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CSP plant opens in Arizona
News/Roundup
CSP plant opens in Arizona Tessera Solar and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) have opened the Maricopa Solar concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. It is the first commercial project for SES’ SunCatcher CSP technology, consisting of 60 SunCatcher dishes and an output of 1.5 MW. Bob Lukefahr, Tessera Solar North America CEO, says: “Maricopa Solar represents a genuine breakthrough in solar energy and demonstrates that Dish Stirling solar power is now ready for commercial deployment in the US and around the world. With this milestone now behind us we look forward to breaking ground on our
initial 1500 MW of projects in California and Texas later this year.” The SunCatcher is a 25 kW solar CSP system using a 38 ft, mirrored parabolic dish combined with an automatic tracking system to collect and focus the sun’s energy onto a Stirling engine to convert the solar thermal energy into gridquality electricity. High-volume manufacturing of the SunCatcher will begin this summer, and Tessera Solar is due to break ground on utility-scale CSP projects late this year in California and Texas.
US and European transmission – not getting their wires crossed There are plans in both the USA and Europe to look at transmission grids to accommodate more renewable energy.
■ Are curtailment and re-dispatch practices and protocols transparent and efficient? Do they result in unnecessary costs or rates?
USA
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued an initial list of standards, a preliminary cybersecurity strategy, and other elements of a framework to support transforming the aging electric power system in the US into an interoperable Smart Grid.
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has already sought comments whether rules, regulations, tariffs and industry practices act as barriers to variable and renewable energy. In a Notice of Inquiry on 21 January, 2010, it posed a series of questions about potential barriers to integrating more variable and renewable energy into the transmission system. The questions posed by FERC include: ■ Can enhanced forecasting tools and procedures assist with predicting the output from variable and renewable energy sources with greater accuracy? ■ Would greater forecasting abilities, data sharing and metering tools allow transmission system operators to anticipate ramping events and use reserve services more efficiently in response? ■ Would greater scheduling flexibility help reduce generation imbalances and anticipate variability? ■ Are the day-ahead market structures discriminating against variable and renewable energy providers who often prefer to sell into realtime markets? ■ Would increased coordination between balancing authorities help smaller authority areas to integrate more variable and renewable energy? ■ And should FERC encourage consolidation of balancing authorities? ■ Would a variable and renewable-only virtual balancing authority reduce integration costs?
12
renewable energy focus
The report presents the first release of a Smart Grid interoperability framework, and a roadmap for its further development. It contains: ■ A conceptual reference model to facilitate
■ ■ ■
■
design of an architecture for the Smart Grid overall and for its networked domains. An initial set of 75 standards identified as applicable to the Smart Grid. Priorities for additional standards – revised or new – to resolve important gaps. Action plans under which designated standards-setting organizations will address these priorities. And an initial Smart Grid cybersecurity strategy and associated requirements.
Europe The signing of a political declaration in early December last year will see 9 European countries cooperate on the development of a North Sea supergrid joining up clean energy projects scattered in and around the North Sea. The next step will see Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK, starting to put together firm plans to begin building a high-voltage direct current network, to commence within the next decade. More than 100 GW of offshore wind projects are under development in Europe, around 10% of the
January/February 2010
EU’s electricity demand. This surge in wind power – together with a growing need to use stored-up energy from hydro dams, and allow grids to cope with variable sources of clean energy – means the continent’s grid needs to be adapted. Separate from the declaration, the European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide €300 million for the construction of a 1 GW BritNed Interconnector, a new electricity transmission cable between the UK and the Netherlands. The 260 km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cable will be between the Isle of Grain in Kent (UK), and Maasvlakte near Rotterdam (The Netherlands). The interconnector is already under construction and is expected to be completed by December, 2010. The 1 GW BritNed link will be available for commercial operations in the first quarter of 2011. The BritNed cable is a 50:50 joint venture, between National Grid and TenneT, who operate the grids. EIB will contribute 50% of the overall €600m project cost. In the UK, plans for a line of giant electricity pylons from the Scottish Highlands to central Scotland have been approved by the Scottish government. Ministers say the Beauly-Denny upgrade would unlock Scotland’s renewable energy potential and bring a vital boost to the electricity grid. The 400,000 V overhead electricity transmission line upgrade will replace an existing 132,000 V overhead transmission line between Beauly, near Inverness, and Wharry Burn, near Stirling. Scottish Ministers also announced that they have granted Scottish Power Transmission consent, with associated conditions, to install a 400,000 V overhead line between Wharry Burn and Denny.
CSP plant opens in Arizona Tessera Solar and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) have opened the Maricopa Solar concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. It is the first commercial project for SES’ SunCatcher CSP technology, consisting of 60 SunCatcher dishes and an output of 1.5 MW. Bob Lukefahr, Tessera Solar North America CEO, says: “Maricopa Solar represents a genuine breakthrough in solar energy and demonstrates that Dish Stirling solar power is now ready for commercial deployment in the US and around the world. With this milestone now behind us we look forward to breaking ground on our
initial 1500 MW of projects in California and Texas later this year.” The SunCatcher is a 25 kW solar CSP system using a 38 ft, mirrored parabolic dish combined with an automatic tracking system to collect and focus the sun’s energy onto a Stirling engine to convert the solar thermal energy into gridquality electricity. High-volume manufacturing of the SunCatcher will begin this summer, and Tessera Solar is due to break ground on utility-scale CSP projects late this year in California and Texas.
US and European transmission – not getting their wires crossed There are plans in both the USA and Europe to look at transmission grids to accommodate more renewable energy.
■ Are curtailment and re-dispatch practices and protocols transparent and efficient? Do they result in unnecessary costs or rates?
USA
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued an initial list of standards, a preliminary cybersecurity strategy, and other elements of a framework to support transforming the aging electric power system in the US into an interoperable Smart Grid.
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has already sought comments whether rules, regulations, tariffs and industry practices act as barriers to variable and renewable energy. In a Notice of Inquiry on 21 January, 2010, it posed a series of questions about potential barriers to integrating more variable and renewable energy into the transmission system. The questions posed by FERC include: ■ Can enhanced forecasting tools and procedures assist with predicting the output from variable and renewable energy sources with greater accuracy? ■ Would greater forecasting abilities, data sharing and metering tools allow transmission system operators to anticipate ramping events and use reserve services more efficiently in response? ■ Would greater scheduling flexibility help reduce generation imbalances and anticipate variability? ■ Are the day-ahead market structures discriminating against variable and renewable energy providers who often prefer to sell into realtime markets? ■ Would increased coordination between balancing authorities help smaller authority areas to integrate more variable and renewable energy? ■ And should FERC encourage consolidation of balancing authorities? ■ Would a variable and renewable-only virtual balancing authority reduce integration costs?
12
renewable energy focus
The report presents the first release of a Smart Grid interoperability framework, and a roadmap for its further development. It contains: ■ A conceptual reference model to facilitate
■ ■ ■
■
design of an architecture for the Smart Grid overall and for its networked domains. An initial set of 75 standards identified as applicable to the Smart Grid. Priorities for additional standards – revised or new – to resolve important gaps. Action plans under which designated standards-setting organizations will address these priorities. And an initial Smart Grid cybersecurity strategy and associated requirements.
Europe The signing of a political declaration in early December last year will see 9 European countries cooperate on the development of a North Sea supergrid joining up clean energy projects scattered in and around the North Sea. The next step will see Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the UK, starting to put together firm plans to begin building a high-voltage direct current network, to commence within the next decade. More than 100 GW of offshore wind projects are under development in Europe, around 10% of the
January/February 2010
EU’s electricity demand. This surge in wind power – together with a growing need to use stored-up energy from hydro dams, and allow grids to cope with variable sources of clean energy – means the continent’s grid needs to be adapted. Separate from the declaration, the European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide €300 million for the construction of a 1 GW BritNed Interconnector, a new electricity transmission cable between the UK and the Netherlands. The 260 km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cable will be between the Isle of Grain in Kent (UK), and Maasvlakte near Rotterdam (The Netherlands). The interconnector is already under construction and is expected to be completed by December, 2010. The 1 GW BritNed link will be available for commercial operations in the first quarter of 2011. The BritNed cable is a 50:50 joint venture, between National Grid and TenneT, who operate the grids. EIB will contribute 50% of the overall €600m project cost. In the UK, plans for a line of giant electricity pylons from the Scottish Highlands to central Scotland have been approved by the Scottish government. Ministers say the Beauly-Denny upgrade would unlock Scotland’s renewable energy potential and bring a vital boost to the electricity grid. The 400,000 V overhead electricity transmission line upgrade will replace an existing 132,000 V overhead transmission line between Beauly, near Inverness, and Wharry Burn, near Stirling. Scottish Ministers also announced that they have granted Scottish Power Transmission consent, with associated conditions, to install a 400,000 V overhead line between Wharry Burn and Denny.