Also Noted: Developments at DukeNet and much more... Forward-thinking utilities embracing renewables
The concept of distributed generation (DG) has existed for decades, but only in the past few years have utilities in the United States actively begun to diversify their energy portfolio with local renewables. Feature
UC San Diego earns $7M in utility energy-efficiency incentives
San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) energy-efficiency projects have paid off for University of California - San Diego, who received a $7.2 million check from the utility. Article
NRECA launches second project to power Haiti
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) International has signed a $1.8 million contract with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to form the Haiti Rural Electric Cooperative (HREC). Article
News From Across the Energy Industry:
1. Customers can own solar via Seattle Aquarium
2. FLP says natural gas most cost effective energy option
3. Consumers Energy launches "crown jewel" of natural gas
Today's Top News 1. Energy-efficiency standards an "economic powerhouse"
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been overestimating the impact energy-efficiency standards for appliances and other products have on prices, according to research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). "Based on market data, the prices of many appliances have gone down even as new efficiency standards have taken effect," said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. "Even when prices have gone up some, the increase is far lower than DOE estimated." When appliance standards are developed, DOE estimates net savings for consumers by taking into account utility bill savings and cost impacts -- primarily price increases to make appliances more efficient-- and only sets standards it finds are cost-effective for consumers. DOE underestimated consumer savings in nine appliance standards that took effect from 1998-2010 -- and by a large margin, according to ACEEE. Across the nine rulemakings, DOE estimated an average increase in manufacturer's selling price of $148; on average, the actual change in price was a decrease in manufacturer's selling price of $12. "Energy-efficiency standards are proving to be an economic powerhouse, driving even more consumer savings than we realized," said ASAP Executive Director Andrew deLaski. For more:
- download the report Read more about: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
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2. Xcel wind could save customers $800M
Xcel Energy is proposing to significantly expand its wind power production to reduce customer costs, protect against rising and volatile fuel prices, and benefit the environment – as well as maintain its status as the nation's top wind energy provider.  | | Xcel Energy Wind Growth. Credit: PRNewsFoto/Xcel Energy | The company has submitted to state regulators throughout its service area proposals to purchase at least 1,500 MW of wind resources -- a 30 percent increase in overall wind capacity. If the projects are approved, the company expects that more than 20 percent of its total energy mix will be supplied by wind. "Wind energy is a valuable, low-cost substitute for natural gas and other fuels right now," said Ben Fowke, chairman, president and CEO. "These projects will lower customer costs by at least $800 million over their lives and will provide a valuable hedge to rising and volatile fuel prices for well into the future." Three 200 MW projects in Minnesota and North Dakota would increase the states' total to 2,400 MW and save Upper Midwest customers more than $180 million in fuel costs over 20 years. Three projects totaling almost 700 MW located in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas will increase the total to more than 2,200 MW, saving Texas-New Mexico customers up to $590 million in fuel costs over 20 years. In Colorado, one project totaling approximately 200 MW will increase the state's total wind capacity to nearly 2,400 MW and save customers more than $142 million in fuel costs over 20 years. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will decide this fall on whether to approve another 350 MW of wind power. If approved, construction will begin immediately in order to qualify for federal renewable energy tax credits. All projects are expected to be in service by the beginning of 2016. For more:
- see this article Related Article:
Timing is everything for Xcel wind plays Read more about: wind energy
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3. Fewer government funds could benefit distributed generation
Driven by feed-in tariffs (FIT) and the commoditization of photovoltaic (PV) modules along with innovative leasing programs for residential solar installations, distributed solar PV systems are expected to see double and, in some countries, triple-digit growth over the next five years, according to Navigant Research. Distributed solar power systems offer a number of advantages over large, centralized solar arrays, including reducing the need for new transmission capacity and reducing efficiency losses from transmission. "It is a great time for consumers and end users to purchase or lease distributed solar PV systems, as prices continue to fall in the midst of fierce competition and continued consolidation," said Dexter Gauntlett, research analyst with Navigant Research. "Paradoxically, the impending slowdown in government-funded initiatives will actually benefit the market, as governments retool their FITs to place greater emphasis on onsite generation, opening the door to new business models and creating opportunities for the entire distributed solar value chain." At the same time, solar PV trade disputes are expanding around the world at different points in the value chain, creating uncertainty for many companies, particularly in the United States and Europe. China, already the leader in manufacturing, is anticipated to install more solar PV systems domestically in 2013 than any other country, according to the report. Ultimately, solar PV price reductions are expected to continue, albeit at a more gradual rate compared to the past 3 years. For more:
- see this report Related Article:
Forward-thinking utilities embrace renewables Read more about: distributed generation
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4. SMUD testing national big-rig plug-in program
Trucks in the United States consume more than two billion gallons of fuel annually while idling, resulting in wasted energy and emissions of air pollutants that can be harmful to the environment and public health. To provide a clean-air alternative to truck idling, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has installed more than 30 electrical "shore power" hookups at a truck stop on Interstate 80. SMUD has partnered with federal and state agencies to promote this new national effort to accommodate truckers with auxiliary power.  | | By providing utility power where big rig drivers spend their rest period, truckers can plug in to electrical outlets and avoid idling their engines. Credit: SMUD | Truckers, who are required by law to have rest 10 hours for each 12 hours of road time, typically leave the engine running while they sleep to power heating, air conditioning or a TV. By providing utility power at rest stops, truckers can plug in their rigs to electrical outlets and avoid idling their engines. About 10 years ago, SMUD began a pilot program to introduce truckers to plugging in their vehicles by installing sixteen electrical "shore power" hookups at the truck stop on Interstate 80. At that time, getting truckers to plug in instead of idling was difficult, but much has changed, with considerably more truckers turning to outlets vs. idling. The current 18-month demonstration project is intended to gather technical data and determine feasibility. Depending on the results, the project could go commercial at the end of the demonstration period. The benefits to truckers who plug in are attractive. They save money using the new technology and, considering the price of diesel fuel -- now at more than $4 per gallon in California -- staying cool and running appliances for 10 hours costs more than $40 compared to about $1 in electricity costs. Idling the truck engine consumes about a gallon of fuel per hour.The benefits to the environment are just as attractive. For every truck that eliminates idling, 580 pounds of NOx per year are saved based on an 8-hour per day reduction in run time. For more:
- see this video Read more about: SMUD
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5. FITs a disincentive to selling power back to grid
The market for residential photovoltaic (PV) energy storage systems is expected to boom in the coming years, with cumulative installations totaling 2.5 GW by 2017, according to IHS. Germany will lead the growth, which will be driven by the changing nature of feed-in tariffs.  | | Credit: IHS | Traditionally, financial incentives and subsidies, such as feed-in tariffs (FIT), have made it financially attractive for end users to send their excess electricity to the grid. However, this is now rapidly changing in many countries where incentives are subject to regular reductions following higher-than-anticipated growth in installations, and recent reductions in PV system prices. These reductions, coupled with continually increasing retail electricity prices, mean that self-consumption of energy on-site is a more desirable option for home owners. "Residential PV customers are striving to maximize their own consumption of the energy they are generating," said Abigail Ward, PV analyst at IHS. "This is because rising electricity prices and decreasing feed-in-tariffs are serving as a disincentive for consumers to export their power to the electricity grid. Such developments, combined with the introduction of the German Energy Storage Subsidy, are forecast to accelerate the overall growth of the residential solar storage market." In Germany and the United Kingdom, FITs are declining at a steady rate. For these countries, the current FIT rate paid for electricity exported to the electricity grid has already fallen below average retail electricity rates. As a result, PV system owners pay a greater amount for electricity imported from the grid than they receive for the energy they sell. Rather than export the energy generated in order to receive the FIT, it is now financially attractive to consume the energy generated by the system on-site. "An energy storage solution enables a PV system owner to shift energy from when it is generated to a later time for consumption," Ward said. "As a result, demand for residential energy storage products will continue to accelerate as PV energy reaches grid-parity in a number of countries." Nonetheless, at today's prices, the financial gains to be obtained by growing self-consumption do not yet offset the increase in upfront costs associated with the addition of an energy storage solution in a residential PV system over the expected 20-year lifetime of the installation. The introduction of the German Energy Storage Subsidy, however, will help. Not only will the incentive reduce the upfront cost of residential storage solutions deployed in Germany by up to 30 percent, it will also generate volume and price reductions achieved by mass production. IHS predicts an average cost reduction of around 45 percent during the next five years, largely due to decreases in battery prices. For more:
- see this article Related Article:
German customers benefit from solar storage Read more about: energy storage
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Also Noted > New Judges Added! Fierce Innovation Awards 2013: Energy Edition - Deadline: August 23 Have your product reviewed by executives from San Diego Gas & Electric, National Grid, Midwest Energy Cooperative, and more. This awards program recognizes the innovative companies and products defining the future of the energy & smart grid industries. Applications due 8/23. Apply Today! > AESP ONLINE CONFERENCE - CSI Online: Codes, Standards and Improvements - August 20, 12- 4pm ET Join us online this August 20, 12- 4pm ET, for a series of 4 presentations focused on current issues and emerging trends in building and appliance codes and standards. Attend from anywhere you have internet! Eight speakers share their expert insights. Find out more at AESP.ORG. Register at https://m360.aesp.org/event.aspx?eventID=83194 > 2013 Smart Grid Hiring Trends Study Zpryme Smart Grid Insights and Smart Grid Careers would like to invite hiring managers or employees who play an active role in hiring, recruiting and/or retaining employees for Smart Grid roles in the U.S. to participate in the 2013 Smart Grid Hiring Trends Study. Participants receive a FREE Executive Summary and a discount on the report. Get started here.
| > Whitepaper: (Frost & Sullivan) Enterprise Content Management Energy Industry: Increase Safety And Reliability, Decrease Costs And Damages The energy sector has seen spectacular failures in recent years, in terms of human life, the environment, and costs to the companies and communities as they rely on paper-based information and processes. This Frost & Sullivan paper looks at the need for enterprise content management to increase safety and reliability, and reduce costs and damages. > Whitepaper: IDC: Nuclear Power Generation at the Crossroads This IDC Energy Insights white paper, sponsored by EMC, examines the future of nuclear power across the globe; analyzes the role of IT in the design, permitting, construction, operation, and decommissioning of nuclear power plants; and provides recommendations to plant owners on ensuring a secure and robust IT infrastructure. > Whitepaper: IDC: Using Information Intelligence to Improve Projects in the Energy Sector In this IDC Energy Insights white paper, sponsored by EMC, the author provides an overview and recommendations about the management of the asset life cycle, from planning all the way through to decommissioning. Systems and tools that support a project framework that can leverage information from a multitude of sources to drive decision making are also discussed. > Whitepaper: IDC: Reducing Risk in Oil and Gas Operations This IDC Energy Insights white paper, sponsored by EMC, explores the operational risks faced by oil and gas companies in today's business and regulatory environment, and how the right information technology can help mitigate those risks. This paper mainly focuses on risk experienced by everyday well, pipeline, and plant operations. | |
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