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Solar industry fights utility's big solar project - 1 views

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    When Southern California Edison unveiled plans to install 250 megawatts' worth of solar panels on warehouse roofs back in March, it was hailed as a ground-breaking move. In one fell swoop, the giant utility would cut the cost of photovoltaic power, expand the solar market and kick-start efforts to transform untold acres of sun-baked commercial roof space into mini-power plants. There's just one problem: the solar industry is fighting the billion-dollar plan. In briefs filed with the California Public Utilities Commission, solar companies, industry trade groups and consumer advocates argue that allowing a utility to own and operate such massive green megawattage will crowd out competitors who can't hope to compete with a project financed by Edison's ratepayers. (In California, shareholders of investor-owned utilities are guaranteed a rate of return for approved projects, while utility customers bear a portion of the costs in the form of higher rates.) The five-year plan "would establish SCE as the monopoly developer of commercial-scale distributed solar in its service territory," wrote Arno Harris, CEO of Recurrent Energy, a San Francisco company that sells solar electricity to commercial customers. "This would irreparably impair the development of a competitive solar industry."
Colin Bennett

Wired vs. wireless for utility networks? - 0 views

  • An illuminating technology analysis from Ashish Sharma at Cablinginstall.com's sister site Utility Products investigates the pros and cons of wired vs. wireless technologies for communications networks in utility markets.
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    "An illuminating technology analysis from Ashish Sharma at Cablinginstall.com's sister site Utility Products investigates the pros and cons of wired vs. wireless technologies for communications networks in utility markets."
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Superconductor cables giving LIPA energy efficiency - 0 views

  • It looks ordinary, like a razor-thin metal ribbon. But the high-temperature superconductor power transmission cable the Long Island Power Authority recently installed in Ronkonkoma revolutionizes how electricity is delivered, utility and federal officials said.
  • The cable -- which is a fraction of the size of a traditional copper wire but can carry three times the power -- made its ceremonial debut yesterday with officials from LIPA, the U.S. Department of Energy and officials from the company that makes the cable. It went online April 22, the world's first use of the new technology in a commercial power grid. Utilities around the world are looking at superconductivity to improve efficiency of their grids and make them less vulnerable to blackouts. LIPA has buried three 2,000-foot wires in its right-of-way, and it will be installing a second generation of the wire in the same area as a test.
  • The wire, manufactured by American Superconductor Corp., conducts 150 times the electricity of the same sized copper wires, strand-for-strand. This means transmission cables can be far smaller and still conduct as much as three to five times more power in a smaller right-of-way. When operated at full capacity, the 138-kilovolt cable LIPA uses is capable of transmitting up to 574 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 300,000 homes. The Department of Energy has funded $27.5 million of the $58.5 million cost of the project as part of its effort to spur creation of a modern electricity superhighway free of bottlenecks and that transmits power to customers from remote generation sites such as wind farms.
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  • Superconducting technology relies on a phenomenon first identified in 1911. When chilled sufficiently by a recirculating coolant -- liquid nitrogen in LIPA's case -- superconducting material loses virtually all resistance to the flow of the alternating current used in a commercial power grid.
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    It looks ordinary, like a razor-thin metal ribbon. But the high-temperature superconductor power transmission cable the Long Island Power Authority recently installed in Ronkonkoma revolutionizes how electricity is delivered, utility and federal officials said. The cable -- which is a fraction of the size of a traditional copper wire but can carry three times the power -- made its ceremonial debut yesterday with officials from LIPA, the U.S. Department of Energy and officials from the company that makes the cable. It went online April 22, the world's first use of the new technology in a commercial power grid. Utilities around the world are looking at superconductivity to improve efficiency of their grids and make them less vulnerable to blackouts. LIPA has buried three 2,000-foot wires in its right-of-way, and it will be installing a second generation of the wire in the same area as a test. "We view superconductor power cables as an important option that will help us further enhance the reliability of our grid as we meet our customers' increasing demands for electric power," LIPA chief executive Kevin Law said. He said the new cable allows the utility to increase capacity where its system has bottlenecks while increasing reliability and longevity and lowering costs. The wire, manufactured by American Superconductor Corp., conducts 150 times the electricity of the same sized copper wires, strand-for-strand. This means transmission cables can be far smaller and still conduct as much as three to five times more power in a smaller right-of-way.
Colin Bennett

Smart Grid: PHEV adoption and grid impact: a cost-efficient solution to accommodate inc... - 0 views

  • Superconductor cables, only recently available for utility applications, uniquely solve these issues. A single distribution voltage superconductor cable can carry amounts of power normally associated with transmission voltage levels, therefore eliminating the need for multiple cables and greatly simplifying placement issues.  Superconductor cables also have a unique dual-personality; under normal conditions they conduct power very efficiently, but during faults they actually limit the amount of current that can flow through them. This eliminates the risk of substation equipment damage from excessively high fault currents when paralleling substations. The installation of superconductor cable-powered bus ties between distribution substations serve as an efficient means to utilize more effectively and fully the existing power delivery infrastructure while simultaneously increasing reliability.
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    Superconductor cables, only recently available for utility applications, uniquely solve these issues. A single distribution voltage superconductor cable can carry amounts of power normally associated with transmission voltage levels, therefore eliminating the need for multiple cables and greatly simplifying placement issues. Superconductor cables also have a unique dual-personality; under normal conditions they conduct power very efficiently, but during faults they actually limit the amount of current that can flow through them. This eliminates the risk of substation equipment damage from excessively high fault currents when paralleling substations. The installation of superconductor cable-powered bus ties between distribution substations serve as an efficient means to utilize more effectively and fully the existing power delivery infrastructure while simultaneously increasing reliability.
Colin Bennett

European power utilities: under pressure? - 0 views

  • In a recent report, we have sought to provide answers to two questions: firstly, what are the sources of distress amongst power utilities in the Northwest EU market? Secondly, how are the major EU power utilities responding?
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General Motors, Utilities to Cooperate on Electricity Grid Research for Cars : Climate ... - 0 views

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    General Motors Corp., along with a consortium of more than 30 utilities and a non-profit electric industry research group, has struck a deal to forestall potential problems when the company introduces its new electric vehicle to the nation's showrooms. An EPRI official also emphasized the grid aspects of the collaboration. Said Arshad Mansoor, the organization's vice president of power delivery: "Seemless integration of [plug-in hybrid electric vehicles] into the electric grid will require close collaboration between the automobile and electric sectors." The statements from EPRI and the car company also address safe and convenient vehicle charging, public education and other public policies, including codes and standards. Among the utility participants in the collaboration are Consolidated Edison of New York, Duke Energy, First Energy Corp., Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison Co. Others are listed as part of the EPRI statement. The research organization last year released a report along with the Natural Resources Defense Council that concluded plug-in hybrids had the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions. GM, meanwhile, emphasized the cost benefit of the new vehicles, saying consumers could find that the per-mile expense of an electric vehicle would be about one-fifth that of a gas-powered car.
Glycon Garcia

Utility Business Model Report Released by SEPA - 0 views

  • The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) presents its latest industry research reports, Utility Solar Business Models: Emerging Utility Strategies & Innovation. As solar electricity moves into boardrooms and executive meetings across the United States, leading utilities begin to make concrete decisions for major solar deployment. This report provides a compendium of emerging utility innovations that will provide valuable information both across utility departments and into upper management. A copy of the full report can be downloaded from the SEPA website at www.solarelectricpower.org.
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Trilliant takes $40M in one of the biggest smart grid investments to date - 0 views

shared by xxx xxx on 20 Aug 08 - Cached
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    Part of the growing trend for nearly every electronic device to be able to communicate with others, smart grid and advanced metering startup Trilliant has taken $40 million in its first official venture funding.\n\nTrilliant, like competitors Ambient, Silver Spring Networks, SmartSynch and others, makes wireless communication devices for utility meters. When enough are present in an area, they can form a mesh network capable of communicating moment-to-moment use information back to utilities, and to the homes and businesses they're installed within. (Some can also communicate via hardwired connections.)\n\nThe company is one of the oldest to try to tackle the problem. I covered it in more depth in June. The problem with looking at the field is that, at first glance, all the contenders seem to be pretty much identical; broadly speaking, each is approaching the same problem, that of trying to get more information about usage to consumers and utilities, in more or less the same way.
Colin Bennett

Switchgear Market Worth $136.71 Billion by 2019 - Largest markets Asia Pacific and util... - 0 views

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    "Asia Pacific: The Largest Market for Switchgear The Asia-Pacific region holds the largest market for switchgear, driven largely by the number of transmission and distribution line up gradations and developments in the South East Asia. These developments are due to its growing energy needs is the major growth engine for this market. Utilities: Biggest Market by Application Switchgear is mostly used in Transmission & Distribution by power utility companies. They are used for switching the equipment or the circuit during the event of fault. With the growing transmission and distribution network across globe, the number of substations will keep on increasing. This increasing number of substations is expected to increase the use and demand for switchgears. Maximum T&D expansion projects are ongoing in Asia-Pacific and the market is expected to be the biggest and the fastest growing market for switchgear. The Switchgear industry is fragmented and offers several opportunities for consolidation and growth in efficiency through an increase in economies of scale. The industry has low entry and exit barriers. This is a major driver of the Switchgear Market. Top players of the PR market are ABB (Switzerland), Eaton Corporation (Ireland), GE (U.S.), and Siemens AG (Germany)."
Colin Bennett

EY Utilities Unbundled - 0 views

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    "Electric utilities are looking for the sort of stable, long-term signals that capacity markets will provide, to enable the necessary existing plants to stay online, develop demand response and support their investment decisions."
Colin Bennett

Energy, utilities & mining - US power utilities - 0 views

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    Unable to retrench like their unregulated counterparts, utilities are investing more than they were just a few years ago while paying record spreads over risk-free rates for financing. At the same time, revenues are under pressure due to softening power prices and an economically driven drop in demand. The past three months have seen a 1.8 per cent drop in US power usage versus the same period a year ago, according to the Edison Electric Institute. Adding insult to injury, Macquarie Research reckons regulators might become less generous when setting rates since compressed Treasury note yields may be used to justify a lower regulated return on equity.
Colin Bennett

Carbon Rules Are Several Years Away, but Utilities Need to Start Planning Now - 1 views

  • Utilizing low- or zero-carbon generation, such as renewables and nuclear, for power generation;  Utilizing energy efficiency and  demand side management at the end-user level. 
Colin Bennett

5 Copper Theft Videos for Utilities - 0 views

  • Utilities must deal with all kinds of attacks: cyber attacks, bomb threats and a more common scenario: copper theft. But it is a war that can be won, and several utilities have taken steps to prevent copper theft and to bring thieves to justice.
Colin Bennett

Electrical Design Project of a Three Bed Room House (Part 1) - 0 views

  • Table 1 – NHBC recommendations for a house.13 A socket-outlets (twin socket count as two outlets)RoomOutletsNotesKitchen/Utility 6Where homes have separate areas, the kitchen should have a minimum of four outlets and the utility room two.Utility 3Where appliances are provided, at least three outlets should be for general use.Dining room 3Living room 4At one double outlet family room should be near the TV aerial outletBedroom 3 (2)Three for main bedroom. Two for other bedroomsLanding 1Hall 1Combined rooms should have sockets equal to the sum of the number for individual rooms, with a minimum of seven in the case of kitchen / utility and another room.Lighting Every room should have at least one lighting point. Two-way switching should be provided to staircases.Smoke detectors For this two-story house, two mains operated, interconnected alarms are required.
Colin Bennett

Global Utility-scale Grid-connected Battery Energy Storage Systems Market - 1 views

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    "The battery energy storage system (BESS) market is poised to enter a period of dynamic growth on a global level. In the markets for utility-scale grid-connected solutions, commercialisation will begin to accelerate after 2017 with the subsequent years bringing huge opportunities for companies that have the technological capabilities to compete. Rapid growth in variable renewable energy generation and new regulatory policies governing performance criteria for their interconnection with the grid are driving the demand for grid-modernisation, with BESS being a key enabler of growth due to its flexibility and versatility. The period of study is 2014 to 2024."
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Eskom likely to release new connections policy next week - 0 views

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    Industrial, mining and property investors were still in a state of confusion over power utility Eskom's approach to new electricity connections, but the corporation promised on Tuesday that the issue would be clarified with the imminent release of a comprehensive policy, possibly by as early as next week. CEO Jacob Maroga - currently in Europe on a road show to expose potential investors to its R150-billion capital-raising plan - said last week that the utility had not yet determined just how much power could be allocated to new projects. However, he indicated that a needs analysis was under way in a bid to align its stretched supply profile to the new demand. Maroga also stressed that supply security could be markedly improved and space created for new connections if greater savings were achieved. In fact, he displayed a graph showing that Eskom's reserve margin, which was currently running at a paltry 6%, could rise to well above 10% by 2009 should its savings targets be met. "If we follow the 10% savings path, there will be space for new connections. But we need information from potential customers, which will tell us what is, in fact, possible," he said.
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U.S. factory output up 0.4% in July, best gain in 10 months - 0 views

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    Led by an increase in motor vehicles, the output of U.S. factories rose 0.4% in July, the best gain in 10 months, the Federal Reserve reported Friday. Overall, industrial production at the nation's factories, mines and utilities increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2%, as expected, despite a 1.9% drop in output of utilities. See Economic Forecast. Output of mines increased 0.9% in July. June's industrial production was revised lower to a 0.4% increase. Industrial production has now risen two months in a row, after having fallen the previous four months.
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DOE to Invest in Grid Integration Systems for Solar Energy - 0 views

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    DOE announced on August 12 that it plans to invest up to $24 million over a number of years to develop products that connect solar power systems with the electrical grid in an interactive way. DOE has selected 12 industry teams that will receive $2.9 million in current fiscal year funding to develop conceptual designs and market analyses for such Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) projects. The projects will focus on solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and will involve such efforts as developing systems that can communicate with an interactive utility grid and advanced power meters to respond to power price changes over the course of a day, systems that can work with energy storage devices and "smart" appliances to respond to utility price signals, and systems that can interact with building energy management systems.
Colin Bennett

Utility to distribute EV cars in Latin America | Green News | Eco News - 0 views

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    Endesa, a Spanish-based (Italian-owned) utility company will be soon distributing to its customers in Santiago Chile an EV car.
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Nanosolar outshines the competition with a $300M financing - 0 views

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    Thin-film solar company Nanosolar has been sitting on a big secret for much of this year, it turns out: The company took a $300 million financing this March, and has remained mum ever since, only detailing it on the company's blog this morning after VentureWire reported the funding. While Nanosolar hasn't been entirely secretive about its technology, with chief executive Martin Rosencheisen showing off a rapid manufacturing technique early in summer, but apparently it didn't want details leaking on this giant-sized investment until necessary. Word slipped out in April about $50 million of the total, but at the time, Nanosolar didn't want to talk - and it's now clear why. The race for funds, and ever-larger production targets, is definitely on for thin film. Secretive thin-film silicon company Optisolar has raised over $200 million this year, and Nanosolar's thin-film CIGS competitor Miasole is trying to close on a similar amount. And while dozens of other startups are also on the hunt, large companies like Oerlikon Solar and Applied Materials are pouring money into ventures of their own. In many ways, it looks like an overheated sector. But on the other hand, Optisolar's recent deal with PG&E to provide 550 megawatts of electricity suggests that the potential for thin film panels is larger than previously expected, even when considering one analyst firm's prediction earlier this year that the sector will grow at 45 percent annually. That figure could now be much higher, especially for a few big winners - of which Nanosolar will likely be one. The company will be doing some utility-scale projects of its own, Rosencheisen tells us, with experienced partners. It also has a panel built specifically for use by utilities. And one of the backers of this funding, AES Corp., is also one of the world's biggest power companies. At the moment, Nanosolar is still working toward a gigawatt of annual manufacturing capacity, but it will grow be
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