Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire: Renewable energy

Showing posts with label Renewable energy. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Comparing the costs of intermittent and dispatchable electricity generating technologies

http://econ-www.mit.edu/files/6317

ABSTRACT

Economic evaluations of alternative electric generating technologies typically rely on comparisons between their expected life-cycle production costs per unit of electricity supplied. The standard life-cycle cost metric utilized is the “levelized cost” per MWh supplied. This paper demonstrates that this metric is inappropriate for comparing intermittent generating technologies like wind and solar with dispatchable generating technologies like nuclear, gas combined cycle, and coal. Levelized cost comparisons are a misleading metric for comparing intermittent and dispatchable generating technologies because they fail to take into account differences in the production profiles of intermittent and dispatchable generating technologies and the associated large variations in the market value of the electricity they supply. Levelized cost comparisons overvalue intermittent generating technologies compared to dispatchable base load generating technologies. They also overvalue wind generating technologies compared to solar generating technologies. Integrating differences in production profiles, the associated variations in the market value of the electricity supplied, and life-cycle costs associated with different generating

technologies is necessary to provide meaningful comparisons between them. This market-based framework also has implications for the appropriate design of procurement auctions created to implement renewable energy procurement mandates, the efficient structure of production tax credits for renewable energy, and the evaluation of the additional costs of integrating intermittent generation into electric power networks.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

US Renewables Now Neck-And-Neck With Nuclear Power

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/US_Renewables_Now_Neck_And_Neck_With_Nuclear_Power_999.html Washington DC (SPX) Dec 29, 2010 According to the most recent issue of the "Monthly Energy Review" by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), "nuclear electric power accounted for 11% of primary energy production and renewable energy accounted for 11% of primary energy production" during the first nine months of 2010 (the most recent period for which data have been released). More specifically, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass/biofuels, geothermal, solar, water, and wind) accounted for 10.9% of domestic energy production and increased by 5.7% compared to the same period in 2009.
Meanwhile, nuclear power accounted for 11.4% of domestic energy production but provided 0.5% less energy than a year earlier.
Among the renewable energy sources, biomass and biofuels accounted for 51.95%, hydropower for 31.50%, wind for 10.52%, geothermal for 4.65%, and solar for 1.38%. Comparing the first three-quarters of 2010 against the same period in 2009, hydropower declined by 5.2% but geothermal expanded by 1.8%, solar grew by 2.4%, biomass/biofuels increased by 10.0%, and wind grew by 26.7%; combined, non-hydro renewables expanded by 11.5%.
Preliminary data also show that fossil fuels accounted for 78% of primary energy production. Overall, U.S. primary energy production rose by 2% compared with the first nine months of 2009.
"Members of the incoming Congress are proposing to slash cost-effective funding for rapidly expanding renewable energy technologies while foolishly plowing ever-more federal dollars into the nuclear power black hole," said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign.
"The numbers clearly show this would be betting on the obvious loser while ignoring the clearly emerging winner in the energy race."
And according to EIA's latest "Electric Power Monthly," renewable energy sources accounted for 10.18% of U.S. electrical generation during the first three-quarters of 2010. Compared to the same period in 2009, renewables - including hydropower - grew by 2.2%.
While conventional hydropower dropped by 5.2%, non-hydro renewable used in electrical generation expanded by 16.8% with geothermal growing by 4.9%, biomass by 5.5%, wind by 27.3%, and solar by 47.1%. Non-hydro renewables accounted for 3.9% of total electrical generation from January 1 - September 30, 2010 - up from 3.5% the year before.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

2.8-megawatt fuel cell to anchor Energy Innovation Park

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-megawatt-fuel-cell-anchor-energy.html

December 8, 2010 By Rex Graham 2.8-megawatt fuel cell to anchor Energy Innovation Park

UC San Diego's 2.8-megawatt fuel cell is being manufactured by FuelCell Energy, Inc. UC San Diego's Energy Innovation Park has a compressed natural gas fueling station for campus vehicles.

Construction of a fuel cell with enough capacity to power 2,800 homes has begun on the UC San Diego campus as part of a renewable energy project with the city of San Diego and BioFuels Energy to turn waste methane gas from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant directly into electricity without combustion.

Chu Urges Congress to Look to Nuclear Power Energy secretary says Congress should consider nuclear power in clean energy mandate

The Obama administration's energy chief asked Congress on Tuesday to consider nuclear power and other nonrenewable sources in a mandate for utilities to use more clean energy, which could attract Republicans who have opposed focusing exclusively on renewable energy like wind.
Efforts to pass the "renewable electricity standard" requirement have stalled in Congress, in part because of regional resistance. Opponents in the Southeast, for example, argue that their region lacks renewable sources such as abundant levels of wind.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said his call was an acknowledgment of those differences.
"There's all sorts of other forms of clean energy," Chu told reporters. "Some states would favor something in terms of clean energy like nuclear." More at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12331684&tqkw=&tqshow=

Commerce Launches Initiative to Expand Exports of Clean Energy Products, Services

The Department of Commerce and seven other federal
agencies launched a program Dec. 7 to help renewable
energy and energy efficiency companies market their
products and services overseas.
The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Export
Initiative, the government's first coordinated effort to
expand clean energy exports, will increase trade
promotion, offer new financing mechanisms, and enhance
market access, according to the Commerce Department.
“The Initiative lays the foundation necessary to help
U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency companies
take better advantage of current market opportunities,”
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said in a statement. “It
also positions federal government programs to better
support U.S. global competitiveness in these sectors over
the long run.”
The initiative is part of a plan to incorporate clean
energy exports into President Obama's National Export
Initiative, mentioned in his State of the Union Address,
which seeks to double the amount of American exports by
2015 (25 DER A-11, 2/9/10).
Online Portal, Trade Missions
In addition to the creation of an “online portal to
provide renewable energy companies easy access to U.S.
Government export resources,” the initiative will include
an increase in the number of renewable energy and energy
efficiency trade and trade-policy missions, the Commerce
Department said.
The plan include calls for:
• creation of foreign buyers' guides for American
clean energy technologies;
• commitment by the Overseas Private Investment Corp.
to invest an additional $300 million in financing for
renewable resource projects in emerging markets and to
introduce new products to support the exports;
• streamlining of clean energy financing applications
at both OPIC and the Export-Import Bank of the United
States;
• formation of a new subcommittee at the Office of the
U.S. Trade Representative to address market access
barriers facing the nation's clean energy industry in
foreign markets, and
• expansion of USDA's Market Access Program to include
biomass wood pellets.
“Expanding U.S. clean technology exports is a critical
step to ensuring America's economic competitiveness in
the years ahead,” Energy Secretary Stephen Chu said in a
statement.
“The initiatives we are announcing today will provide us
with a better understanding of the global clean energy
marketplace and help boost U.S. exports,” he said.
The initiative was developed through the Trade Promotion
Coordinating Committee Working Group on Renewable Energy
and Energy Efficiency, which includes representatives
from the departments of Commerce, Energy, State, and
Agriculture, as well as the Export-Import Bank, OPIC, the
U.S. Trade and Development Agency, and the Office of the
U.S. Trade Representative.
The initiative, the subject of a report released Dec. 7
by the Commerce Department, comes as the department
formed a Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory
Committee, which had its inaugural meeting Dec. 7.
By Ari Natter

The Commerce Department report on the Renewable Energy
and Energy Efficiency initiative is available at
http://export.gov/reee/eg_main_023036.asp.
The Commerce Department's Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency Export Portal is available at
http://www.export.gov/reee/.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Saudi wants nuclear power 'soon': US official

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia plans to be producing nuclear power within 10 years, a senior US trade official said here Monday.
"They want to have civil nuclear power as a part of their mix ... relatively soon," said Under Secretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez, after meetings with Saudi officials.
The world's largest supplier of oil wants to have nuclear power "within the next 10 years", he told journalists.
Riyadh has begun to move toward nuclear power to replace burning valuable oil and natural gas in power plants.
The country signed a cooperation agreement on civil nuclear technology with the United States in 2008, and has held talks with France and Russia in the past year on similar agreements.
In April the country announced it would build the research-and-development focused King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energies to underpin its move to diversify energy use away from fossil fuels.
Sanchez was in Riyadh leading a delegation of US businessmen in the infrastructure and energy sectors to meet Saudi counterparts.
He said Saudi Arabia's planned spending of some 500-700 billion dollars on infrastructure over 2009-2014 made it an important target for US businesses, especially in the alternative energy sector.http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h_ALKUAqgT7WBYWBkuM2R85yjrFA?docId=CNG.3c86e1065eee2cfd740284f4a84f3555.221

S.Korea to build 14 new nuclear reactors by 2024

Image via Wikipediahttp://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/SKorea_to_build_14_new_nuclear_reactors_by_2024_999.html Seoul (AFP) Dec 7, 2010 South Korea said Tuesday it plans to build 14 new nuclear reactors by 2024 to help meet growing energy needs and cut dependence on fossil fuel. South Korea, which currently has 20 operational nuclear reactors, will build 14 new facilities to make atomic power the biggest source of energy by 2024, state-run Korea Power Exchange said.
As a result, nuclear energy will provide 48.5 percent of the nation's energy consumption by the target year from the current 32 percent, KPE said in a long-term national energy development plan.
Coal is currently the biggest source of energy in South Korea that meets 42 percent of the nation's energy needs.
Renewable energy sources like solar and wind power will also provide 8.9 percent of the nation's energy needs by 2024 compared with the current 1.3 percent, it said.
Asia's fourth-largest economy imports 97 percent of its energy needs from overseas and has moved to cut dependence on fossil fuels and to diversify energy sources.
In October Seoul unveiled a five-year plan to spend 36 billion dollars developing renewable energy as its next economic growth engine, with a goal to become one of the world's five top players in the sector.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Germany faces massive power grid overhaul

disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/Germany_faces_massive_power_grid_overhaul_999.html Berlin (UPI) Nov 30, 2010 Germany is facing an unprecedented overhaul of its power grid, a new study suggests. Investments of at least $13 billion are required over the next 10 years to modernize the German power grid as an increasing amount of renewable power is threatening the aging 22,000-mile network, the public German energy think tank Dena said in a study.
Onshore turbines are installed in northern and eastern Germany, while new offshore wind farms are mushrooming along the North and Baltic Sea coastlines.
Dena claims some 2,240 miles of new transmission lines are needed to transport the fluctuating renewable electricity south and southwest to Germany's industrial hubs, where most of the power is needed. Dena forecasts renewables to account for 39 percent of the German power mix in 2020, up from around 16 percent today.
"Germany is right to bank on renewables," Dena head Stephan Kohler said in a statement. "But the expansion of renewables puts the energy system before great challenges. We must bring wind power from the North and Baltic Sea to consumers in the South. Conventional power plants need to be modernized and operated in a way that they complement renewables well and remain economic at the same time."
Grid expansion in Germany has been slow and tedious, with massive public opposition to new high-voltage transmission lines. In 2005 Dena urged the government to build some 530 miles of new infrastructure, but less than 60 miles have actually been built.
Kohler said Germany needs an "acceptance offensive" that communicates to the population that Germany "needs a network expansion."
Building new sub-ground lines would be less controversial, but also more costly -- up to $38 billion, Dena says.
The government's recent decision to prolong the life of the German nuclear reactors by an average of 12 years won't affect the grid expansion plan, the think tank added.
Conducted by scientists from Cologne University and the Fraunhofer Institute, the study was funded by the German government, the energy industry and the network operators.
It comes a few weeks after the European Union outlined its energy infrastructure priorities for the next two decades, saying some $270 billion has to be invested into "smart" power grids, electricity highways as well as new oil and gas pipelines.

Monday, November 22, 2010

CO2-Free Energy Can Meet Global Energy Needs In 2050

Danish wind and biomass resources in particular will make it possible to phase out fossil fuels in connection with power generation and heat production before 2040. It will take further 10 years to eliminate fossil fuels within the transport sector.

by Staff Writers Copenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Nov 22, 2010 Riso Energy Report 9 lists a wide range of energy technologies in the market with low or no emissions of greenhouse gases, describing how several of these will be made commercially available in the next decades. However, it is not possible to make the world's energy supply CO2-free as cheaply as possible, using only technology development in the current energy systems.
There must be room for technological leaps and there is a need for an integrated process to optimise the entire energy system, from energy production, through transformation into energy carriers, to energy transportation and distribution and efficient end use.
There is also a need for a smart grid, connecting production and end use at local level. End users should contribute to maintain balance in the future energy system and new technologies should be introduced to the end users, including houses with low and flexible consumption, smart electronic equipment, heat pumps, energy storage and local energy supplies such as solar cells and micro CHP.
Information and communication technology (ICT) will determine how successful the integration of renewables into the grid actually will be.
Considering the security of supply in the short and long term, there is still a need for access to fossil fuels, but they must be continuously replaced with renewable energy sources. If we do not make efforts to promote renewable energy sources, coal and gas might easily be prevailing in the global energy supply for the rest of this century.
For many countries, however, it could be advantageous to switch to renewable energy sources in order to reduce dependence on imported oil and gas. In addition, this transition can help the countries achieve their environmental policy goals.
Seen in isolation, Denmark has a great chance for achieving these goals and for phasing out fossil fuels at a rapid pace and thus reduce emissions of greenhouse gases at the required pace.
Danish wind and biomass resources in particular will make it possible to phase out fossil fuels in connection with power generation and heat production before 2040. It will take further 10 years to eliminate fossil fuels within the transport sector.
A future smart energy system requires that we start investments now. If we do not make these investments, future generations will look back on this period wondering how we could be satisfied with an outdated energy system, without taking advantage of the opportunities which we already were aware of.

Friday, November 19, 2010

US agency seeks easier grid access for solar, wind

Seal of the United States Federal Energy Regul...

Image via Wikipedia
WASHINGTON Nov 18 (Reuters) - Federal regulators on Thursday proposed reforms to make the U.S. electric grid more accessible to electricity generated by renewable energy sources, which should lower costs for consumers who want to buy clean power.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed a rule requiring public utility transmission providers to allow renewable power producers to schedule their shipments of electricity over shorter time periods to better reflect the moment-to-moment changes in generation output by renewables.
Wind and solar power producers would be able to schedule transmission service in 15-minute intervals, instead of the current one-hour scheduling procedure.
"Most of the new power plants for which developers are seeking access to the grid are variable resources such as wind and solar generators," said FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff. "This proposal will help the commission to cost-effectively integrate these and other variable generators into the grid in a way that helps maintain reliability and operational stability."
The FERC's proposal would help meet the Obama administration's goal to double the amount of U.S. electricity generated by renewable energy sources.
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFN1810260520101118

Thursday, November 4, 2010

NRG CEO: A Republican-controlled House benefits nuclear power

The Republican takeover of the House presents opportunities for NRG Energy and Southern Co. because the majority of GOP lawmakers support nuclear power as part of a clean-energy bill. Mandated use of renewable sources may pass if nuclear facilities are considered, said David Crane, president and CEO of NRG. "A lot of the things we're trying to do in Washington to move forward with zero- and low-carbon generation is something that at least the mainstream of the Republican Party wants to support -- nuclear power in particular," he said. Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-03/nuclear-power-gains-clout-in-republican-house-takeover-nrg-says.html

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Nuclear Socialism Energy subsidies—of any kind—are bad business

Here’s a principled alternative: Reverse the energy subsidy arms-race. Don’t add subsidies; subtract them. Take markets seriously. Not just for nuclear and fossil fuels but for all so-called “clean” technologies, head toward zero energy subsidies, free enterprise, risk-based credit pricing, competition on merit, cheaper energy services, greater energy security, and dwindling deficits.
Who wouldn’t like that? Why don’t we find out?

Amory B. Lovins is chairman and chief scientist of the independent, apolitical, nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute (www.rmi.org). He uses Doug Koplow’s subsidy analyses at www.earthtrack.net.http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/nuclear-socialism_508830.html

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Saudi cabinet gives nod to nuclear pact with Russia

Saudi cabinet gives nod to nuclear pact with Russia
Riyadh (AFP) Oct 25, 2010 - The Saudi government on Monday approved plans to establish a pact with Russia on peaceful nuclear cooperation, a government spokesman said. It authorised the head of the new King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energies to draft a pact with Moscow on nuclear cooperation, Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja told the official SPA news agency. It was the latest sign of the world's ... more http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Saudi_cabinet_gives_nod_to_nuclear_pact_with_Russia_999.html

Monday, October 25, 2010

Saudi cabinet gives nod to nuclear pact with Russia

Riyadh (AFP) Oct 25, 2010 - The Saudi government on Monday approved plans to establish a pact with Russia on peaceful nuclear cooperation, a government spokesman said. It authorised the head of the new King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energies to draft a pact with Moscow on nuclear cooperation, Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja told the official SPA news agency. It was the latest sign of the world's ... more
http://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Saudi_cabinet_gives_nod_to_nuclear_pact_with_Russia_999.html

Friday, October 22, 2010

Baker Institute studies wind, fossil fuel power generation

Posted on 10/20/2010
US wind power generating capacity primarily has displaced natural gas-fired generation so far, yet a recent study by the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University concludes that increased wind-generation capacity is likely to result in more investment in gas-fired generation capacity.

“A number of studies have shown that the expansion of wind has thus far displaced natural gas more than coal,” said a study entitled “Wind Power in the United States: Prospects and Consequences” by Peter R. Hartley, a Rice economics professor and scholar of energy economics for the Baker Institute.

But he sees this as being a short-term situation because gas is a good complement to renewable sources that are highly variable.

“In the longer run, the intermittency of wind and the fact that wind generation satisfies base-load demand more than intermediate or peaking loads should discourage investment in base-load coal and nuclear capacity,” he said.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Renewed TVA projects could spark business for Areva, B&W

Two utilities have commenced groundwork for reactors located in Georgia and South Carolina, which is an indicator that the development of new facilities is not delayed, said Mitch Singer, a spokesman for the Nuclear Energy Institute. These projects could secure approval from federal and state regulators during 2011, Singer added. The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

EPA Releases Draft Plan on RE-Powering America’s Land Advancing the development of renewable energy on potentially contaminated lands

WASHINGTON - As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) RE-Powering America’s Land initiative, the agency has developed a two-year draft management plan to advance the development of renewable energy on potentially contaminated land and mining sites. The draft plan describes activities EPA can take to build upon the progress that the initiative has achieved since its launch in September of 2008. EPA started the initiative to determine the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites. Superfund sites are the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified by EPA for cleanup due to the risk they pose to human health or the environment. Brownfields are properties at which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence of contaminants. The initiative aims to decrease the amount of green space used for development, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide health and economic benefits to local communities, including job creation.

During the fall and winter of 2009, EPA met with stakeholders from state and local government, the renewable energy sector, finance, utilities, land owners, parties responsible for cleaning up sites, community organizations and nonprofits to hear feedback on barriers to using contaminated sites for renewable energy and how to overcome those barriers. EPA used the information provided at the stakeholder meetings to develop the draft management plan.

Activities to be undertaken as part of the management plan include:

· Developing and expanding the toolbox of resources for use by EPA, states, and stakeholders including guidance, case studies and fact sheets

· Conducting outreach to different stakeholder groups

· Clarifying liability protections

· Adding other sites to the Google Earth mapping tool, such as state-tracked contaminated lands

· Launching a webinar series on October 21, which will be an overview of the RE-Powering initiative and on renewable energy on contaminated land

· Seeking collaborative opportunities with other federal agencies to site renewable energy projects on potentially contaminated land and mine sites

The public can submit comments on the draft plan on the RE-Powering website until November 30, 2010.

More information on the plan: http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/

Is the Obama Administration Really Serious About Nuclear Power? October 14, 2010 Scott Thomasson view bio Scott Thomasson is the domestic policy director for the Progressive Policy Institute. by Scott Thomasson

By all accounts, this controversy appears to be simply a fight between budget bureaucrats that needs to be hashed out publicly and resolved. But a less benign interpretation might suggest a deliberate bias among those in the administration in favor of spending loan guarantee dollars on renewable energy at the expense of nuclear projects.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Reverse Engineering the Future of Energy: Energy Sector Needs."

http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2010/10/reverse-engineering-future-of-energy_06.html

This post calls attention to further problems in renewable energy plans, problems which appear to limit the ability of renewable energy sources to keep the grid.stable. A renewable dominated grid appears likely to rely on carbon emitting natural gas power generation facilities, for peak power, and to respond to Summer and Winter temperature variations. While conventional nuclear power approaches do not appear to offer satisfactory solutions, Molten Salt nuclear approaches appear to offer attractive solutions to a number of post carbon energy options

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Saudi Arabia Holds Talks With Companies on Building Nuclear Energy City

Saudi Arabia seeks foreign expertise in nuclear, renewable project
Saudi Arabia has spoken with North American, European and Asian companies in its plan to develop a nuclear and green-energy city, said Khalid al-Sulaiman, vice president for renewable energy. "We have engaged the expertise and thinking of 14 of the best architectural and design houses," he said in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Bloomberg (10/4) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-04/saudi-arabia-holds-talks-with-companies-on-building-nuclear-energy-city.html