The Power Generation Blog: wind power

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Cape Wind Has No Fear In Wind Power Expansion

Green power generation in the New England area is getting a big, green boost. A six state area covered by Cape Wind, a $2.5 billion project to build 130 wind turbines, will see an increase in its green energy very soon.

Recently, National Grid signed a 15 year agreement locking in 50% of Cape Wind’s power at 18.7¢/kWh. Once the Cape Wind project is completed, it is expected to supply about 75% of the energy needs of residents in Cape Code, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Even though the Cape Wind project seems like a great boost to the green power generation industry, it has seen some opposition from local residents and politicians. One prominent group, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, includes John Kerry and Mitt Romney. Despite that, Cape Wind is optimistic. Its CEO, Jim Gordon noted they’d been at it for more than ten years, and they’ve been victorious against opposition groups every time. They have a perfect 15-0 record, and it seems like Cape Wind will be right at the forefront of supplying the US northeast with wind generated power for years to come.

China's Wind Woes

There’s a shocking story by Nasdaq that claims that half of China’s wind power is lost because of their poor power grid. And since China is the world leader in wind power, that amounts to a lot of (wasted) hot air!

In the first half of 2010, China wasted 2.8 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy. The country has in place the capacity to make 41.83 gigawatts. China has put in place an unprecedented amount of wind power generation infrastructure in order to meet a goal of 15% non-fossil fuel power generation by 2020.

However, a large number of its wind power turbines are located in western China, in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions and Gansu province. Much of its power is used 4,000 kilometers away, though. This great distance between the site of power generation and its use accounts for all the lost power.

Another shortcoming of wind power in China and elsewhere is that wind is an inherently unpredictable (and therefore unreliable) source of energy. This has caused the demand for fossil fuel power generation to rise, defeating the purpose of wind power.

China is doing a great amount of work in renewable energy, but it has a long way to go.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

Can Europe Avoid California's Power Problems?

Yesterday, we published a piece on problems the Columbia River Valley is facing, including having too much wind power and too poor a power grid Today, there's a story from Renewable Energy World about Europe facing a similar dilemma--from the opposite end!

In order to meet a carbon reduction goal for 2020, Europe is hoping to make wind power comprise 20% of its total energy output. Therefore, European leaders have realized the need to radically change its power grid.

The European Wind Energy Association is looking to build large offshore wind power stations to start harvesting all the renewable wind energy blustering over the ocean. But in order to make off shore wind power a success, Europeans are working on creating something called the North Sea grid, carrying wind and water power from Norway to the rest of Europe.

Formed in 2009, the North Sea Countries' Offshore Grid Initiative counts Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom among its members. This intra-Europe push toward building a healthy power grid infrastructure will go a long way toward to making renewable energy a reality in Europe.

Europe's power goal for 2020 is just the first step in its ambitious renewable energy plan. By 2050, Europe hopes to have 50% of its electricity generated by renewable energy sources. Its focus on the power grid can hopefully help it obviate some of the challenges California is facing.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

The Columbia Runneth Over

We've recently covered some of the struggles facing industrials wind power generators. Now, the Bonneville Power Administration, the governing body of power generation in the Columbia River Valley, is facing a wind power-related dilemma.

To wit, there's just too much power. As the New York Times puts it,

If the region's grid is carrying high power output from wind generators at a time when the river flow is extremely high, the combination of wind power and hydropower would exceed the demand for electricity, in expected scenarios.

Besides the overabundance of power to worry about, there are also grave environmental concerns at play. If too much water flows over hydro power dams on the Columbia, the spillover will ravage protected salmon and other fish species.

The BPA has proposed offering wind power generators that excess hydropower at no cost in return for them to power down. Area coal generators would also see reduced rates on power. However, such a solution would cost the area tens of millions of dollars, perhaps up to $50 million per year as the problem recurs. Another problem with this proposed solution is that wind power generators receive federal tax credits for generating renewable energy, which they would lose and not be reimbursed for.

The real problem here is that the power grid is insufficient to effectively transmit power from areas such as the Columbia River Valley to other areas that need power. The Columbia River is known to regularly overflow whenever there is above average snowfall, which happens (somewhat paradoxically) frequently. Were the power grid upgraded, such an excess of power would be a great boon rather than a problem.

Finally, another confusion added to the mix is that coal power is being seen as an increasingly appealing option. Since the BPA will offer coal plants a reduced rate, it creates an economic incentive for coal power. No matter that coal power generally results in ecological waste (which is the reason why the abundance of hydro power is a problem in the first place).

This problem in the Columbia River Valley is an odd confluence of counter-intuitive problems, but it highlights the overwhelming need for a better energy grid, something like smart grid technology, implemented throughout California and the US.

To learn more about industrial power generation, check out Power and Composite Technologies: www.pactinc.com

Wind Warriors Fighting Jobs and the Environment In Maine

Grassroots efforts fall all along the political spectrum. Sometimes people protest bilious coal factories. Others protest windmills.

There's a recent story about a group of "wind warriors" in Freeport, Maine who are against the growing wind industry centered in rural Maine. At the Mountaintop Industrial Wind Legislative Summit, 100 "wind warriors" descended to protest the growth of wind power generation.

This quixotic quest is spurred on by a litany of complaints about wind power. There are those who don't want the noise and bother of wind-related construction projects. Others are against the noise generated by wind turbines. And some "wind warriors" don't like the impact wind turbines make on the landscape and property values.

Exactly what the "wind warriors" are protesting, though, is a green energy initiative that has already created more than $1 billion in investment in Maine. More than a third of that has gone directly to workers and local employers.

The aims of the "wind warriors" are narrow, short sighted, and selfish. You could characterize their take on wind power as among the common reactions to any building and development projects: Not In My Backyard. One so-called warrior reacted to these claims by saying, "The mountains of Maine are not in anybody’s backyard. They are, in fact, the character of the state of Maine." But what better character could there be than preserving the environment by ramping up green energy, and creating jobs and income for the local economy?

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.

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.

Power Generation Seeing Frenzied Growth in China

We've written about how alternate energy's growth has been waxing and waning in China. Well, there's a recent story from BusinessWeek about China's economy, which has been growing (perhaps too) quickly, lately. This growth includes gains made in the power generation industry, which has seen its fastest rise in over five years. The only downside to all this growth is the threat of an economic bubble (which can see an ensuing burst), and inflation.

In related news, China's largest wind power producer, China Longyuan Power Group Corp., raised more than $2 billion in its initial public offering, yesterday. Wind power production companies have more than tripled in Hong Kong trading this year, and China expects more than twenty percent of its electrical power to be generated from wind by 2020.

Good News For Nature?

The Energy Information Administration (EIA), the official energy statistic bureau of the United States government, released its latest outlook report recently, and it contains some good news for opponents of fossil fuels.

Carbon dioxide emissions from coal, oil, and natural gas are expected to drop by 5.9% this year due in large part to the economic downturn and a groundswell of support for green energy and renewable energy sources, which has started to reduce fossil fuels consumption. The EIA outlook report says that reduced coal consumption accounts for 63% of the CO2 emissions decrease. A decrease in petroleum consumption and natural gas account for 30% and 7% of the reduction, respectively.

The EIA outlook report also says that there is an expected rise in power generation from hydroelectric dams and wind farms: 5.4% and 19%, respectively. Power generation from nuclear power plants is expected to remain steady, while solar and renewable biomass power are on a decline relative to last year.

Ups and Downs for China's Wind-Power Program

There is some mixed news out of China for renewable energy supporters. Recently, China has expressed its intention to have renewable energy meet 15% of its energy needs by 2020, which would double its 2005 percentage. However, due to its massive size and creaking infrastructure, many environmental benefits may be lost.

Last year, up to 30% of China’s wind-power capacity was unconnected to the energy grid. Additionally, due to wind energy’s natural unreliability, the country is producing more new coal power plants that can meet and uncovered demand left by failure in the energy grid or wind-power generation. Therefore, if the grid is functioning poorly or if there is simply little or no wind-power being generated, then coal power will still fulfill China’s energy needs. Since coal power plants have a length start-up time, it seems inefficient to use them as a backup source of power for wind-power turbines, though.

Another hurdle facing China’s widespread adoption of renewable energy is its seemingly ancient power grid. If it wants to utilize fully renewable energy sources, it will have to reinvent its power grid utilizing smart grid technology (which we’ve gone over here). By having precise power allocation and management, China’s power distributors can manage the existing energy more efficiently thereby reducing the overall cost and strain on the nation’s energy production.

China’s seeming difficulty with implementing renewable energy highlights troubles that other nations are facing with renewable energy. Besides necessitating redundant power production facilities, there is a high cost for constructing the new renewable energy plants. In addition, many people perceive renewable energy projects as costing jobs by closing down existing plants only to replace them with more efficient plants. However, the opposite is the case. Many plans to increase renewable energy production have deadlines well into the future. Within a few years, we will all have a much clearer picture of how the renewable energy movement will play out.

Ontario Making Strides In Green Energy Initiative

Ontario, Canada is gearing up to make a dent in negative climate change in the province by planning the closure of four coal-burning Ontario Power Generation (OPG) power plants. The plan, part of Ontario’s Green Energy Act of 2009, is taking off four years ahead of its 2014 target. These four coal plant closings are the first in a ten-step transition to Ontario’s generating all of its electricity from green energy.

The four plants are located two each in Nanticoke and Lambton. These plants generate about 2,000 megawatts of OPG’s power capacity. These closings and a previous 2005 closing represent a 40% reduction since 2003 of Ontario’s coal power capacity. Since 2003, Ontario has added more than 4,900 megawatts of natural gas and renewable energy power generation plants. Thus far, the province has converted, refurbished, and built new plants to make progress in the effort.

The OPG is assessing its remaining coal power plants to see if they can be feasibly converted to using fuel sources such as biomass. Its Atikokan Generating Station will be the initial focus of its biomass conversion efforts. OPG hopes to have it converted by 2012.

Ontario has touted its efforts, saying that the closure of the coal plants has resulted in a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions equal to the annual emissions of 7 million automobiles. During the first of this year, the province’s coal production dropped more than 51% and its wind generation rose more than 80% compared to the same period in 2008.

How Will H.R.2454 (AKA the American Clean Energy and Security Act) Affect the Power Generation Industry?

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about the American Clean Energy and Security Act. The cornerstone of the bill is its implementation of a so-called “cap and trade” system to limit carbon emissions. Cap and trade calls for limiting environmentally-damaging pollution from factories, refineries, and power plants. The manner in which cap and trade limits such pollution is by imposing a government-mandated limit on heat-trapping pollutants. This limit decreases over time, thereby lowering the overall amount of emissions. Then, the system allows for the sale and trade of permits that allow the creation of such pollutants. Ideally, the cap and trade system would discourage the creation carbon emissions by putting a price on creating them. President Obama has expressed an intention of reducing U.S. emissions by 83% by 2050.

On 26 June 2009, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act thereby setting off a flurry of questions and debate. However, we are interested in the cap and trade system as it relates to the industrial power generation industry, a point of focus that has been unusually underrepresented in the national media. Rather, it seems like cap and trade is going to affect the power generation industry foremost among U.S. industries. While the United States Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers oppose the bill for fairly obvious reasons, its effect on U.S. energy producers is more ambivalent.

Under the wording of the House bill, in order to ease the transition into the cap and trade system, of the total $91.4 billion worth of carbon permits that would be provided by the government, many will be provided as free to regulated industries. This freebie period is expected to last until the end of the transition period, which is expected to occur between 2025 and 2030. The manner in which these allowances will be distributed is interesting. Whereas oil producers will receive 2.25% of their necessary permits in the form of allowances, the power generation industry is slated to receive approximately 85% of its permits as allowances. Ostensibly, this manner of distribution is to meant to avoid steep rate increases for power consumers. However, some power generation organizations feel that this amount is still not enough. It is clear, however, that this provision in the cap and trade system will save power companies from absolute ruin; they will have to make radical adjustments, though.

It is expected by many that the cap and trade system will force the energy industry to become more efficient. Whereas the expected cost increase for electricity is expected to be about 7% nationally, those who receive electricity from coal-dependent states can expect substantially greater increases. Against this notion, proponents of the cap and trade system say that the plan will return much of the money spent on permits to consumers in the form of lower taxes.

There are recent stories that suggest the impending cap and trade system is exercising its effect in another way on the power generation industry. On 29 July 2009, New Jersey regulators approved more than $515 million to spend on doubling the state’s solar power-generated energy. Included in the plan is for Petra Solar, Inc. to produce more than 200,000 smart solar systems for installation across the state, which is expected to create more than 100 green jobs. The federal government recently awarded Portland General Electric $3 million to augment the power generation capabilities of its Bigelow Canyon Wind Farm, which has been overtaxed during the summer months. The American Wind Energy Association recently released a market report citing Texas as the new leading wind power-generating state with a total of 8,000 megawatts capacity. It added 454 megawatts of that power during the second quarter of 2009. What these and other, similar stories seem to indicate is that power generation companies are looking to be proactive in the face of a cap and trade system. Rather than lobbying against change, they are rushing to meet it head-on with new alternate energy projects, many of which create new green jobs that can help combat the 9.5% unemployment rate that besieges our country. The power generating industry can look at this uncertain period in its history as a clarifying moment, an grand opportunity to update and rebuild a decaying, inefficient power grid to usher the country into the 21st century.

The Power Generation Blog

Cape Wind Has No Fear In Wind Power Expansion

China's Wind Woes

Can Europe Avoid California's Power Problems?

The Columbia Runneth Over

Wind Warriors Fighting Jobs and the Environment In Maine

Iowa and Texas Face Off Over Wind Supremecy

Power Generation Links

Power Generation Seeing Frenzied Growth in China

Good News For Nature?

Ups and Downs for China's Wind-Power Program

Ontario Making Strides In Green Energy Initiative

How Will H.R.2454 (AKA the American Clean Energy and Security Act) Affect the Power Generation Industry?

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