National Energy News
DOE Announces Nearly $1.4 billion in Conditional Loan Guarantees for Construction of Solar Power Plants
Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently announced conditional commitments for more than $1.37 billion in loan guarantees under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to BrightSource Energy, Inc. to support the construction and start-up of three utility-scale concentrated solar power plants. The new plants will generate approximately 400 megawatts (MW) of electricity using the company’s innovative, proprietary technology. This would nearly double the existing generation capacity of this type of renewable energy in the U.S.
The 3-plant Ivanpah Solar Complex will be located on federally-owned land in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, near the Nevada border, and will be the world’s largest operational concentrated solar power complex. Once operational, the project will supply clean electric power to approximately 140,000 California homes.
Click here to read the full release from the Department of Energy.
EPA and DOE Join States to Speed Energy Efficiency Progress in the United States
As part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to increasing energy efficiency and reducing costs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the creation of the State Energy Efficiency (SEE) Action Network. This network is meant to help states achieve maximum cost effective energy efficiency improvements in homes, offices, buildings and industry by 2020. Strengthening energy efficiency initiatives across the country helps to save money and protect the environment at the same time.
This is the first time that the Department of Energy will provide grants to local communities for energy assurance planning. Today’s Recovery Act awards will benefit almost 15 million citizens in 25 states by focusing on improved emergency planning for the entire energy supply system, including the electricity grid, refining, storage, and distribution of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. Plans will include how to ease the impacts of short-term energy disruptions along with strategies to deal with sustained energy outages.
Click here to read the full release from the Department of Energy.
President Obama Announces Loan Guarantees to Construct New Nuclear Power Reactors in Georgia
Underscoring his Administration’s commitment to jumpstarting the nation’s nuclear power industry, President Obama recently announced that the Department of Energy has offered conditional commitments for a total of $8.33 billion in loan guarantees for the construction and operation of two new nuclear reactors at a plant in Burke, Georgia. The project is scheduled to be the first U.S. nuclear power plant to break ground in nearly three decades.
The two new 1,100-megawatt Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant will supplement the two existing reactor units at the facility. Once the nuclear reactors become operational, the project will create 800 permanent jobs.
Click here to read the full release from the Department of Energy.
Secretary Chu Announces Over $8 Million to Support Local Energy Assurance Planning Initiatives
Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently that the Department of Energy is making selection of awards for more than $8 million to 43 cities and towns across the country to develop or expand local energy assurance plans that will improve electricity reliability and energy security in these communities. These emergency preparedness plans, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will help ensure local governments can recover and restore power quickly following any energy supply disruptions.
This is the first time that the Department of Energy will provide grants to local communities for energy assurance planning. Today’s Recovery Act awards will benefit almost 15 million citizens in 25 states by focusing on improved emergency planning for the entire energy supply system, including the electricity grid, refining, storage, and distribution of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. Plans will include how to ease the impacts of short-term energy disruptions along with strategies to deal with sustained energy outages.
Click here for the DOE press release.
NERC’s Winter Electric Reliability Outlook Generally Good
The outlook for electric reliability in North America this winter appears good, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) in its 2009/2010 Winter Reliability Assessment. Reserve margins, including supply and demand-side resources, are expected to exceed NERC’s reference planning levels in all regions.
Demand for electricity and stress on the transmission system generally declines in North America during the winter months, primarily due to reduced air conditioning use. Much of Canada, however, experiences peak demand for electricity during the winter months due to electric heating. The resource outlook in Canada remains positive, with resource margins expected to improve slightly from 16 percent last winter to 17 percent this winter.
Click here to read the full press release from NERC.
Click here to view the full report.
DOE Secretary Chu Announces $620 Million for Smart Grid Demonstration and Energy Storage Projects
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems that will help build a smarter, more efficient and more resilient electrical grid.
These 32 demonstration projects, which include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, and a range of other smart technologies, will act as models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally.
These efforts will provide invaluable data on the benefits and cost-effectiveness of the Smart Grid, including energy and cost savings. An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that implementing Smart Grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4 percent by 2030. The demonstration projects receiving the funding will also help verify the technological and business viability of new smart technologies and show how fully integrated Smart Grid systems can be readily adapted and copied around the country.
The funding awards are divided into two topic areas. In the first group, 16 awards totaling $435 million will support fully integrated, regional Smart Grid demonstrations in 21 states, representing over 50 utilities and electricity organizations with a combined customer base of almost 100 million consumers. The projects include streamlined communication technologies that will allow different parts of the grid to “talk” to each other in real time; sensing and control devices that help grid operators monitor and control the flow of electricity to avoid disruptions and outages; smart meters and in-home systems that empower consumers to reduce their energy use and save money; energy storage options; and on-site and renewable energy sources that can be integrated into the electrical grid.
In the second group, an additional 16 awards for a total of $185 million will help fund utility-scale energy storage projects that will enhance the reliability and efficiency of the grid, while reducing the need for new electricity plants. Improved energy storage technologies will allow for expanded integration of renewable energy resources like wind and photovoltaic systems and will improve frequency regulation and peak energy management. The selected projects include advanced battery systems (including flow batteries), flywheels, and compressed air energy systems.
Click here to read the full press release from the U.S. Department of Energy.
New Senate Bill Promotes Development of Low-Cost Nuclear Reactors
Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mark Udall (D-CO) recently introduced legislation to direct the Department of Energy to develop innovative, low-cost nuclear reactors. The Nuclear Power 2021 Act (S.2812) proposes a program to design and certify small modular reactors (<300 megawatts) which can be built and operated in combination with similar reactors at a single site, according to a press release from the United State Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources.
The National Academy of Sciences and numerous other study groups have identified nuclear energy as a promising and essential technical option for meeting our future electricity needs while lowering our overall emission of greenhouse gases.
Sen. Bingaman: “The climate change problem we face today is too large to exclude any one technology that can produce energy without emitting carbon dioxide. The National Academy’s report acknowledges the important role that nuclear energy must play in a carbon-constrained energy world; this bill is another step to address some of the recommendations of this report.”
Sen. Murkowski: “Small reactors could broaden the application of nuclear energy while also serving as a reliable low-carbon power source for remote and off-grid energy needs such as those in Alaska. In addition, as we look for a global solution to climate change small nuclear reactors could benefit those countries who are interested in nuclear power, but whose electricity grid does not have the capacity to integrate the amount of power a larger reactor would provide. Our bill will provide the impetus to make the development, licensing and deployment of small reactors a priority.”
Sen. Udall: “We need an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy to address our energy challenges. Nuclear plants hold enormous potential because they are among the few low-carbon, large-scale sources of baseload.”
President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion Investment to Spur Transition to Smart Energy Grid
In late October, President Barack Obama announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, funding a broad range of technologies that will spur the nation’s transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system. The end result will promote energy-saving choices for consumers, increase efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
The $3.4 billion in grants are part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (aka the “Stimulus”), and will be matched by industry funding for a total public-private investment worth over $8 billion. The grants were awarded with the intent of creating tens of thousands of jobs, and investing in a stronger, more reliable electric grid. Click here for the full listing of the grant awards by state.
An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that the implementation of Smart Grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4 percent by 2030. That would mean a savings of $20.4 billion for businesses and consumers around the country.
One-hundred private companies, utilities, manufacturers, cities and other partners received the Smart Grid Investment Grant awards. The investments were targeted at four specific areas of energy grid modernization:
Empowering Consumers to Save Energy and Cut Utility Bills ($1 billion)
These investments will create the infrastructure and expand access to smart meters and customer systems so that consumers will be able to access dynamic pricing information and have the ability to save money by programming smart appliances and equipment to run when rates are lowest. This will help reduce energy bills for everyone by helping to drive down “peak demand” and limiting the need for “stand-by” power plants, which are the most expensive type of power generation.
Making Electricity Distribution and Transmission More Efficient ($400 million)
The funding of several grid modernization projects across the country will significantly reduce the amount of power that is wasted from the time it is produced at a power plant to the time it gets to its point of use (i.e. a consumer’s home or business). By deploying digital monitoring devices and increasing grid automation, these awards will increase the efficiency, reliability and security of the system, and will help link up renewable energy resources with the electric grid. This will make it easier for a wind farm in Montana to instantaneously pick up the slack when the wind stops blowing in Missouri or a cloud rolls over a solar array in Arizona.
Integrating and Crosscutting Across Different Components of a Smart Grid ($2 billion)
Much like electronic banking, the Smart Grid is not the sum total of its components but rather how well those components work together. The Administration is funding a range of projects that will incorporate these various components into one system or will cut across various project areas, including smart meters, smart thermostats and appliances, automated substations, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, renewable energy sources, etc.
Building a Smart Grid Manufacturing Industry ($25 million)
These investments will help expand the base of manufacturing companies that can produce the smart meters, smart appliances, smart transformers, and other components for Smart Grid systems in the United States and around the world. This represents a significant and growing export opportunity for our country and new jobs for American workers.
Click here to read the full press release from the U.S. Department of Energy.
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