Opening the Flood Gates: Water Quality and Quantity in Power Generation

As was reported by Power Magazine, a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and reported on in “Running Dry at the Power Plant” (EPRI Journal, Summer 2007) predicts that water shortages will be experienced in the U.S. within the next 10 years under average climate conditions, and the situation will be more severe under drought conditions. With the global temperature fluctuating sporadically over the last few years, it is likely that the trend of unpredictable weather systems will continue for some time. What does this mean to those in the industry of power generation? As water is one of the fundamental elements of electricity generation, it is likely to have a profound impact.

Water is used as the standard coolant in most power generation processes, ranging from renewable energy resources to the heat-retention systems in nuclear power plants. The issue comes when the water used is either recycled back into the system or dumped, leaving potentially hazardous particulate matter in the water that can pollute the environment in which it ends up. The article from Power Magazine states that:

"Specific tower components have been developed and continue to undergo improvement as a direct result of decreasing water availability and increasing difficulty in obtaining permits for new cooling towers. For example, high-efficiency film fills maximize tower thermal performance, and modern drift eliminator designs can limit drift loss to as low as 0.0005% of the circulating water flow rate. Cooling tower fill is used to achieve the most economical heat transfer rate by providing increased contact surface area between the water and air."

It will be important for those in the power generation industry to monitor changes in cooling technology as water resources become more scarce. It is likely that in the future, our power generation output will be determined by the amount of water that is available for cooling applications in the industry. Until new methods of heat distribution and cooling are developed we will be dependent on water, and as water shortages continue to become more and more frequent, it is likely that our conservation of the element will determine our success for decades to come.

To read the article from Power Magazine, follow the link:

http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/Appraising-Our-Future-Cooling-Water-Options_2718.html

Roadmap 2050: Where Power Generation is Going in the Next Half-Century

The European Climate Foundation (ECF) has recently published 'Roadmap 2050: A Practical Guide to a Prosperous, Low-Carbon Europe' which plans out the decarbonization of the continent over the next forty years. The guide supplies information on four potential scenarios, ranging from having forty to one-hundred percent of energy supplied by renewable resources by 2050. The guide isn't idealistic though, as it also discusses the primary argument against a high-renewable energy scenario: that renewable energy is not always as dependable as CCS and nuclear power.

One of the more interesting tidbits from an article on the subject at Power-Gen Worldwide:

"With the exception of existing hydroelectric facilities, almost all of the power generation capacity required to supply Europe in 2050 will need to be built in the next 40 years. This is a major undertaking regardless of the energy mix, and would pose a massive challenge even in a high-carbon scenario.The key finding of the Roadmap 2050 project is that the challenge is basically the same in either a high-carbon, low-carbon or zero-carbon energy scenario, in terms of overall cost and scale."

The steps outlined in the plan would need to be implemented by 2015 for the EFC to reach its intended goal. Several energy-efficient measures that would reduce cost and demand will be put into place, and investments in regional networks alongside local smart grids are on the agenda. There are also plans in place to reform the market in order to create a positive investment scenario. The Roadmap 2050 project is a sure sign that carbon efficiency in power generation is a trend that is extending its reach to all parts of the world.

To read the article at Power-Gen Worldwide, follow the link:

http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/articledisplay/0030708475/articles/powergenworldwide/Business/Policy/2010/04/european-power_sector.html

The Economics of Heat-Recovery Steam Generators

During the 1990s and 2000s, many combined-cycle plants were implemented in the United States for a wide range of applications. With the economic turbulence we have experienced in the last decade, deregulation of the electricity market and the ever-rising price of natural gas, many of these plants began to make sacrifices to keep their production levels high, sometimes at the cost of efficiency.

With demand of production peaking at several times during a standard workday, some manufacturers had to start "double-cycling" their plants, meaning they would cover the morning peak, shut down production, and then restart to cover the afternoon or evening peak. As most of these plants were not designed to handle this stress, many manufacturers are noticing reduced life of their components and experiencing higher costs for replacement and repair than they had originally anticipated. An article from Power Magazine has this perspective:

"In actuality, few owners are capable of accurately projecting these statistics over a 30-plus-year life cycle. The assumed inspection and maintenance programs in the conventional LCA (Life-Cycle Analysis) for the typical combined-cycle plant are based on fixed periodic intervals and statistical information derived from baseloaded units. But an inspection and maintenance program for any unit should take into account the actual operation of the HRSG, not merely the theoretical operating profile. Deviate from those design assumptions, and the actual life of critical components may be severely compromised"

Manufacturers will quickly find that the hidden costs of maintaining these over-exhausted machines might take a hefty chunk out of their companies' budgets. Cycling occurs when machines are run and then shut down to meet grid demand and provide owners with the most efficient and cost-effective production values. Unfortunately, it simply isn't practical to run these machines in cyclic conditions without incurring the cost of unforeseen maintenance and part replacement.

To read the article at Powermag.com, follow the link:

http://www.powermag.com/issues/cover_stories/Economic-Operation-of-Fast-Starting-HRSGs_2715.html

Hydropower: The Most Popular Source of Power Generation Worldwide

It was recently reported by globaldata.com that Hydropower is the most efficient and popular renewable resource for electricity generation in the entire world. As the demand for energy rises across the globe, the nations of the world are looking for the highest possible return on their energy investment. Hydroelectric power is ideal for this because of low maintenance costs, inexpensive operation and high energy yield. It is likely that the renewable energy industry will trend toward water-based power in the near future and for decades to come.

The article projects a market analysis for hydropower for the next ten years, as small and mini hydroelectric plants begin to be widely developed. Globaldata estimates that by 2015, small hydropower will produce 140 gigawatts of electricity and by 2020 that number will be closer to 210 GW. Considering that in 2001 the entire output of the world's hydropower was 695.8 GW and by 2009 that number was 888.8GW, this is no small drop in the bucket.

The entire report is incredibly interesting to those in the power generation field. Here is a quick abstract:

GlobalData’s “Global Small Hydro Power Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2020” report gives an in-depth analysis of Global small hydro power market and provides forecasts up to 2020. The research analyzes the growth, evolution of global small hydro power market up to 2008 and gives historical and forecast statistics for the period 2001-2020. This research also gives detailed analysis of the market structures of the technology and regulatory policies that govern it. Detailed information on key current and upcoming assets give a roadmap to this industry’s development.

As the world's demand for power continues to increase exponentially along with our population and the rapid growth of technology, companies who are looking for an efficient renewable resource should consider riding the wave of hydropower into the next decade.