Earth and Industry » utilities

Tennessee Gets in on Solar EV-Charging Stations

Timothy B. Hurst — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:06:46 +0000

Taking another step in building out its electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the state of Tennessee is now home to the first of several solar-powered EV-charging stations. Collaborating with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) ,' the U.S. electrical products firm Eaton developed a 'solar-assisted electric vehicle charging station (not pictured).

The first station will be erected at EPRI's lab in Knoxville, Tennessee, and working with TVA, one of the biggest power producers in the U.S., more will be installed around the state in coming months.

"Solar-assisted electric vehicle charging stations are a crucial step toward the development of a regional system of clean fuel for electric vehicles," said Tom Schafer, general manager of Eaton's Commercial Distribution Products Division, in a statement.

The prototype charging station used by EPRI and TVA, also known as a Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal (SMART), will provide information on energy usage, the time when the equipment is used, the amount of solar-generated electricity produced and stored, and the potential impact of load clusters. Load clusters occur when several vehicles are refueled at the same time and they can put stress on the localized distribution system. An issue that utilities are investigating possible solutions for, including advanced battery and smart-grid systems

Additional stations are planned for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Nashville, Chattanooga and another site in Knoxville.

Image: Design of EV-charging station by Johnston MarkLee unrelated to solar-assisted EV charger.

Google Energy Inks Wind Farm Deal, Now Officially a Utility

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:10:38 +0000

Google says buying 114-MW directly from Iowa wind farm will free up renewable energy developers for new projects.

When Google was first given the go ahead by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to buy and sell electricity in February, we knew they were planning something big in the clean energy space, we just didn't know what it would look like. Today, we're beginning to see the plan unfold.

Google announced today that it will begin a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement to buy 114 megawatts of wind energy generated at NextEra Energy Resources' Story County II facility in Iowa. The agreement, set to begin on July 30, is the first by Google Energy LLC and it allows Google to buy the renewable energy directly from its source, rather from a retailer in the form of renewable energy credits (RECs). Because Google cannot use the energy directly, it is reselling it back to the grid in the regional spot market and retiring RECs associated with the power.

"We depend upon large quantities of electricity to power Google services and want to make large actions to support renewable energy," writes Google's Urs Hoelzle, Senior Vice President for Operations, at the Official Google Blog. "As we continue operating with the most energy efficient data centers and working to be carbon neutral, we’re happy to also be directly purchasing energy from renewable resources."

The energy purchased in the new deal is enough to power several data centers, according to Hoelzle.

Google is in an excellent position to give the wind industry a much needed boost right now. With the capital to dive-in to long term power purchase agreements for electricity the company needs now and knows it will need more of in the future, Google believes the move will free up capital for the developer to build more wind projects.

In May, Google invested $38.8 million into two wind farms already operating in North Dakota. The three wind farms generate a total of 183.5 megawatts of electricity and are part of Google's clean energy strategy to invest directly in the research, development and deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies that will ultimately make renewables cheaper than coal.

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BT in smart energy meter plan

LiveOAK Staff — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:25:13 +0000

This article was written by Graeme Wearden, for guardian.co.uk on Monday 19th July 2010 08.17 UTC

BT is launching a bid to take part in the multi-billion pound rollout of smart energy meters across the country.

BT will today announce a partnership with broadcasting firm Arqiva and Detica, a branch of BAE Systems. The three companies hope to persuade the government that they should build and operate a new nationwide long-range radio network to communicate with the intelligent meters that are being installed in Britain's 28 million homes and small businesses over the next decade.

This pitches BT into a battle with mobile firms such as Vodafone and Orange, who also want to share in a project estimated to be worth upwards of £7bn.

Smart meters will use telecommunications to deliver important environmental benefits and so BT is determined to be at the heart of the project, said Olivia Garfield, BT Group strategy director.

Under BT's plan, smart meters installed by electricity, gas and water providers would be linked to a new, secure wireless network running across Arqiva's radio spectrum, which is currently used to transmit TV and radio signals. Detica will provide security measures, while BT will run the project.

The government wants smart meters to be rolled out nationally by 2020. They will allow customers to better track their energy use, which should help to cut consumption and carbon emissions.

The long-term goal is to create a smart grid where electricity demand can be closely monitored, allowing householders to run power-hungry devices such as washing machines at off-peak times.

Utility firms are already testing and deploying smart meters, and the mobile operators appear to have made the early running in the race to work with them. Vodafone is providing the network access to British Gas as it aims to install two million units by 2012, while Orange began trials with nPower and Scottish and Southern Energy this year.

BT and its partners, though, argue that long-range radio will provide wider coverage and better reception indoors than mobile phone networks, which would be useful for where meters are installed in remote locations or in basements.

A communications network designed to meet the different needs of all of Britain's utilities – electricity, gas and water – must be able to deliver universal connectivity and long-term resilience, said John Cronin, managing director for Arqiva Wireless Access.

The government is expected to publish its plans for smart meter deployment in the next few weeks.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

US Bank Forces Indian Firm to Build 250-MW Solar and Wind Power Plant to Offset Coal Emissions

Mridul Chadha — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:01:47 +0000

One of India's leading power generation companies, Reliance Power, has agreed to set up a 250 MW solar-wind energy power plant in exchange of a $600 million loan from the US Export-Import Bank.

The power plant which is expected to come up in the western coastal states of Gujarat and Maharashtra would be a mix of solar and wind farms. The plant would be set up in accordance to an agreement reached between the US Ex-Im Bank which is required to review the environmental impact including the carbon footprint of the project they provide financial help for.

Reliance Power will set up a 3,960 MW coal-fired power plant at Sasan, Madhya Pradesh with an investment of more than $4 billion. The Ex-Im Bank is required to study the environmental impacts of the projects they are going to finance before approving the loans. Since the coal-fired power plant is an ultra-mega power project the carbon emissions from it will be highly significant.

Reliance Industries, then, not only had to agree to to cap the carbon emissions per kWh to 850 grams but also build a 250 MW power plant to offset at least a part of the plant's carbon footprint. The deal would also help a Wisconsin based company, Bacyrus International which will provide mining equipment to Reliance Power. The deal would save about 984 jobs in 13 states across the United States.

Coal-fired vs. Renewable-based Power Plants

Ultra-mega power projects are the need of the hour for India as it struggles to keep its economy on the path of accelerated growth. Since these power plants work at extremely high temperatures as compared to conventional coal-fired power plants their efficiency is higher, that is, more power for even unit of coal used. Additionally, coal is among the cheapest sources of power generation in India.

Even though the size of the renewable energy power plant is less then ten percent of the coal-fired power plant, it has several advantages of its own.The company would be free of forge Power Purchase Agreements with transmission companies and power exchanges. This would enable the company to charge a premium for power generated from the solar-wind power plant.

Coal reserves in India are of poor quality and are in short supply and many companies are looking for imported coal. However, the Indian government, which maintains are stronghold over coal mining and coal export-import, would avoid becoming dependent on foreign fuel supplies. On the other hand, fuel availability for a renewable energy power plant is infinite while the fuel cost is nil.

And while the coal-fired power plant would attract taxes, including the coal tax, the renewable energy power plant is likely to earn tax incentives from the government. The coal-fired power plant would also be required to meet efficiency standards as the government would attempt to honor its commitment to reduce the country's carbon intensity.

The coal-fired power plant could also be roped in for the energy efficiency certificate scheme which would work in a manner similar to the cap-and-trade scheme.

All in all, the setting up of a renewable energy power plant of such a large size would bring benefits not only to the environment but also to the company. This is a significant development for international energy cooperation as well given that the United States had opposed the financing of coal-fired power plants in developing countries.

Given the fuel supply constraints, tax liabilities for the coal-fired power plant and the tax benefits and flexibility power sale, the tariffs from renewable energy power plant could become more attractive in the long term.

Hat tip: Business Standard
Photo Credits: f/stop at Flickr/ Creative Commons; © Jan Cerovsky | Dreamstime.com

The views presented in the above article are author’s personal views and do not represent those of TERI/TERI University where the author is currently pursuing a Master’s degree.

Southern California Edison Gets Smart, Installs One Millionth Smart Meter

Timothy B. Hurst — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:52:41 +0000

One of the largest utilities in the U.S. is about one-fifth of the way into a massive deployment of smart meters to its 5 million electricity customers. Southern California Edison, a division of Edison International (NYSE:EIX), today installed its one millionth smart meter at a customer's home in Redondo Beach, California.

SCE is investing a total of $1.6 billion on the installation of 5 million smart meters for residential and small business customers by the end of 2012.

"After years of extensive research, we have made careful decisions to invest in technologies, systems and devices that provide a full range of customer benefits," said Theodore F. Craver Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Edison International. "We look forward to making available to all of our customers the valuable features smart meters provide, enabling them to closely monitor and manage their electricity usage to help them save energy, money, and the environment."

Replacing traditional mechanical meters, Edison's SmartConnect meters are digital, secure, two-way communicating devices that can provide a key step in "smartening" the grid. Smart meters measure a customer's electricity usage up-to-the minute and, later this year, customers will be able to view their energy usage online to track how much they use and how much it costs.

SCE believes that the information gleaned from the new meter program will reduce demand on the electricity grid by about 1,000 megawatts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and smog-forming pollutants by a minimum of 365,000 metric tons per year.

In anticipation of a growing number of electric vehicles in southern California, SCE is also investing in electric vehicle testing and charging infrastructure research. Company officials believe that the smart grid of the future will also have to account for a growing number of electric cars and their chargers. And that the influx of electric cars presents not only a challenge in terms of balancing demand; but it also presents an opportunity to rethink how electricity is produced, stored and transmitted -- a duality they explore with their Garage of the Future project.

World’s First Hybrid Solar-Coal Power Plant Opens in Colorado

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:26:18 +0000

Preheating water with solar energy will reduce coal use by 2 to 3 percent at Colorado coal-fired power plant.

In a traditional coal-fired power plant, coal that has been pulverized into a fine dust is burned to heat water until it becomes steam. The steam then turns the blades of a large turbine, which turns the generator and produces electricity. But if the fresh water is heated before it enters the boiler, less coal is needed in order to make the steam -- and that is the principal behind Xcel Energy's brand new solar-coal hybrid power plant in western Colorado.

The $4.5 million Colorado Integrated Solar Project connects thermal energy from a new parabolic-trough-concentrating solar plant built by Abengoa Solar with the steam cycle of Unit 2 at Xcel Energy's (NYSE:XEL) existing coal-fired Cameo Generating Station on the Colorado River near Grand Junction, Colorado. Xcel officials say it is the first actual demonstration of the concept using parabolic-trough solar technology anywhere in the world.

If this project works as we expect it to," says Marty Smith director of environmental policy at Xcel, "it would be possible to scale up the solar integration part to the point where it could possibly provide up to 10 percent of the peak generating capacity of a generating unit on a sunny day."

Xcel expects the pilot project to increase plant efficiency by three to five percent.

The project’s demonstration goal is to produce the equivalent of one megawatt of electric power from renewable solar energy at the plant’s existing 49-megawatt coal generating unit. But its larger goals are to show that you can use less coal while generating the same amount of electricity, reduce emissions from the plant, and test the commercial viability of concentrating solar integration.

"We have the opportunity over time to produce a lot more electricity from the sun and do it in a way that really saves money for the company and for the customers," says Xcel's Smith.

The hybrid solar-coal project is the first under Xcel's Innovative Clean Technology Program, an initiative to test promising new technologies with potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions and result in other environmental improvements. Xcel Energy was one of the first utilities in the U.S. with a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and has reduced emissions by a cumulative 26 millions tons since 2003.

Some critics make the argument, however, that the best case scenario of a 10 percent reduction in coal consumption at the Cameo plant only legitimizes an excuse to pollute and prolongs the life of an already dirty power plant.

The real question is whether the hybrid technology can be scaled up so that solar can replace even more coal in thermal power plants -- and whether it is worth the cost.

Walmart Files Gripe over Proposed Cape Wind Electricity Rates

Timothy B. Hurst — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:31:43 +0000

Electricity from the Cape Wind offshore wind farm could cost double the current Massachusetts residential rate.

A contract between the Cape Wind offshore wind farm -- which won final approval from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in April and is expected to begin generating electricity in 2013 -- and the utility purchasing the energy, National Grid, would settle on an energy price that is twice current residential rates.

Massachusetts has passed a fairly aggressive renewable energy standard that requires utilities to get at least 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. The Cape Wind project will provide a significant portion of that requirement.

Electricity rates in Massachusetts are already among the highest in the country. Residential and commercial customers both pay over 15 cents per kilowatt hour (EIA, March 2010), only Connecticut and Hawaii pay higher electricity rates.

Bill Wertz, a spokesman for the retailer, says Walmart “supports the intent of the Cape Wind project.’’ But they have issues with National Grid’s cost estimates, as well as how those costs will be transferred to customers, the Boston Globe reports.

But electricity rates have been rising statewide long before the dream of Cape Wind became a reality.

Accounting for the bulk of the price increase in the proposed contract is a premium of 6.1 cents/kwh Massachusetts requires utilities to pay for renewable energy, a provision designed to stimulate clean energy investment in Massachusetts and create a new industrial sector around it. Economists and supporters of the policy mechanism believe that developing a clean energy sector will eventually bring electricity prices back down.

Is Walmart internally conflicted over renewable energy?

Some renewable energy advocates say Walmarts' challenge to the contract raises questions about the retailer’s commitment to clean energy.

Dan Bakal, director of electric power programs for the green investment coalition Ceres in Boston, told the Boston Globe that it is typical for large companies to express concern about electricity rates. Wal-Mart’s filing was surprising because of the company’s previous high-profile focus on environmental issues. Continued...

4.7 Million New Places to Charge an Electric Car by 2015, Analysts Say

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 11:28:11 +0000

Lack of business model for public charge stations stimying buildout

Electric cars like the Nissan LEAF and the Chevy Volt will start hitting showroom floors this fall and there is a considerable amount of talk--and even some concern--about where exactly we will be in terms of building-out the charging infrastructure needed to keep those zero-emissions vehicles up and humming. With travel range on most passenger electric vehicles (EVs) somewhere near 100 miles per charge, potential buyers want to be assured they will not only be able to charge at home, but also when they're on the road.

While several factors have slowed the buildout of the charging infrastructure thus far, a new report published last week by the cleantech market research firm Pike Research, suggests there will be some serious catching up over the next five years with the addition of nearly five million new EV charge points.

The report,"Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment", estimated that there will be 4.7 million residential, public, private and workplace charging stations installed during the period from 2010 to 2015. And in the U.S., there will likely be almost 1 million charging stations by 2015.

“The success of hybrid vehicles in the 2000s gave drivers a taste for propulsion by electric power,” says senior analyst John Gartner, “and governments around the world are now highly focused on creating the charging infrastructure to support the arrival of EVs in significant numbers.”

Pike's forecast of 4.7 million charge stations was downgraded from their 2009 figure of 5 million charge points installed between 2010 and 2015, due to a dip in projected rate of sales for EVs, and a continued lack of a clear business model for public charging stations.

“The economics of selling a few kilowatt hours per charge are very challenging," said Pike analyst Gartner. "Public charging station deployments will be driven mainly by government initiatives over the next several years.”

The report also found that the market for EV charging equipment is likely to become increasingly crowded by the end of next year as tech firms like GE, Panasonic, Samsung, and Siemens jump into the EV charger sector. The moves will put more pressure on niche players like Better Place, Coulomb, ECOtality to push ahead with their plans of developing charging networks in the U.S. and Australia and Europe.

Hat tip: cnet

GE Lands 845-Megawatt Bid for World’s Largest Wind Farm

Timothy B. Hurst — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:45:14 +0000

The 845-megawatt Oregon wind farm--larger than any wind farm currently in operation--will sell its power to renewables-hungry Southern California.

While Danish wind energy giant Vestas Wind Systems is issuing furloughs to some 500 workers at the company's Colorado blade plant, GE Power & Water is celebrating more positive news with the announcement of its involvement in the $1.4 billion, 338-turbine Shepherd's Flat Wind Farm in Oregon.

Because the proposed Shepherd's Flat wind farm is located in the Columbia River Gorge area, where cheap, abundant hydropower is hard to compete with on a cost per kWh basis, the power produced at Shepherd's Flat will--in theory--travel nearly the length of the West Coast of the U.S. before reaching the end-users of Southern California Edison (SCE), the nation's largest purchaser of renewable energy.

Like other investor-owned utilities in California, SCE is racing to meet the state's renewable energy requirement of 20% by 2010 and having to look out of state for new renewable capacity. But try as they may to make the mandate, making that target is going to be unlikely, Edison CEO Ed Craver told me when I spoke with him at the company's Electric Vehicle Technology Center in November.

"Transmission is creating the bottleneck to twenty percent by 2010, not the actual projects," said Craver. However, those California utilities that are unable to meet the targets because of transmission bottlenecks will be eligible for a waiver until those bottlenecks are cleared, Craver added.

SCE currently serves 16% of its customer load with renewables every day, well above the national average of 4%.

North American debut of GE's 2.5-megawatt wind turbine

The $1.4 billion contract awarded from independent power producer Caithness Energy to supply wind turbines and provide services for the project, marks a huge step forward for GE's growing wind turbine division.

845-megawatt Shepherd's Flat wind farm will be located near Arlington, Oregon.

Should everything be approved by state regulators, the Shepherds Flat wind farm will be the first in North America to deploy GE’s 2.5xl wind turbine. The 2.5-MW builds upon the success of GE's 1.5-MW wind turbine--the world's most popular--which has been deployed over 12,000 times in Europe and Asia.

Economic impacts of the wind farm are nothing to be sneezed at, especially in an area that has been hit by fickle agricultural markets and a crumbling timber industry.

Caithness Energy estimates that the $2 billion project will employ 400 workers during construction and 35 during operation, injecting $16 million annually into the Oregon economy. Construction will begin in 2010 and will be completed in 2012.

Image courtesy of GE

National Grid Announces Plan to Buy Electricity from Cape Wind

Timothy B. Hurst — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:55:25 +0000

Cape Wind offshore wind farm to negotiate power purchase agreement with National Grid

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Wednesday announced that the proposed offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound, Cape Wind, has secured a deal to negotiate for a long-term power purchase agreement for the electricity it produces at what would be the U.S.' first offshore wind farm.

“For both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and launching the offshore wind industry that will achieve those reductions, it is essential for Cape Wind, like offshore wind in general, to move from wishful thinking to reality,” said Governor Patrick in a statement. “A contract with an electric distribution utility like National Grid will move Cape Wind one step closer to reality.”

The power purchase agreement between Cape Wind and Massachusetts-based electricity provider, National Grid (NYSE:NGG), is essential for Cape Wind to secure project financing and get it into construction and operation in time to qualify for federal incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- incentives that would reduce the cost of the project by 30 percent.

“Today’s announcement is a demonstration of how the Patrick Administration’s vision and desire for a cleaner, more secure energy future will put Massachusetts at the forefront of the emerging offshore wind industry,” said Jim Gordon, president of Cape Wind. “We look forward to working with National Grid to deliver Cape Wind’s energy, economic and environmental benefits to the region.”

National Grid President Tom King also expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming negotiations. “We are optimistic that we will successfully negotiate a long-term power contract with Cape Wind that will achieve the renewable targets established by the Green Communities Act," said King. "National Grid recognizes that as a public utility, we need to facilitate these important renewable projects while maintaining a focus on minimizing the cost to our customers."nearby ho

National Grid is expected to soon file with the state Department of Public Utilities a Memorandum of Understanding with Cape Wind laying out the rationale for such a contract, as well as the methods and timelines for an agreement. If the state regulators give approval to the process, National Grid and Cape Wind will enter into negotiations to enter into a long-term contract and submit any final pact to the state for review and approval.

The news out of Massachusetts came on the heels of the publishing of a new report by economists at the Department of Energy that found wind farms have no impact on property values of nearby homes.