4 percent. The investigation into accusations of dumping is the biggest the commission has launched but Brussels is trying to tread a careful path, knowing it needs China, the EU’s second largest trading partner, to help the bloc pull out from recession.

China’s ambassador to the World Trade Organisation, Yi Xiaozhun, called the decision a mistake although he declined to comment on any possible retaliation by Beijing. “It will send the wrong message to the world that protectionism is coming,” Yi told Reuters in Geneva.

Given that Germany and France are seeking to increase exports to China, De Gucht will try for a negotiated solution with new Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng before an EU deadline in December to cement the levies for up to five years. […]

Chinese solar panel production quadrupled between 2009 and 2011 to more than the entire global demand. EU producers say Chinese companies have captured more than 80 percent of the European market from almost zero a few years ago, exporting 21 billion euros ($27 billion) to the European Union in 2011. <

See on alternativeenergy.com.pk

Norway: A recycling-happy nation in dire need of trash

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Sweden isn’t the only nation in the throes of a serious trash deficit. As it turns out, Norway is also desperately seeking rubbish to burn in its cogeneration plants. Perhaps the U.S. could lend a helping hand?

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

Excerpts…

Norway’s garbage woes aren’t an anomaly in Scandinavia and across Northern Europe where the demand for trash to fuel garbage-burning incinerator plants is high but the supply is devastatingly low due in part to residents’ pertinacious recycling habits. In fact, Northern European countries only produce 150 million tons of trash annually, while the overall capacity of incinerating plants is 700 million tons and growing.

[…] While the burning of garbage is not an environmentally flawless method of producing energy, modern day cogeneration plants are relatively high-tech affairs and the pollution generated is far less than coal. This method also renders landfills nearly irrelevant.

See on www.mnn.com

ComEd’s “Smart Switches” Reducing Service Interruptions; “Self-healing” technology key to improving reliability – Electric Light & Power

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Distribution Automation (Smart Switches) routes power around potential problem areas, often with no noticeable interruption in service.  Installation of these devices resulted in 82,000 fewer customer power interruptions in 2012. During the severe storms that hit the Chicago area in mid-April, DA devices prevented 20,000 service interruptions.

Duane Tilden‘s insight:

By remotely monitoring and controlling grid operations, Distribution Automation (DA) devices, or smart switches, are a central feature of smart grid technology and ComEd’s effort to reduce the frequency and duration of outages.

[…] if a tree were to fall on a utility pole resulting in an interruption, far fewer customers would be impacted because it enables us to better isolate the damaged section,” explained McMahan. “DA introduces a self-healing capability to the electric grid by allowing us to resolve issues before customers might even be aware of them, and that has a profoundly positive impact on people’s daily lives.”

When fully implemented, distribution automation and smart meters will communicate with ComEd’s operations center, alerting the utility of an outage and eliminating the need for customers to call to report they are out of power.  […]  To see how smart meters and DA devices work together, click this link http://youtu.be/L4xp7a1di7Y .

Under the smart grid law, ComEd committed to spend $2.6 billion over 10 years to strengthen and modernize the electric grid in northern Illinois. More than $1.3 billion is earmarked to deploy a Smart Grid system and install smart meters in four million homes and businesses to give customers greater control over their energy consumption and costs.  The current schedule calls for ComEd to begin installing smart meters in 2015. […]

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