Maryland and New Jersey officials, worried about the high cost of electricity and predictions of limited supplies, are giving up on the established system and seeking to construct their own powerplants. The Maryland Public Service Commission on Dec. 29 issued a draft request for proposals for up to 1,800 MW of new generation in or around Maryland. The final RFP is expected in March. A week earlier New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Lee Solomon said the board had started seeking new base-load generation in that state. The New Jersey Legislature was poised to pass a bill that would
A Dept. of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report released in December shows that, after remaining virtually unchanged from 2008 to 2009, the price of installed solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the U.S. declined sharply in 2010. Photo Courtesy U.S. DOE Government subsidies spur market growth and demand in the U.S., as in Spain and Germany. “PV has priced itself into the market and is now competitive with other renewables,” says Art Larson, a spokesman for San Diego Gas and Electric. The utility signed its first three PV projects in 2010. A total of 305 MW of PV will
Texas is poised for an unprecedented boom in the construction of high-voltage transmission lines. Photo: Courtesy of U.S. DOE The Lone Star State is reviewing $9 billion worth of transmission-line projects. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is reviewing some $9 billion in transmission projects that would add 7,866 miles of new lines in west Texas, the Texas panhandle and other parts of the state over the next five years, ERCOT says in planning reports filed on Dec. 30 at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). The planned projects include more than 2,000 miles of new 345-kV transmission lines
American Electric Power is considering whether to proceed with a commercial-scale carbon-capture project at its 1,300-MW Mountaineer plant in New Haven, W.Va., because of unclear federal guidance, a company spokeswoman said on Dec. 27. She said Charles Patton, president and CEO of AEP utility Appalachian Power, told West Virginia regulators earlier this month that it is re-evaluating the estimated $660-million project in light of no federal legislation regulating carbon-dioxide emissions. AEP, which has been operating a pilot 30-MW carbon-capture project at the Mountaineer plant since 2009, had planned to build a 235-MW facility that would begin operations in 2015. The
In the middle of a cornfield in only one afternoon, Clay Warren’s company can install streetlights that are independent of any electrical grid, leaving behind nothing but tire tracks bathed in the glow of light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. Photo Courtesy Of Interactive Energies Lighting fixtures can be installed quickly with a minimal footprint. Photo Courtesy Of Interactive Energies Without sun or wind power, each unit’s battery can hold a five-day charge. Interactive Energies is doing just that at the southwest entrance of the Castleton Square mall in Indianapolis, according to IE co-founder Warren. The Simon Property Group hired the firm,
In an effort to get a jump on pending environmental rules, Colorado regulators in late December approved plans to retire six coal-fired units at two utilities, switch two units from coal to natural gas and build two natural gas-fired powerplants. Photo: Xcel Energy Three units at Xcel Energy's coal-fired Cherokee power plant in Denver Driven by a state law, Minneapolis, Minn.-based Xcel Energy plans to spend about $1 billion by 2017 retiring 591 megawatts, switching 700 MW from coal to natural gas and building a 570-MW gas-fired plant. The utility will also add pollution control equipment at two powerplants. Xcel
The Dept. of Energy on Dec. 21 announced a $1.45-billion loan guarantee for Abengoa Solar Inc.’s Solana project, the world’s largest parabolic trough concentrating solar plant. The 250-MW project near Gila Bend, Ariz., is the first U.S. large-scale solar plant capable of storing energy it generates. Solana would avoid the emissions of 475,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year compared to a natural-gas-burning plant. DOE has guaranteed or conditionally committed to support 16 clean-energy projects totaling nearly $16.5 billion. Together, they will produce over 37 million megawatt-hours. DOE is also supporting the world’s largest wind farm and a 2,200-MW nuclear
After completing a $6.2-million front-end engineering and design study, Bismarck, N.D.-based Basin Electric Power Cooperative has decided against moving forward with a carbon dioxide capture and sequestration project at its Antelope Valley Station in Beulah, N.D. Basin said the project, which was designed to capture CO2 from a 120-MW lignite unit, is not currently economically viable. The study indicated that the demonstration project could cost as much as $500 million.
The fast-growing power needs of emerging economies, the “nuclear renaissance,” and the push for more renewables are creating a booming worldwide market for new power generation facilities. Most opportunities, however, are outside the U.S., which is still suffering from a tepid economy and regulatory uncertainty. Photo: Courtesy of Black & Veatch The expansion of Indonesia’s Tanjung Jati B coal station reflects the continuing growth of coal projects in developing countries. Related Links: Overview: Finding Work in Tough Times View Complete Global Sourcebook with Rankings General Building: Firms Say World Market Is Thawing, Albeit Slowly Transportation: Asia Bright Light in Otherwise
The group headed by the National Transportation Safety Board investigating the Sept. 9 natural gas pipeline rupture and explosion that killed eight people in San Bruno, Calif., released an interim report that ruled out outside corrosion and damage caused by a third party as the cause for the blast, but found that part of the pipe near the rupture was constructed with seam-welded pipe, which owner Pacific Gas & Electric reported as seamless. Photo: NTSB NTSB investigator examines welds on a pipeline section recovered from the San Bruno explosion. Related Links: NTSB Preliminary Report 9/29/2010 State Inspector Warned PG& E