Power Blog

Renewables Growing Faster than Expected

2015-11-13T15:57:49Z

Author: Juan Carlos Bravo

As we have been reporting in this blog, the energy scenario is changing. In fact, it might be changing faster than anyone expected due the low oil prices. As reported by the World Energy Outlook 2015, “renewables contributed almost half of the world’s new power generation capacity in 2014 and have already become the second-largest source of electricity (after coal).”

Source: Twitter.com/Energydesk

Non-OECD countries account for seven out of every eight additional units of electricity demand. With 60 cents of every U.S. dollar invested in new power plants to 2040 spent on renewable energy technologies, global renewables-based electricity generation increases by some 8300 TWh (more than half of the increase in total generation). By 2040, renewables-based generation is expected to reach a share of 50% in the European Union, around 30% in China and Japan, and above 25% in the United States and India.

It is clear that the power generation is changing faster than most everyone imagined or predicted. This obviously presents a problem for frequency regulation in the power grid, but also the renewable facilities will be facing more competition since there will be so many options. Therefore, I think that renewable facilities would also have to be prepared to face more competition and invest in in technology in order to operate at the maximum efficiency.

In addition, the report mentions that coal will continue to be used around the world, but it will have to be compatible with more stringent environmental policies. Plants will have to become more efficient in reducing emissions.

This is also why I think that coal plants will have to invest in technologies that that will allow them to be more environmentally compliant and remain competitive in this new landscape. These technologies include new measurement devices, advanced process control and extensive use of analytics. Also, partnerships with suppliers of these technologies with a deeper level expertise will be more common to receive the expected results.

The power generation industry will continue to change rapidly and the long-term survivors will be the most adaptable and efficient.

From Jim: You can connect and interact with other power and alternative energy experts in the Power and Alternative Energy groups in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Renewables Growing Faster than Expected appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

Grid Complexities and the Race for Energy Storage

2015-10-23T14:34:00Z

Author: Douglas Morris

Apple just announced that they plan to construct a 200MW solar project in China to help the company meet its goals for carbon neutrality. One to the concerns, though, is whether or not the local transmission & distribution grid system can accommodate this renewable generation. It’s a concern because there have been numerous solar installations in China that are idled because of grid limitations.

As a matter of fact, this summer the Chinese government released data indicating that about 9 percent of existing solar installations were offline for the first half of the year because of constraints. I bring this up to illustrate that building renewable generation is the easy part of the supply chain, dealing with it on the grid is where the complexity arises.

It’s the general mission of commercial power generators to supply reliable and stable power to its customers; however, the increasing number of renewable sources can make this a challenge. Many have discussed how the uneven supply of renewables results in traditional fossil plants cycling to smooth load which causes some design and operational issues. Something else to consider, though, is the race afoot to develop technologies for energy storage/grid reliability that can provide some relief for fossil plants and improve overall grid stability.

In the United States, there are a few drivers accelerating this need for technology with the first being the fast growth of rooftop solar and distributed generation facilities. Next is a regulatory push, like renewable power mandates by states and the recently announced Clean Power Plan (CPP) which has a goal of 28 percent renewable generation for the country by 2030. Thirdly, the existing grid infrastructure does not currently have the flexibility to move power easily from one interconnect to another (trillions of dollars are required to debottleneck and provide the requisite flexibility).

You’ve heard of Tesla, but have you ever heard of EOS Energy Storage, JuiceBox Energy, ICE Storage, or Sonnenbatterie? They are just a few of the players in the energy storage space. Pumped storage has been around for a while and will find opportunity, but it’s battery and thermal storage that are getting more attention these days. The companies I listed have bankable contracts with utilities and help to provide power smoothing to balance renewables. Although not an energy storage technology, reciprocating engines that burn natural gas are gaining traction too because of their ability to come online quickly (in less than 10 minutes) while also providing good voltage support. This flexibility, combined with cheap fuel, make using these engines very attractive. Rubart Station in Kansas is a good example of this technology.

So where does this race end? It’s always hard to predict the future, but the winner will have the ability to scale, must be easily maintainable, and must be able to move down the cost curve to provide competitive power options ($/MW). It’s fun to watch and these technologies will likely be prevalent well before any major revamps to the national grid system come to fruition.

The post Grid Complexities and the Race for Energy Storage appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

How the Sun Affects Your Utility Bill

2015-09-14T16:02:00Z

Author: Douglas Morris

Catalina Island is home to many attractions including theaters, casinos, and Hollywood stars. It’s also home to a self-contained utility system called a microgrid, which is a mini version of the electrical grid supplying your home or place of work. Emerson is helping with this system so that it can properly manage all the power inputs and outputs required to control this complex electrical grid. It the case of Catalina Island, such a microgrid is required since the island is isolated from the mainland electrical grid in the United States.

On the mainland, there is a movement happening that mimics Catalina lsland and it’s called distributed generation. In effect, it’s a subset of a micro grid and occurs when you install wind or solar at your house. With this renewable system, the power generation is no longer centrally located, hence the name.

With distributed gen, the agreement most utilities have is that they will buy back any electricity you don’t need through a system called net metering. In some places, the amount paid to homeowners is the retail rate for electricity, which was adopted to spur growth of renewables and reward those people that made the heavy investment to install a rooftop solar system.

Oh how times have changed and that expensive cost is no longer a hurdle as the cost of solar panels has dropped dramatically. The result is that more and more electric consumers are installing rooftop solar.

Source: Forbes, Solar Energy Revolution: A Massive Opportunity

At first, net metering didn’t cause too much of an issue because there weren’t a lot of solar systems. Utilities learned how to deal with them and the supply back to the grid was relatively insignificant. Now, with the increasing number of customers “defecting” from the grid, utilities have a host of new challenges. Some are operational but one of the most significant (and growing) concern is financial.

Utilities rely on revenues from customers to reinvest in themselves, whether it’s generation, transmission, distribution or a combination of the three. With fewer paying customers, utilities are losing revenue. This is exacerbated by the fact that these former customers are using the electric grid for free…this grid is paid for by utilities and requires more and more investment because it’s getting old. As a matter of fact, this aging transmission and distribution infrastructure is the number one worry for the industry.

www.youtube.com/watch

Virtually all utilities are dealing with lower revenues from defections and executives from power companies are seeking relief. Whether it’s Southern California Edison or a utility in the North, East, or South, all are approaching their respective Public Utility Commission (PUCs) and are trying to rewrite a payment system that was based on a pre-solar generation network. Utilities are not against renewable power, they just want to make sure the current regulated revenue system is fairly distributed.

So if you have solar panels on your roof or a micro wind turbine in your yard, you will likely be seeing some type of rate changes for your local utility. Just remember, the rules of power generation and distribution have changed and utilities are still charged with making sure the lights stay on. This revenue is needed to maintain the reliability of the grid.

So where does this eventually end? As the revenue models are figured out, more and more investment will be made into the transmission and distribution (T&D) system so that it can better handle distributed generation. In the long run, progressive utilities will likely become the primary suppliers of distributed generation systems and will be the ones helping you install your rooftop solar system.

From Jim: You can connect and interact with other power and alternative energy experts in the Power and Alternative Energy groups in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post How the Sun Affects Your Utility Bill appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

Energy Industry Leaders Gather at CERAWeek 2014

2014-03-07T16:13:58Z

Douglas Morris
Mining and Power Industries Sr. Manager

Author: Douglas Morris
The 33^rd annual CERAWeek Conference, led by Daniel Yergin, was held this week in Houston, Texas USA. This year’s event very much echoed the theme from the last couple of conferences and focused on unconventional oil and gas.

The effects of these unconventional sources have global ramifications from both an energy and geopolitical standpoint. Abundant gas, in particular, is having the most dramatic impact. Because of the cost advantages it affords, global manufacturers are pouring capital into North America to monetize cheaper gas resources. Chemical manufacturers and other energy intensive businesses are finding this particularly attractive.

Although several applications for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export have been approved, there are many more awaiting consideration. The general opinion seems to be that the United States needs to strike a good regulatory balance of long-term energy security coupled with a sensible export framework. 2014 will likely be a pivotal year in shaping the domestic LNG market.

From a power perspective, the wealth of gas continues to reshape generation portfolios in North America. It has helped utilities provide affordable power and has reduced their carbon emissions. Risks of relying on gas too much surfaced this past winter. The polar vortex reminded utilities that the best approach to a long-term, stable power supply is to maintain a diversified fuel mix because gas supplies tightened and prices increased from the abnormal cold weather.

Source: Wikipedia- Shale gas, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shale_gas

Other parts of the world are looking to harvest their unconventional resources too, but this may prove to be more difficult. China, for example, has some of the largest shale reserves in the world but its deposits are deeper and in a location where water is scarce. Not In My Backyard… without access to the royalties afforded by mineral rights, landowners are reluctant to allow oil and gas drilling and since many countries do not grant access to mineral rights like in the US, it will be more difficult to drill.

On top of this, others lack the drilling expertise and open regulatory framework that makes unconventional resources easier to harvest in this country.

The last point is that across the spectrum, companies are exercising more capital discipline. Projects will still more forward, but more upfront planning will be required to avoid the cost overruns experienced in recent years. It will certainly be interesting to see how this story continues to unfold throughout the global energy value chain.

The post Energy Industry Leaders Gather at CERAWeek 2014 appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

Energy Industry Leaders Gather at CERAWeek 2014

2014-03-07T16:13:58Z

Author: Douglas Morris The 33rd annual CERAWeek Conference, led by Daniel Yergin, was held this week in Houston, Texas USA. This year’s event very much echoed the theme from the last couple of conferences and focused on unconventional oil and gas. The effects of these unconventional sources have global ramifications from both an energy and […](read more)

Energy from Municipal Waste Project Update

2013-12-12T18:30:32Z

In an earlier post, Plasma Gasification-Municipal Waste as a Power Source, we highlighted this process as an effective way to create energy from waste. I received news from Emerson’s Barbara Hamilton that the Industrial Energy consulting and global project services teams have been working on a project expected to come on line in 2014.

The plant is being built near an existing landfill and is expected to divert 350,000 tonnes of waste from the landfill each year. It is designed to produce approximately 49 megawatts (MW) through oxygen assisted plasma gasification of approximately 950 metric tons per day of processed municipal solid waste (MSW) supplied from a nearby recycling facility.

Source: Westinghouse Plasma Corp. Example Plasma Gasification Process.

Raw MSW will be processed by the Recycler to remove recyclable materials, such as ferrous and nonferrous metals, glass, and some plastics, and will then be shredded to approximately 300 x 300 mm (12 inch) average size and delivered to this facility via walking floor heavy goods vehicle (HGV).

The MSW will be further processed to reduce its size and increase its density, mixed with a bed support material, (metallurgical coke or anthracite coal), and a fluxant, (limestone), and then introduced into the vertical cylindrical gasifier, via feed screw injectors. As the material moves downward in the atmospheric pressure gasifier, it is heated by electric plasma torches to bulk temperatures in excess of 1200ºC.

Barbara explained that most of the carbon in the waste reacts with controlled amounts of oxygen introduced immediately above the plasma torches to produce carbon monoxide. Some of the carbon reacts with water present in the waste or steam introduced into the gasifier to produce hydrogen. The product syngas is partially quenched as it exits from the top of the gasifier vessel. Inorganic and inert materials exit the bottom of the gasifier as slag, which is quenched in a water bath, and conveyed onto trucks for offsite disposal by the Recycler.

The syngas produced will undergo a series of process operations to further quench, scrub, cool, compress, and remove particulates—hydrogen chloride, ammonia, sulphur, and any trace mercury from the syngas to make it suitable as fuel for two combustion gas turbines. The gas turbine generators will produce electricity, and the heat from each turbine’s exhaust is recovered as steam in heat recovery steam generators (HRSG).

An auxiliary boiler combusts any fuel beyond the capacity of the gas turbines. Steam produced via the auxiliary boiler is combined with the steam produced in the HRSG’s to feed a steam turbine, which will produce additional power. The exhaust gas of the auxiliary boiler and the HRSG’s is catalytically treated to remove NOx.

Barbara described the global Emerson team members in this project with people from Costa Rica, India, Romania, United Kingdom, and United States. Project functions included project management, process automation system and safety instrumented system design and execution, procurement, document control, integration, and testing.

You can connect and interact with the industrial energy consultants in the Industrial Energy industry track in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.

The post Energy from Municipal Waste Project Update appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

Energy from Municipal Waste Project Update

2013-12-12T18:30:32Z

Pressure Transmitters for Nuclear Power Plant Safety Applications

2013-11-11T13:35:01Z

Rosemount pressure measurement instrumentation has been part of nuclear power plants’ process automation for more than four decades. The news item from last week, Emerson offers improved safety and performance solutions with new series of nuclear pressure transmitters, shared: The Rosemount 3150 Series of Nuclear Pressure Transmitters provides performance improvements in the areas of reference […](read more)

Around the World in Power-The Challenges of Energy Policy

2013-10-18T15:34:03Z

Emerson’s Douglas Morris of the Power and Mining industry teams, shares the latest trends in renewable energy in Germany in today’s post.

It’s been an active week for stories about the power industry: the impact of renewable power in Germany; the nuclear industry in China; and environmental policy in the United States. Hit the provided links to learn more the other stories as this post will focus on Germany.

At the time of the Fukushima Daiichi reactor accident in 2011, Germany generated almost a quarter of its electricity (23%) from nuclear power. What was once the sixth largest nuclear producer in the world quickly made plans to shut down its nuclear fleet by 2022. Along with shuttering nuclear plants, the country also set in place plans to greatly reduce the use of fossil-based power. Already a strong user of renewables, the government established a goal of 35% renewable power by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

So how has that plan progressed? Pretty well, actually. According to Germany’s statistical office, as of 2012, coal-fired power plants generated 45% of total electricity demand, followed by renewables at 22%, nuclear at 16%, and gas at around 11%. Through 2013, coal is expected to surpass 50% of the mix and renewables is expected to remain about the same.

Wait a minute; this trend is not following the plan? As with most regulation, market forces tend to show where there might be gray areas. Platts data indicates that the gap between the coal and gas spreads (the general measure of profitability these plants) has widened while the cost of renewables has also increased. Per the Financial Times, the annual cost to support German renewable energy feed-in tariffs is set to rise to €3.2bn from 2013 to 2014 and the surcharge added to German electricity bills to cover this cost will increase 18% to a record high of 6.24 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Source: Platts, ANALYSIS: German coal extends dominance in power mix as gas wanes, http://jimc.me/1i21fVy
Although the average German continues to support the aggressive move to renewables, there is a growing concern that the rising costs required to support the transition will hurt manufacturing competitiveness. In a country that relies heavily on exports, this concern is something the government will have to address.

The bottom line is that setting energy policy is difficult and continues to be a lesson in tradeoffs. My guess is that Germany will end up in a place that doesn’t quite reach 80% renewables, rather with a healthy mix of renewables along with other technologies that help balance economics and environmental needs.

The post Around the World in Power-The Challenges of Energy Policy appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

Around the World in Power-The Challenges of Energy Policy

2013-10-18T15:34:03Z

Emerson’s Douglas Morris of the Power and Mining industry teams, shares the latest trends in renewable energy in Germany in today’s post. It’s been an active week for stories about the power industry: the impact of renewable power in Germany; the nuclear industry in China; and environmental policy in the United States. Hit the provided […](read more)

3 Companies Making Waves with Natural Gas

2013-10-11T13:30:42Z

The growing supply of natural gas and subsequent lower prices compared to other sources of energy is causing companies to consider it as a fuel source. Arielle Nagel, who is pursuing her Master’s of Science in Environmental Sustainability, provides several examples in today’s post.

There are a lot of benefits to using natural gas as an alternative fuel source.

Natural gas is cleaner than coal and oil, producing less environmental pollutants.

It can reduce the risk of smog, acid rain and greenhouse gas emissions.

It’s efficient – about 90% of natural gas produced is delivered as useful energy, compared to 30% of energy converted into electricity.

Natural gas prices are consistently two to three times lower than electric prices.

So why aren’t more people using natural gas? Although natural gas consumption is on the rise, traditional vehicles still outnumber alternate fuel vehicles (AFVs) on the road in the U.S.

One answer is cost. Switching to natural gas, though more economical in the long run, could cost more upfront.

Source: Mariordo Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Mariordo, Natural gas pumps at a multifuel service station in the state of Parana, Brazil.
Another is convenience. Natural gas refueling stations are limited, while traditional gas stations are on every corner.

Experts suggest that it will just take time. Time to adjust energy infrastructure. Time to increase public awareness. Time to change energy consumption habits.

But some companies are moving faster toward natural gas than others. Let’s take a look at a few businesses that are paving the way for natural gas use – and becoming more sustainable along the way.

Verizon. In 2011, communications giant Verizon added 13 cargo vans converted to run on compressed natural gas to its Florida fleet.

Verizon also added 20 hybrid vehicles to the same fleet. In total, the company has purchased more than 600 hybrid pick-up trucks and more than 500 vans and trucks converted to run on natural gas. Verizon is also trying to facilitate biofuel use in existing Verizon vehicles.

The company estimated that its hybrid and AFVs would cut more than 2,550 metric tons of greenhouse gas and conserve 290,000 gallons of fuel annually – the equivalent of keeping 500 cars off the road for a year.

AT&T. AT&T is also trying to decrease its carbon footprint. Through a deal with General Motors, the company is planning to gradually replace more than 15,000 vehicles with alternative fuel models by 2018.

AT&T will invest $350 million in 8,000 CNG-powered vans over the next 5 years. AT&T recently purchased 1,200 vans designed to run on compressed natural gas. And In January 2012, the company put its 5,000^th AFV on the road.

AT&T’s alternate fuel investments go toward the company’s larger mission to be more environmentally sustainable – and save on fuel costs. In pledging to reduce its petroleum use, AT&T joined other large private companies in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Clean Fleets Partnership.

Waste Management. Waste disposal company Waste Management has been involved in the natural gas movement since the 1990s, and it continues to increase the number of alternate fuel vehicles they use.

Waste Management operates more than 2,400 natural gas-powered vehicles across the nation. In 2007, they announced plans to reduce their emissions by 15% by 2020 – a goal they exceeded in 2012.

In addition to improving sustainability with alternative fuel vehicles, Waste Management is also expanding public access to natural gas. The company has opened 50 natural gas fueling stations across the country, most recently in Jackson, Mississippi.

These companies – all big names in their fields – are paving the way for natural gas use in corporate America. Will other businesses soon follow suit?

The post 3 Companies Making Waves with Natural Gas appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

3 Companies Making Waves with Natural Gas

2013-10-11T13:30:42Z

Improving Boiler Availability by Better Steam Temperature Control

2013-09-20T15:29:15Z

Tightening up boiler control strategies and improving the sensing and final control elements not only improves energy efficiency and reduces variability, it can improve overall availability of the boiler as Emerson’s Douglas Morris of the Power and Mining industries explains.

Tube leaks are something that every utility deals with on a regular basis.

As a matter of fact, when you look at NERC’s [North America Electric Reliability Corporation] Generating Availability Data System (GADS), you’ll find out that boiler tube leaks are the leading cause of forced outages for both coal-fired and combined-cycle plants.

Chart based on NERC GADS data for a nominal 500MW coal-fired boiler

This makes tube leaks the single biggest cause for plant unavailability. To mitigate tube leaks, there are some strategies that can be deployed that address root causes; reheat and superheat temperature variability. These temperature excursions place undue stress on the tubes which can lead to metal fatigue. Simply put, if the boiler is operated with more stable steam temperatures, tube leaks will be fewer, as will the number of forced outages.

To accomplish better temperature control, a boiler gets a solution that is unique to that unit and provides closed loop control recommendations that reduce temperature variability. A side benefit to this solution is that boiler response and ramp rates are often improved, and in the world of renewable power with its variable supply, better fossil unit flexibility and faster ramp rates are always welcomed.

Examples of installed solutions:

550MW plant: steam temperature swings taken from +/- 40F to +/- 5F with subsequent reduction in tube leaks and a step change improvement in availability

450MW plant: reduced average occurrence of exceeding reheat temperatures by 85%

250MW plant: improved ramp rate by 70%

For utilities looking for a cost effective way to improve availability and unit control, perhaps better steam temperature control is a place to start. In fact, the costs associated in this strategy are minimal when compared to the costs associated with a single forced outage for many plants.

The post Improving Boiler Availability by Better Steam Temperature Control appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

Improving Boiler Availability by Better Steam Temperature Control

2013-09-20T15:29:15Z

Ultra-Supercritical Boilers-a More Efficient Approach

2013-09-13T15:46:18Z

Emerson’s Alan Novak, leader of the Mining and Power Industries shares an update on ultra supercritical boiler technology.

An August 26 Bloomberg article, China Power Seen Doubling With Renewables as Coal Holds Sway, noted that China’s electrical generating capacity will more than double by 2030, with half coming from renewable energy sources.

This means that China will add 88 gigawatts of new power plants, or the equivalent of the UK’s entire installed generating capacity, per year until 2030.

And while renewables will represent half of all new capacity, coal-fired power plants will still provide the majority of the electrical supply.
Source: Hitachi, Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant, http://jimc.me/18ZpTS2

China has moved ahead with new technologies, which significantly reduce the tons of pollutants emitted per megawatt hour generated. They are at the leading edge in implementation of ultra-supercritical (USC) boiler designs, which push the mechanical limits of equipment but provide higher thermal efficiencies than traditional pulverized coal or super-critical designs.
Source: Hitachi, Coal-Fired Thermal Power Plant, http://jimc.me/18ZpTS2

Source: World Coal Association, Improving Efficiencies, http://jimc.me/18ZqvqL

Ultra-super critical technology is also starting to appear in the US. In December of 2012, American Electric Power’s John W. Turk plant came on-line as the first US implementation of USC.
Source: THV 11, John W. Turk Power Plant deemed Plant of the Year, http://jimc.me/18ZqEKK

Many utilities are adding natural gas fired capacity to take advantage of low prices in the U.S. but USC technology offers a way to utilize abundant U.S. coal reserves and diversify a utility’s generation portfolio.

Only time will tell if we will see greater adoption of this approach in North America.

The post Ultra-Supercritical Boilers-a More Efficient Approach appeared first on the Emerson Process Experts blog.

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