Why Preheater Seal Upgrades are Important

Thermal efficiency is a major concern when dealing with large utility boilers. By using a regenerative air preheater, you can increase efficiency with the last-expensive heat recovery system that also has the ability to endure harsh environments and extreme temperatures. The largest hindrance to the air preheating system is air leakage, which can lead to problems such as fouling, corrosion, increased auxiliary power consumption, ammonium bisulfate plugging and higher pressure differentials. These can all lead to a loss of efficiency and in turn, money. An article by powermag.com discusses the necessity of air preheaters in this month's offerings:

"The air preheater is a critical, yet often overlooked, component of the boiler combustion air system. Evaluating and optimizing a heater's performance is difficult given how entwined it is with the entire combustion system and the lack of standardized calculation tools. Reducing leakage by using modern seal technology will improve combustion efficiency, maintain fan performance, and keep your downstream air quality control equipment operating within spec."

By implementing and maintaining high-quality and high-durability air preheaters, you can rest assured that your large utility boiler will give you the maximum output without losing time and efficiency due to air leakage-related wear and tear. In a time when the economy isn't so great, even those in the power generation industry need to tighten their belts and watch their pocketbooks whenever possible. So, invest in an air preheater today and start saving that revenue for more important things: like operation expansion!

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies:

www.pactinc.com

To read the article from powermag.com, follow this link:

http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/Air-Preheater-Seal-Upgrades-Renew-Plant-Efficiency_3032.html

And Array We Go! - On The Future of Solar Panels

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

A new technology has emerged in the field of renewable energy. Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new kind of antenna forged from carbon nanotubes that concentrate one-hundred times more solar energy than a standard photovoltaic cell. This is a revolutionary discovery, as the amount of surface area needed to create an efficient solar panel is going to be decreasing in the near future. Just as computer chips have gotten exponentially smaller and more powerful over the years, so will solar arrays. An article from Power Online discusses this exciting topic in one of their latest articles:

"[These] new antennas might also be useful for any other application that requires light to be concentrated, such as night-vision goggles or telescopes. Solar panels generate electricity by converting photons (packets of light energy) into an electric current. Strano's (Charles and Hilda Roddey Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and the team leader of the researchers who have discovered this new technology) nanotube antenna boosts the number of photons that can be captured and transforms the light into energy that can be funneled into a solar cell."

The article maintains that in the future, your entire roof might not need to be covered in solar panels, but rather just have a few small locations where these new antenna arrays are present. However, there will likely be a myriad of other uses for these nanotubes, ranging from the powering of smaller devices to advances in satellite, space station and space shuttle construction. With this new breakthrough, it is likely that the renewable resource industry will see a huge boost in the months to come as the process is streamlined for mass production.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies:

www.pactinc.com

To read the article from Power Online, click this link:

http://www.poweronline.com/article.mvc/Researchers-Develop-A-Way-To-Funnel-Solar-0001

Electric Intelligence and the Smart Grid...

(Image courtesy of Ecolectic)

Power Magazine recently ran an article that takes a look at the 2009-2010 Platts/Capgemini Utilities Executive Study that was just recently released in July. 106 senior executives were asked questions regarding the power generation industry, particularly regarding the advent of smart grids and their effect on those in our field. For those that don't know (and if you don't, I'm surprised you read this blog), a smart grid is a system of electricity deliverance that uses computer feedback and collected data to make sure that people are getting the most efficient amount of power for their needs while taxing the power supplier less. It keeps them from sending out too much power that would otherwise be wasted. The article from Power Magazine had this to say:

"The executive summary notes that 45% of respondents' companies have a smart grid strategy in place, while 52% said their utility has one in development. "Over two-thirds of participants also said they expect their smart grid strategies will change over the next five years as a result of evolving technologies." Full smart meter implementation has been reached by 37% of respondents and advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) by 35%."

The gist of the article is that full, nation-wide implementation of these smart grids is possible in the near future, but would require more cooperation from suppliers and technology vendors. By getting a 100% implementation rate of smart meters in American homes, not only will those in the power generation field save money, but the American public will save money as well. For those in our field, this is a goal that we should definitely be striving for.

To learn more about power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies' website:

www.pactinc.com

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

http://www.powermag.com/smart_grid/What-Utility-Executives-Think-About-the-Smart-Grid_2872.html

To view the results of the study, click here:

http://www.us.capgemini.com/PlattsStudy/register2010.asp?chnid=

Competition, Culture and Change: Optimizing Power Generation

(Image Source: Reliability Management Group)

Time wasted, efficiency failures and low team morale are all all problems which those of us in the power generation industry must face on a day-to-day basis. A recent article by Power Magazine discusses the implementation of a WPO (work process optimization strategy) that can help combat lulls in efficiency that some in our field may face due to the current recession, as well as the increasing market demand regarding power generation companies. Items on the to do list include time management, streamlining daily and weekly scheduling processes, proper planning and management of tasks, training, computerized maintenance and a measurement system for success regarding the implementation. A brief summary of one of the most important parts of the new strategy is discussed in the article as follows:

"Managers want to know how the WPO is working and what they can do to remove obstacles to improvement. For years, supervisors cited work interruptions, manpower shortages, and coordination missteps as being the problems that prevented work from getting done as quickly or as well as they had hoped. Those obstacles remain, but the behavior modification is that now supervisors are supposed to document them, not just talk about them. This is a huge change that causes concern among supervisors, who wonder, 'Will we be held responsible for events out of our control? What happens to me if I'm at fault?'"

The importance of having an accurate and reliable measurement system is evident. Without a way to gauge the amount of progress you've made, it is unlikely that you will be able to develop a concise strategy for improvement during the next work cycle (quarter, season, etc.). By reporting work process mesures and key performance indicators, as well as a record of variables that occur which may decrease efficiency, the manager(s) of a power generation company can be sure, not only if they are taking the correct steps in their endeavors, but also what is causing the hiccups in their operations. In an era where power generation is one of the inciting factors of our species' development, power generating corporations should take heed to make sure that they're supplying their consumers energy in the most efficient way.

To read more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies:

www.pactinc.com

To read the article from Power Magazine, click here:

http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/Work-Process-Optimization-Meeting-the-Challenge-of-Change_2883_p5.html

Flue Symptoms: Separating Carbon Dioxide from Flue Gasses

Image Source: netl.doe.gov

A recent article from Power Online discusses a recent advancement of a research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology that could potentially usher in a new era of clean burning flue systems. As we’re all aware, in the United States, coal-burning power plants are responsible for roughly 33% of the country’s total carbon output. By using hollow fibers, the researchers have discovered a way to remove large volumes of carbon dioxide from flue emissions. The article from Power Online discusses some of the applications as well as its potential effect on the industrial power generation community:

“’The challenge with this [process] is to have a technology that not only physically works, but that can be built on a large scale and operated inexpensively,’ says David Sholl, who leads the membrane project as a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering…

… Membranes could theoretically separate the carbon dioxide from other gasses with less energy input. But no existing membrane materials can do the job while being robust enough to operate in the hostile flue-gas environment – and inexpensive enough for the large areas needed.'”

At The Power Generation Blog, we are always excited about potential new technologies in our field, but beyond that, we like to concern ourselves (whenever possible) with new energy producing processes that help out the environment. By reducing carbon emissions in coal plants, we can help our ecosystem while not having to move to alternative forms of power production. Coal won’t be as available as it is today for forever, but in the interim we might as well use what he have while finding more efficient and more environmentally-friendly ways to implement it.

To read more about power and composite technologies, visit PCT:

www.pactinc.com

To read the article from Power Online, follow this link:

http://www.poweronline.com/article.mvc/Hollow-Fibers-ARPA-E-Funding-Supports-0001

Big Plans Ahead for Nigeria...

A recent article from Power-Gen Worldwide discusses a large investment that the nation of Nigeria, private investors and international development and finance agencies will be making over the course of the next four years. Nigeria has recently fallen victim to power shortages that have begun to affect the country's infrastructure. The new project, which will cost the country and investors around $3.5 billion, will be implemented in order to increase the electrical output of the country from that of a 330/132 kV electrical grid to the new 700 kV grid, effectively more than doubling their energy supply. In the article from Power-Gen Worldwide, the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, was paraphrased regarding the state of the nation:

"Nigeria suffers from acute electricity shortages and President Jonathan has made increased power supplies a key part of government policy ahead of national elections scheduled for January. A reform of the power sector will be announced on 26 August, the presidency said. This will include a greater role for private-sector investors. Nigeria has urged its main upstream partners, such as Shell and Chevron, to increase gas supplies to the domestic market to increase power generation capacity. Most of the country's gas is supplied to the 22m tonnes/year Nigeria LNG plant on Bonny island or flared off."

This news is important for several reasons. First off, it serves as an excellent example of developing nations realizing that in order to prosper, major changes need to be implemented regarding power generation in order to facilitate the country's rapid expansion as new technologies become available to them. Secondly, this is an incredible opportunity for power generation investors to get in on the ground floor of a potential emerging world power. Finally, this news is important because it shows that the power generation industry is not something that can be affected by the now world-wide recession, even in developing nations. There are evidently good things on the horizon for those of us in the power generation industry.

To learn more about Power Generation Technology, check out Power and Composite Technologies:

www.pactinc.com

To read the article from Power-Gen Worldwide, click this link:

http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/articledisplay/0386927987/articles/powergenworldwide/t-and-d/t-and-d-infrastructure/2010/08/nigeria-sets_out_plans.html

Going Down Under & Thinking Outside the Box

The North Head Sewage Treatment Plant in Sydney Harbor has recently been fitted with a $124 million hydroelectric plant which uses treated wastewater to produce electricity. This marks the first time in Australia's history that a hydroelectric plant has been used to generate power from treated sewage. This is accomplished by hydroelectric assemblies located in a 60-meter shaft that treat wastewater as it falls down. According to sydneywater.com.au, this means that the North Head plant now generates around forty percent of its own power. An article in Power Magazine discusses a brief history of this innovative technology:

"Sydney Water is pioneering the plant in Australia, but it isn't the first in the world to harness hydroelecricity from a wastewater plant. U.S.-based Aquarion Water Co. has launched a program that taps excess forces inside water pipes, using technology designed by New York alternative energy company Rentricity. That company's Flow-to-Wire system relieves excess water pressure delivered to customers at elevations lower than the water source. The inherent pressure differentials are used to spin turbines to create power."

These new approaches to otherwise wasted sources of energy are likely to become a staple of the power generation industry in the coming years. As the world's resources begin to become less and less available, companies will have to start looking for ways to generate power that would have previously been skimmed over. The application of the North Head sewage treatment plant of their wastewater to a hydroelectric power plant is just one of the few examples of how new ways of generating power can save money and improve efficiency.

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

http://www.powermag.com/issues/departments/global_monitor/Australia-Gets-Hydropower-from-Wastewater_2789.html

To view the list of improvements to the North Head facility from Sydney Water, follow this one:

http://www.sydneywater.com.au/majorprojects/North/NorthHeadSTD/index.cfm

Cap-and-Trade Legislation and the Industry Standard

(Image source: Stand Up For America)

The idea behind cap and trade policies is pretty simple: In order to lower our national fuel emissions, the government puts a "cap" on the amount of carbon emissions the nation can release and then companies "trade" for vouchers which allow them to output carbon from their factories. If they don't have enough vouchers, they can't allow processes to take place which emit further carbon. To those of us in Industrial Power Generation, this is a lot more desirable than having the EPA regulate carbon emissions, a situation which would have dire consequences for those companies that generate power with carbon byproducts. Power Magazine has an article relating to the Electric Power 2010 convention, at which many leaders in the power generation industry gathered to discuss changing trends as they relate to the field of power generation. Of the convention, the magazine had this to say:

"Rarely does unanimity strike a power industry panel, but the APA and its "conservative" cap and trade provisions, according to Connaughton, [Executive VP of corporate affairs at Constellation Energy] recieved a resounding vote of approval from the panel. Connaughton called it a major step forward and said that it "adds creative thinking from the power sector." Murphy [Regional VP of NRG Energy] said his firm was pushing for cap and trade and that it has to happen sooner than later. Trent [Duke Energy Group executive and president of Commercial Businesses] supported the legislation and noted that the EPA will regulate carbon without it. Adams [Senior VP of operations, Calpine Corp.] was favorable toward the bill because it nicely positions efficient gas-fired capacity. The slightest waver came from Kormos, [Senior VP of Services, PJM] who said he was supportive of any legislation at this point just for the certainty of it.

In the industry of power generation, we face several restrictions regarding our carbon emissions. That isn't to say that we're not trying to save the environment ourselves; renewable energy is the fastest growing aspect of our business, and in a time when everyone else is going green, we refuse to be left behind. With that said, carbon offsets being purchased by environmental groups, the actions of the EPA and several other factors may seem like a hindrance to us at times. The 2010 Power Industry Executive Roundtable reminds us that cap and trade is a good idea, because the alternative could be devastating.

To read the full article from Power Magazine, click here:

http://www.powermag.com/issues/features/Industry-Pivots-on-Natural-Gas-Hails-Cap-and-Trade_2810.html

To learn more about the latest developments in industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies:

http://www.pactinc.com/

Biofuels Processing On the Move

(Image courtesy of BBC news at bbc.co.uk)

The idea of an army of un-manned, robotic harvesters traversing the midwest over and over again to mine for resources from waste-materials in the topsoil might seem like something out of science fiction. However, scientists at Purdue University have discovered a process by which they might be able to process organic waste and other biomass (ranging from wood chips to rice husks) into biofuel using mobile conversion plants. Essentially, the robots would follow a pre-determined route (much like a Roomba) and retrace this path at logical intervals to collect waste material, which they would then convert to fuel via a new process deemed "fast-hydropyrolysis-hydrodeoxygenation". Poweronline.com gave this explanation of the process:

"The new method, called fast-hydropyrolysis-hydrodeoxygenation, works by adding hydrogen into the biomass-processing reactor. The hydrogen for the mobile plants would be derived from natural gas or the biomass itself. However, Agrawal (a distinguished professor of chemical engineering at Purdue) envisions the future use of solar power to produce the hydrogen by splitting water, making the new technology entirely renewable."

For decades, man has tried to figure out ways to create self-sustaining technologies, and processes by which we can reduce or entirely eliminate our waste byproducts through recycling and other means. In agriculture, crop-rotation, mulching and controlled burns have been in use for centuries to allow resources that would otherwise go to waste work for the farmer. In the modern era, it seems like we will be able to let new, more-advanced technologies take care of that for us - and they're even automated! I'm sure if we went back ten years and told someone that there would someday soon be an affordable robot that would vacuum your house for you, they might have thought you were crazy. Today we have the Roomba, and tomorrow we'll have a robot for collecting what would otherwise be wasted from our agricultural endeavors.

For more information on this new process, follow the link:

http://www.poweronline.com/article.mvc/New-Biofuels-Processing-Method-For-Mobile-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO

New Emissions Standards for Mercury Removal

(Mercury cycle inside of a coal plant, image courtesy of Southern Company)

According to a recent article from Power magazine, the EPA is likely going to release a new emissions standard for dealing with the mercury in power plants. This new proposal could come as early as March of next year, which means that many power generation plants will need to make drastic revisions to their machinery which works directly with mercury. Some companies, like Southern Company (The ones responsible for this week's graphic) have already started to develop innovative new technologies to help them lower the amount of mercury released from their plants.

The article from Power magazine has this to say regarding their new technologies:

"Mercury emissions from Southern Company's bituminous coal units have been reduced substantially as a result of co-benefit control. Currently, these AQCSs are designed and operated for removal of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and Sulfur Dioxide (SO2). The result is highly variable mercury emissions from a system not engineered for mercury control. This variability must be accounted for in evaluating co-benefit systems and their potential to comply with limits on mercury and other hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that are expected to be part of the electric generating units' Haps maximum achievable control technology rules."

Pre-eminently developing similar technologies or replicating Southern Company's process might be the best bet for other industrial plants to save themselves money and the headaches that can sometimes can be associated with new emissions regulations. At the Power Generation Blog, we recommend that if your power plant uses coal and vaporizes mercury that you start to look into these new processes now and not wait for next March when the rules will most likely change.

Sizzling Summer Scorches Power Production

(Image courtesy of the World Meteorological Organization)

The United States isn't the only country suffering from the effects of a blistering Summer. It was recently reported that because of a heat wave, China's twenty-four hour electricity consumption rate reached its highest level in all of history, when it hit nearly 13 billion killowatt-hours on Monday, July fifth. The previous world record, from last July, was exceeded by over five percent. The article, from English.news.cn, stated the following information regarding the stress on China's power generation infrastructure:

"The heat wave is affecting at least 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC), which issued an orange-level heat alert on Tuesday, the second highest level. With temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, the electricity load in Beijing, Tianjin, Fujian and north China hit record high on Monday."

In order to avoid power shortages throughout the rest of the Summer, Chinese power officials are working diligently to predict electricity-demand patterns from the sixteen effected areas. Whether or not global warming is real or just a theory is a whole different topic, but those in the industry of power generation would do well to take a cue from the problems China is experiencing. Until new technologies are developed and as long as global temperatures continue to rise, power costs and the demands on the resources of every nation will continue to increase.

For more information on the Chinese heat-wave, in English, click the link:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-07/06/c_13386638.htm

To learn more about the demands of power generation in the United States and Germany, visit the PACT website:

http://www.pactinc.com/

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.

Iowa and Texas Face Off Over Wind Supremecy

There's a little friendly rivalry between Iowa and Texas (and as we know, competition spurs innovation). The Dallas News reports that Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced, "I just want Texas to know that we're coming after you." The governor said this remark at the Windpower 2010 convention in Dallas. Iowa presently generates 3,670 megawatts of wind power whereas Texas generates approximately 10,000 megawatts of wind power. Iowa is the second-largest producer of wind power in America.

It is clear why Iowa wants to move into wind power. Beside the technology offering a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly source of energy, it also offers new avenues for job creation. Texas presently has about 10,000 jobs linked to the wind power industry, and it projects about 41,000 jobs by the end of the decade. The state has plans to spend upwards of $5 billion in order to double its wind power generation infrastructure and offer the energy from as far away as Northwestern Texas down to the metropolitan centers in the east.

Texas is really an exemplary state for wind power growth: Back in 1999, the state only generating about 116 megawatts of wind power. It's thought that Texas' largely deregulated power market has been responsible for its enormous growth. The state has also enjoyed relatively unbroken economic prosperity as the rest of the country has endured more ups and downs. One area in which Texas still suffers is in transmitting its power across state lines. The state does not share much of its power grid with other states. However, it seems that that may just be a function of state's unique personal identity.

European Union Pushes For Smart Grid Funding

Europe is getting hammered pretty hard by the declining global economy. But this hasn't hindered European Union from trying to secure funding for a supergrid. Recently, the EU's Minister for Communication, Energy, and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan reached out to business leaders in Dublin. Ryan had a lot to say to the Business & Leadership Green Economy conference. Ryan exhorted business leaders to reduce carbon emissions and create a "revolution" in the green economy. He noted that there are many viable green energy technologies, including wind energy, but in order for green technology to take off, Europe will need a better energy grid. He said,

"To give us the modern electrical economy we need a modern grid, at home, and to connect north-western Europe.

“European energy ministers are working on this; it’s not pie in the sky. When I go to energy council ministers, we talk about how we could connect Britain to Norway, how we fund these, the timelines.

“We are setting out the plans and we’ll be going to Europe for a review of funding for 2014. The opportunity is to match funding arrangements for future smart grids with climate-change objectives and I think we’ll succeed. Airtricity’s Eddie O’Connor has been talking about this for years, everyone is taking this serious as one of main projects in Europe."

As we've noted before, an efficient energy revolution will fail to take place unless a smart grid gets implemented. It's great to see the European Union look to the long term, past these present economic woes, and at a future composed of smart grid and green energy.

Solar Thermal Is Heating Up in Texas

It looks like Texas is going to get its first solar thermal power generation plant. Austin-based ThermalSoul has plans to construct a facility that can generate up to 10 megawatts of electricity, which can power up to 9,000 homes. Solar technology is a growing energy industry, but ThermalSoul's facility will be slightly different than what most people think of when they think of solar power. Rather than harnessing power directly from the sun using solar panels, the Austin plant will convert solar power to thermal energy, which it can store in thermal liquids. Thermal solar power, therefore, works even when the weather is overcast or raining. Thermal solar power is up to ten times as efficient as direct solar or wind power, as well.

Even though thermal solar power is an emerging industry, it's also a growing one. Some major players are entering the arena, including Duke Energy's spinoff, Solargenix Energy, Pacific Gas and Electric, and Google. For right now, ThermalSoul is leading the charge in Austin. It hopes to generate power for the same cost as coal.

We've been covering hydrogen fuel cell technology a lot, lately. Well, here's another story. A company called eHydrogen Solutions, Inc. has created some exciting-sounding hydrogen fuel cell technology. The company's new H2-Reactor Development Project looks to pull of something fairly audacious: It wants to use only water and reactive metal alloys to produce energy. According to the company,

The reactive metals cause water molecules to release hydrogen and oxygen, which immediately reacts with aluminum to produce aluminum oxide (alumina) which can be recycled back into aluminum. Recycling aluminum from nearly pure alumina is less expensive than mining the aluminum-containing ore bauxite, thereby creating a reusable, sustainable, and zero-emission power source.

This sounds like bare magic. It's actually just a slight refinement of the idea underlying the Bloom Box technology, which also produces nominal waste. The company that eventually dominates the hydrogen fuel cell energy market will be the one that wins the race to the bottom on cost, still. The industrial power generation game is still ruled by cash.

The Unsung Hero of Industrial Power Generation?

We've been getting into the broader aspects of industrial power generation. So it seemed like a good time to get back to some specific basics. Industrial power generation calls for the working in concert of a fairly large amount of parts. In industrial power generators, one of the most important parts is the rotor. A rotor is a solid steel drum formed with axially extending channels that carry electrically-conductive windings. These windings are electrically insulated from the rotor body by slot armor, which is sometimes called slot insulation.

Selecting the right slot armor is one of the most important things an industrial power generation company can do, since slot armor is more or less what prevents an industrial power generator from failing in a very bad way. Most leading slot armor products come in U-shaped, Z-shaped, and L-shaped configurations, and have a Class H temperature rating (meaning they withstand temperatures up to 180°C). Slot armor should also be constructed from materials that have high levels of electrical insulation properties, low coefficients of friction, and a good amount of flexibility to fit into tight spots.

Many leading manufacturers of slot armor generally use their own trademarked engineered laminates. These laminates are made from materials like epoxy glass, aramids, and dielectric films. Because of the amount of electricity and heat present in industrial power generators, the custom composite materials going into your slot armor are going to be extremely important. Make sure you know the exact specifications and operating conditions of your industrial power generators while you're speccing out slot insulation.

On the Bloom Box

By now, you must have heard about the magical-seeming Bloom Box. It's been all over the Internet, and 60 Minutes ran a segment on the idea, last month. On their site, Bloom has a neat flash video that outlines how the Bloom Box words, roughly speaking.

The Bloom Box is a fuel cell, and a fuel cell is basically a little power plant. By combining heat, fuel, and air, it generates electricity, which is then stored in a battery. One thing that separates the Bloom Box from other fuel cells is that some of its parts that would normally be made from toxic materials are actually made from an ink coating. That is, the anode and cathode portions of the Bloom Box are made from a mysterious, proprietary ink material. The electrolyte is made from a ceramic material.

Basically, the Bloom Box generates a massive amount of heat--about 1800ºF--but the amount of heat it generates is nearly the amount of heat it needs to generate power. Its rated efficiency is greater than 50%. To put that in perspective, most solar power is rated at 10% to 15%.

Presently, a 100 kilowatt-hour Bloom Box energy server contains thousands of solid oxide fuel cells. (Incidentally, each of those fuel cells has enough energy to power a light bulb.) They are pretty large units. Each one costs around $800,000. However, eBay has claimed it's saved over $100,000 since adopting Bloom Box technology. They cost about $0.09 per kW hour versus $0.14 for typical power costs in California. Another benefit of the Bloom Box is that it boasts (in Google's case) 98% uptime.

It remains to be seen if the Bloom Box technology is scalable. It may never become applicable for domestic applications. But it is a good first step, and its nice to see such a unique power generation product get mainstream attention.

What Happened to Cap and Trade?

We have been covering cap and trade for a little while. Let's check in and see what's going on with its latest developments. With the so-called cap and trade bill may be dead, as Lindsay Graham has said, but it now looks like the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to save the measure, after being left for dead in the Senate. The EPA's website has a page dedicated to cap and trade:

Cap and trade is an environmental policy tool that delivers results with a mandatory cap on emissions while providing sources flexibility in how they comply. Successful cap and trade programs reward innovation, efficiency, and early action and provide strict environmental accountability without inhibiting economic growth.

Examples of successful cap and trade programs include the nationwide Acid Rain Program and the regional NOx Budget Trading Program in the Northeast. Additionally, EPA issued the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) on March 10, 2005, to build on the success of these programs and achieve significant additional emission reductions.

It is now thought that the EPA will use the existing Clean Air Act, which was set up in the 1990s to combat acid rain, in order to institute a cap and trade regulation. Indeed, the EPA has made a 2011 budget request for a $7.5 million initiative to look into a "market-oriented" greenhouse gas reduction, which sounds a lot like cap and trade. Such a plan on the EPA would be audacious, and surely face many challenges. The US Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest not-for-profit lobbying firm, has already filed a petition asking the EPA to reconsider its course of action.

It remains to be seen how the presence or absence of a cap and trade bill would influence the power generation industry. While it's thought that power generation costs would rise, it also seems likely that the power generation companies will be able to pass onto consumers rising costs of energy production. Whether the country's quality of life, health, and safety would improve is certainly uncertain, but a move to sustainable, clean energy--even at an increased cost upfront--seems to be the only way for America to sustain its still-growing population.

President Obama Pushing Nuclear Power

President Obama has been pushing hard for climate change reform, despite recent political losses for his party, inability to push through healthcare reform, and seeing all his federal nominations blocked. Unfortunately for him, it seems as if his climate change bill is destined for failure.

The President's thinking on the matter is fairly succinct, according to the New York Times.

"There is so much natural gas now that we've moved into the shale plays, the real challenge is, how do you use the available gas to meet near-term energy goals?" Obama said. "It takes the government to get out of the way and do the things it can do."

Besides the cap and trade aspect of Obama's energy reform vision, he is also trying to sell the public on nuclear power. The President has been touring the country trying to drum up support for his plan. He told a crowd in Maryland,

"Nuclear energy remains our largest source of fuel that procures no carbon emissions," he said. "We'll need to increase our supply of nuclear power. It's that simple."

Residents of Maryland hope that the government will open up its purse and subsidize the creation of a nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs, as he already did for a nuclear reactor in Burke, GA. The President awarded a conditional grant of $8.3 billion for Southern Co. to build a nuclear reactor in Burke.

But not everyone is for such a spending plan.. The Gaston Gazette has published an editorial denouncing the Obama plan to build nuclear in Georgia, saying,

Using loan guarantees to "jump-start" the building of more nuclear reactors, however, is a poor way to get the job done. It is argued that private investors have been reluctant to lend money for nuclear projects, in part because regulatory requirements are onerous, and it is true that it takes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission four years to issue a permit for a nuclear plant.

They go on to cite a Cato Institute analyst who claims that nuclear power plants too long to be completed. This line of thinking fails to capture exactly why the administration seems to be pushing nuclear power, though. If cost-effectiveness were the only criterion for what energy solutions were the best to pursue, then so-called green technology would never take off, which doesn't necessarily speak poorly about green-energy. All the money in the world won't be able to purchase a clean planet.

Argentina Expands Its Nuclear Power

The Wall Street Journal just released an article stating that Argentina will complete its third nuclear power plant by the end of 2010. The nation's Planning Minister, Julio De Vido, said that the plant is called Atucha II, and that it will be completed ahead of schedule. It was previously thought to finish construction by the first or second quarter of 2011.

Atucha II, along with the Argentine-Paraguayan Yacreta hydroelectric plant, will add more than 2,000 megawatts of power generation to the country, increasing its capacity by 10%. The plants will go far toward decreasing the blackouts, which have heavily plagued the country for the last three years when natural gas began suffering shortages.

Strangely, Atucha II was originally thought to go live back in 1987, but political and economic forces conspired to sideline the project for more than 20 years. The plant will be built next to Atucha I, which went live in 1974. Argentina's second nuclear plant, Embalse, commenced operations in 1984. All tolled, the three plants will generate more than 1700 megawatts of power. Nuclear power accounts for more than 6% of Argentina's overall power generation.

Composits in Power Generation and Beyond

Composite materials like Kevlar, carbon fiber, resin epoxies, polyesters, and vinyl esters are relied on heavily by the power generation industry. Composites are extremely versatile due to their

• excellent dielectric qualities;
  
• superior mechanical strength with regard to their weight;
  
• low thermal conductivity; and
  
• corrosion resistance.

Some common components made by composites include collector assemblies, slot armor, turn insulation, tape kits, wedges, and thermocouples--just to name a few.

If composites were used to create and shield the massive power generation machines used to power whole cities, then you would think they were pretty robust. But now, NASA has announced that they've found a way to make composite materials even cooler: They've built an all-composite space capsule.

The properties we outlined above--a good strength to weight ratio; high corrosion and heat resistance; low thermal conductivity--all contribute to making composite applications perfect for space. In particular, the ability of composites to be formed in complex shapes while retaining their great strength and structural integrity is very important. Mike Kirsch, the NASA Engineering and Safety Center project manager sounds very optimistic when he says,

"We are very pleased with the entire test series. Throughout testing, there were no anomalies and performance aligned amazingly well with analytical predictions."

It is incredibly humbling and exciting that the frontiers of human knowledge can be expanded using the same kind of high tech materials that allow us to charge our cellphone and brew coffee in the morning.

Power Generation Links

Here are some power generation links for your Friday morning perusal.

• Is Google getting into the power generation business? They're making some decent strides in the alternate energy and smart grid sectors.
• The UK's recent love affair with reducing its carbon emissions has left it vulnerable to natural gas shortages. Luckily, the recession has decreased demand for energy.
• China's overall power generation capacity has risen more than 10% and its green energy capacity has increased, as well. Its supply still fails to meet demand, however.
• General Electric is scaling back its solar power operations; it considers wind power to be a profitable sector.