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       #Post#: 1668--------------------------------------------------
       US installs 835MW in 1H 2014
       By: AGelbert Date: August 6, 2014, 6:46 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       US installs 835MW in 1H 2014
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183515.bmp
       5 August 2014 by David Weston , Be the first to comment
       UNITED STATES: Figures from the AWEA reveal the US installed a
       capacity of 835MW in the first half of 2014, compared to just
       1.6MW in the same period of 2013.
       Last year's low figure was as a result of uncertainty in the
       sector due to the delayed extension of the production tax credit
       (PTC).
       Texas saw the greatest increase in capacity, with 400MW
       installed followed by Nebraska (201MW) and Michigan (136MW).
       The southern US state was helped by the 218.3MW Panhandle 1
       project being commissioned in the second quarter.
       According to AWEA, the US now has an installed capacity of
       61.9GW from 46,300 turbines.
       Texas is set to continue leading the way with capacity, as over
       8GW in projects are currently under construction in the state.
       In total, the US has 14.6GW of wind under construction across
       106 projects in 21 states.   [img width=60
       height=60]
  HTML http://www.smile-day.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Smiley-Thumbs-Up2.jpg[/img]<br
       />
  HTML http://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1306687/us-installs-835mw-1h-2014
       #Post#: 1714--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: August 19, 2014, 9:18 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Wind Energy Innovation: Vortex Generators
       Jesse Broehl
       July 24, 2014
  HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2014/07/wind-energy-innovation-vortex-generators?cmpid=WindNL-Thursday-August7-2014
       #Post#: 1721--------------------------------------------------
       New Cable Technology Can Carry Twice as Much Power from Offshore
        Wind Farms 
       By: AGelbert Date: August 21, 2014, 12:42 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       New Cable Technology Can Carry Twice as Much Power from Offshore
       Wind Farms   ;D
       Patrick Winters, Bloomberg
       August 21, 2014
       SNIPPET:
       ABB Ltd. said a power-cable technology that allows offshore wind
       farms to transmit more than twice the energy of current set-ups
       will boost orders at the company’s power systems division in
       coming years.
       “It’s on the list of ABB’s most important breakthroughs in the
       last five years,” Chief Technology Officer Claes Rytoft said in
       an interview, adding that rival technologies are at least some
       years behind. “We know about projects that have not moved
       forward because they are missing this.”
       The technology will spur the construction of even bigger
       offshore wind farms by doubling the power capacity of cable
       connections to about 2,600 megawatts from 1,000 megawatts today,
       making it the most powerful subsea connection system in the
       world, Rytoft said. It includes high-voltage power cables,
       joints and terminations.
  HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/08/new-cable-technology-can-carry-twice-as-much-power-from-offshore-wind-farms#comment-134547
       My Comment:
       
       A. G. Gelbert
       August 21, 2014
       Excellent! Ocean currents are THE greatest source of untapped
       24/7 base load quality Renewable Energy there is. AND those
       currents (that will never stop as long as the earth continues to
       rotate) are close to over 90% of the major concentrations of
       human population known as COASTAL CITIES.
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-191213230928.jpeg
       Within a 130 km of every major coastal city in the world is
       enough undersea current to power them many times over, at base
       load quality 24/7, immune to ocean surface storms, and with very
       low transmission losses due to the short distance from the
       harvesting point to the user.
       [quote author=AGelbert link=topic=100.msg587#msg587
       date=1387515789]
       Masdar Engage Contest Entry Submitted December 20, 2013
       Water, Energy and Waste Sustainable Development in Large Cities
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://public.wsu.edu/~mreed/380American%20Consumption_files/image002.jpg[/img]
       There is no doubt that humans in general, and those concentrated
       in cities in particular, are responsible for much of the massive
       demand for potable of water and energy. There is also agreement
       that this demand is, at present not healthy for the biosphere in
       general and humans in particular. There is too much waste,
       inefficient energy use, lack of renewable energy infrastructure,
       pollution from fossil fuels and inefficient water use as well.
       In summary, there is a consensus among knowledgeable and
       observant people in the reality based community that our present
       trajectory in the above issues is unsustainable.
       The solution requires the phasing out of all fossil fuels and
       nuclear fission power plants and replace them with Renewable
       energy. This energy needs to be harvested within 100 miles or
       less from the highest energy users on the planet, the large
       cities, in order to have lower transmission and infrastructure
       costs.
       The energy must be baseload quality 24 hours a day with wind and
       solar to supplement demand spikes along with pumped water
       storage energy, fuel cell or battery storage technologies.
       The renewable energy source that is best suited on a global
       scale because it is constant, powerful and close to the major
       cities is the energy from ocean currents.
       Observe the two maps below.
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H6e11TQ_hvE/UO5qL-oVmSI/AAAAAAABN90/ag5rEdPU6p8/s1600/youtube_logo.gif[/img]
       World population concentration
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://www.miamisci.org/ecolinks/img/maphydrospheremed.jpg[/img]
       Hydrosphere
       Now look at the one below where I merged the two.
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-191213230928.jpeg[/img]
       The energy is renewable, does not disturb the biosphere or
       hydrosphere and can completely replace the polluting energy we
       now suffer from. The densely populated areas have this powerful
       source nearby.
       Ocean currents have far more energy potential than ocean tides.
       The tides alone are estimated to have a potential tidal stream
       energy capacity of over 120GW globally. Using both plus wind and
       PV would make a 100% Renewable Energy transition to the 18TW the
       planet required feasible with technology we now have.
       Just in the UK alone, the marine power resource is estimated to
       be more than 10GW, representing about 50% of Europe’s tidal
       energy capacity.
       In the USA a project is now in the works to provide wind turbine
       power to the East Coast for up to 1.9 million households. When
       built out, the Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) backbone will
       stretch 350 miles off the coast from New Jersey to Virginia and
       will be able to connect 6,000MW of offshore wind turbines.
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_7ZYqYi4xigk/TLPB6bft9VI/AAAAAAAAG5o/lnS4tAR8QT0/s1600/transmission.png[/img]
       Now look at where those wind turbines will be and realize that
       undersea turbines can be placed close by and save on cabling the
       energy to the shore. Much more energy can be harvested 24 hours
       a day from the ocean current. Sharing energy transmission cables
       from wind and ocean current turbines will save millions of
       dollars and hasten the transition to 100% clean energy.
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://marinebio.org/i/currents/Ocean_currents_1943.jpg[/img]
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/storymaker-five-ocean-power-plants-1112010-515x388.jpg[/img]
       As the new, clean energy replaces dirty energy, full
       electrification of the economies to eliminate the internal
       combustion engine for power plants, vehicles and factories will
       clean the air in large cities.
       With plenty of renewable energy to electrify the planet and
       eliminate the internal combustion engine pollution, the
       worldwide potable water problem can be solved anywhere on the
       planet that the relative humidity is above 23% (any place it is
       not a desert climate) by extracting water from the ambient air.
       The waste water can, given all the ocean current energy, be
       processed for agricultural fertilizer (eliminating petrochemical
       fertilizers).
       In this way, we will imitate the biosphere in turning our waste
       into a nutrient that benefits all life on earth, not just
       humans.
       
  HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEe1bVjORN4&feature=player_embedded<br
       />
       A. G. Gelbert
       [/quote]
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/renewables/masdar-engage-contest-entry-by-a-g-gelbert/
       #Post#: 1734--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: August 23, 2014, 2:55 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Wind Technologies Market Report
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://csmres.co.uk/cs.public.upd/article-images/Wind_turbine_smiley_shutterstock_28691215.gif[/img]
       After modest growth in 2013, total installed wind power capacity
       in the United States now stands at 61 gigawatts (GW), which
       meets nearly 4.5 percent of electricity demand in an average
       year, according to the 2013 Wind Technologies Market Report,
       released today by the Energy Department and its Lawrence
       Berkeley National Laboratory.  The report also found that wind
       energy prices – particularly in the Interior region of the
       United States–are at an all-time low, with utilities selecting
       wind as a cost-saving option.
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-200714183515.bmp
       With utility-scale turbines installed in more than 39 states and
       territories, the success of the U.S. wind industry has had a
       ripple effect on the American economy, spurring more than $500
       million in exports and supporting jobs related to development,
       siting, manufacturing, transportation and other industries.
  HTML http://energy.gov/articles/energy-department-reports-highlight-strength-us-wind-energy-industry
       #Post#: 1907--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: September 21, 2014, 7:27 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F2psC9Ipc4&feature=player_embedded
       How to Build a Wind Turbine From Scratch   ;D
       Thanks to filmmaker Jake Beed and the Action4Climate video
       competition, you can have a first-hand look at what it’s like to
       build a wind turbine from scratch. In If You Build It, watch a
       group of young Canadians strive for a more sustainable way of
       life by figuring out how to generate their own power via a
       homemade wind turbine.
       With little to no prior knowledge or experience, the group finds
       help in the surrounding community’s skill sets that all come
       together to create a moment that will last for as long as the
       wind blows. This film is inspiring. It shows how you can build a
       community by building a wind turbine and that passion is the key
       ingredient to getting things done.
       Renewable energy deployment is key to solving global energy
       issues. Especially in energy poor countries, it’s vital that
       communities embrace clean energy and work on strategies to keep
       the power generation locally owned.
       One great example is in the Dharnai village in Bihar, one of
       India’s poorest states. The community is now lit-up by a
       community-owned solar-powered micro-grid. Dharnai is the first
       village in India where all aspects of life are powered by solar.
       The 100 kilowatt (kW) system powers the 450 homes of the 2,400
       residents, 50 commercial operations, two schools, a training
       center and a health care facility. A battery backup ensures
       power around the clock.
       “If we are to end extreme poverty, we must tackle energy
       poverty,” said World Bank Senior Director for Energy &
       Extractives Anita Marangoly George. “With 1.2 billion people
       still living without electricity across Sub-Saharan Africa and
       South Asia, it’s clear where our work will be focused for the
       foreseeable future. Our priority is to find the cleanest energy
       solutions to meet local needs in the smartest ways possible.”
       The Action4Climate video competition received more than 230
       entries from 70 countries from students inspired to share their
       climate change stories. To watch other Action4Climate videos,
       click here.
  HTML http://ecowatch.com/2014/09/20/build-wind-turbine-scratch/
       #Post#: 2060--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: October 20, 2014, 6:23 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       New Software Modeling Tool a Boon for Wind Industry    [img
       width=60
       height=50]
  HTML http://us.cdn2.123rf.com/168nwm/lenm/lenm1201/lenm120100200/12107060-illustration-of-a-smiley-giving-a-thumbs-up.jpg[/img]<br
       />
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://www.hpcwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/lillgrund_down_row_3.png[/img]
       SNIPPET:
       Wind energy is blowing away skeptics — it's so close to
       achieving cost parity with fossil fuels that just a little extra
       efficiency is all that is likely needed to push it into the
       mainstream and past the Energy Department's goal of 20 percent
       wind energy by 2030.
       Wind energy is blowing away skeptics — it's so close to
       achieving cost parity with fossil fuels that just a little extra
       efficiency is all that is likely needed to push it into the
       mainstream and past the Energy Department's goal of 20 percent
       wind energy by 2030.
       That extra efficiency may be realized with the help of a
       software tool built by the Energy Department's National
       Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). It's called Simulator for
       Wind Farm Applications (SOWFA), and it can calculate how
       undulating ground, whipping blades, surface temperatures, and
       other variables alter the air flow and energy production at wind
       farms.
       Full article at link:
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/reading.gif
  HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/10/new-software-modeling-tool-a-boon-for-wind-industry#comment-136180
       #Post#: 2132--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: October 31, 2014, 2:54 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       This Wind Turbine Is Bringing Clean Energy to New Heights
       [img width=640
       height=440]
  HTML http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/causes/3120/3119120.large.jpg[/img]
       by NationSwell
       October 29, 2014
       Written by Lorraine Chow
       Wind turbines are found on land and sea, but now there’s a new
       type on the horizon that can tap energy thousands of feet in the
       air.
       As the video below explains, the helium-filled Buoyant Airborne
       Turbine (BAT) is capable of producing twice the amount of energy
       of an ordinary turbine because it feeds off the stronger, faster
       and more consistent winds of higher altitudes. Cables tethered
       to the machine then send the generated wind energy back to a
       base station.
       Created by MIT startup Altaeros Energies, the tube-shaped BAT
       can be inflated, set up within a day and transported anywhere by
       a truck, which significantly reduces the installation costs of a
       typical tower-mounted wind turbines. This is in sharp contrast
       to other land-based turbines, which require giant support
       platforms and lots of material, and offshore ones that need a
       platform strong enough to withstand punishing ocean waves, which
       is tremendously expensive to anchor to the seafloor.
       Another potential of the BAT is that it can cheaply and
       efficiently power remote and off-grid communities (as well as
       areas struck by disaster). As Popular Science reports, one such
       off-grid locale has already been piqued by this new technology.
       Thanks to a $740,000 grant from the Alaska Energy Authority,
       Altaeros will be testing out the first commercial BAT near the
       city of Fairbanks starting next year. The 30-kilowatt system is
       poised to provide power and even WiFi to a dozen families living
       off the power grid. If the 18-month trial is a success, it could
       reduce the area’s diesel consumption by 11,000 gallons annually.
       It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a wind turbine!
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-081.gif
  HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kldA4nWANA8&feature=player_embedded
  HTML http://www.care2.com/causes/this-wind-turbine-is-bringing-clean-energy-to-new-heights.html#ixzz3HkjZlaus
       Agelbert NOTE: This technology is aerostat technology. The
       technology of mounting heavy machinery on them is is over 30
       years old. It has been used for at least that long to mount
       radar to catch drug smugglers and other unauthorized flights. It
       is robust. The savings on siting and mast infrastructure is
       HUGE.
       During storm conditions they can be brought near the ground
       where they will be more safely tethered while still getting
       plenty of wind power during the storm. This is another giant
       nail in fossil fuel and nuclear power DIRTY energy's coffin!
       GOOD!  ;D
       Renewable Energy =
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301014181553.gif<br
       />                 [img width=150
       height=140]
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/acigar.gif[/img]
       =
       Fossil Fuelers
       [center][img width=100
       height=100]
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-forum/popcorn.gif[/img][/center]
       #Post#: 2133--------------------------------------------------
       Making the Blade Photoessay: How and Where Wind Turbines Get The
       ir Swoosh 
       By: AGelbert Date: October 31, 2014, 6:48 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301014182234.gif[/img]
       Making the Blade Photoessay: How and Where Wind Turbines Get
       Their Swoosh
       Joan Sullivan, Contributor
       October 28, 2014
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-291014195537.png[/img]
       An industrial wind turbine is a complex machine made up of
       hundreds of moving parts, but it takes just three of them to
       make the magic possible: the blades.
       Wind turbine blades harvest energy from currents of air, but
       they don’t come off an assembly line like widgets. Indeed, it’s
       difficult to appreciate just how much effort and care goes into
       crafting them until you see the process up close.
       That’s why I was recently honoured to be the first professional
       photographer to lens the shop floor at PowerBlades Industries in
       Welland, Ontario. The company is a Canadian subsidiary of German
       wind turbine manufacturer Senvion.
       PowerBlades opened last year to support the growth in renewable
       energy in Ontario spurred in turn by the province’s Green Energy
       Act. As of this week, the company will have fabricated 78
       fiberglass blades, each 45 meters long and up to three meters
       wide, for dozens of 2.05-MW Senvion turbines.
       Birth of a Blade
       Inside PowerBlades, overhead cranes move girders and blades from
       one part of the building to the next. Here, 136 production
       workers, machine operators, and office staff work on various
       stages of blade production, including lay-up, lamination,
       curing, sanding, painting, inspection, repair, finishing,
       loading, and transport.
       Blades begin their lives in the plant’s Main Shell Area, where
       workers lay sheets of fiberglass mat and resin into a pair of
       side-by-side proprietary molds each about 50 meters long and
       four meters wide. Each blade is built up in two halves, split
       down the long axis like a pea pod.
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-291014195715.png[/img]
       Full size pictures at link to 25 page photo essay
       Once the resin cures, workers carefully glue the two halves
       together. Eight to 10 workers then physically climb into the
       blade to scrape out excess glue from the inside. They then apply
       heat to finish the curing and gluing process.
       Going Over the Wall
       Crane operators then gingerly lift the blade to the first of
       several finishing stations in a delicate process known as “going
       over the wall.” Over the course of several weeks, operators will
       lift and shift each blade to a variety of finishing stations for
       trimming, laminations, adding minor hardware (such as receptors
       and the pointed tip), sanding, painting, and “root end close
       out,” which involves installing a plywood attachment that seals
       off the base of the blade.
       Like sculptors, workers swarm over every inch of the blade with
       palm sanders, painstakingly and meticulously smoothing out bumps
       and imperfections, before the cranes again hoist the blades to
       the painting section.
       Buckets and Rollers
       The final phase of finishing is refreshingly low-tech — four
       painters, two on each side, attack each blade with rollers. Each
       takes two coats of paint, about 15-20 gallons in total. On
       average, it takes a couple of days for the team to finish its
       work.
       Gantry operators then lift the finished blades one final time
       into shipping crates and convey them out of the building into
       the storage yard. From there, Senvion’s clients truck them to
       installation sites.
       The crew at PowerBlades take great pride in their work, knowing
       that they are not only making a good living, but also
       slowly-but-surely reducing their province’s dependence on
       natural gas and nuclear energy.
       “We’re so proud to be working here,” explained Adam Chevalier, a
       28-year-old production worker. “To have a job, first. And then
       to have a job that is doing something good for the environment,
       renewable energy, it’s great!”
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
       
       Click  HERE
  HTML http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2014/10/making-the-blade-how-and-where-wind-turbines-get-their-swoosh?page=2<br
       />to see the step-by-step process.
       #Post#: 2166--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: November 5, 2014, 5:22 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-280914173454.gif[/img]
       Scotland Produced Enough Wind Energy To Power Every Home In
       October   ;D
       According to new numbers published by WWF Scotland this week,
       wind turbines generated enough electricity in October to power
       3,045,000 homes in the U.K.   :o   [img width=60
       height=50]
  HTML http://us.cdn2.123rf.com/168nwm/lenm/lenm1201/lenm120100200/12107060-illustration-of-a-smiley-giving-a-thumbs-up.jpg[/img]<br
       /> — more than enough for all the homes in Scotland.
       Referring to it as a “bumper month” for renewable energy, WWF
       Scotland’s director Lang Banks said in a statement that “while
       nuclear power plants were being forced to shut because of
       cracks, Scotland’s wind and sunshine were quietly and cleanly
       helping to keep the lights on in homes across the country.”
       
       Based on figures provided by WeatherEnergy, part of the European
       EnergizAIR project, the data also showed that for those homes
       fitted with solar panels, there was enough sunshine to meet
       around 40 percent of the electricity needs of an average home.
       [img width=80
       height=70]
  HTML http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/yayayoy/yayayoy1106/yayayoy110600019/9735563-smiling-sun-showing-thumb-up.jpg[/img]<br
       />
  HTML http://www.4smileys.com/smileys/seasons-smileys/storm.gif
       ;D
       Wind energy has been thriving in the U.K. in recent months. In
       August the U.K set a new record for wind power generation, with
       wind accounting for seventeen percent of national demand. This
       came around the time that EDF Energy announced it was
       temporarily shutting down four of its U.K. reactors, or around a
       quarter of its total nuclear generating capacity, due to
       longevity issues. The four EDF reactors under investigation were
       commissioned in 1983 and are officially scheduled to be taken
       out of service in 2019.
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/47b20s0.gif
       Even for the U.K., Scotland is a green energy leader. As of
       September, the country got 29.8 percent of its electricity from
       renewables, 34.4 percent from nuclear, and only 34.4 percent
       from fossil fuels. Scotland hopes to generate the equivalent of
       100 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020 and to
       export non-renewable production
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-070.gif<br
       />[b]from conventional power plants to countries like England.
       [/b]
       In the first quarter of this year, Scotland generated a record
       6,678 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity, according to
       government figures, an increase of 55.9 percent from a year
       before. Wind generation in the first quarter of 2014 was also at
       a record high level of 4,214 GWh, up 4 percent year over year.
       According to the government, as of March of this year Scotland
       had 6.8 gigawatts of installed renewable electricity generation
       capacity, with an additional 6.5 gigawatts of capacity either
       under construction or consented, the majority of which is
       expected to come from onshore wind generation. Including
       projects in the planning stages, this figure totals 20.5
       gigawatts.
       Scotland’s largest wind farm is also the U.K.’s largest.
       Whitelee Windfarm near Glasgow has a 539 megawatt capacity, and
       generates enough electricity to power just under 300,000 homes.
  HTML http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/05/3589525/bumper-month-for-wind-in-scotland/
       #Post#: 2167--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Wind Power
       By: AGelbert Date: November 5, 2014, 6:06 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML https://www.ecn.nl/fileadmin/ecn/corp/Nieuwsbrief_NL/2006/Illustraties/Siemens_03.jpg[/img]
       [move][font=courier]Fossil Fueler STRANDED ASSET!
       ;D[/font][/move]
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://www.zeroco2.no/capture/sources-of-co2/combined-cycle-power-plant/gasskraftverk.jpg[/img]
       Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plants ARE GOING BYE BYE!
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-070.gif
       Energy Storage Will Soon Replace Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine
       Peaker Plants   8)
       Chet Lyons, Principal, Energy Strategies Group
       November 05, 2014
       Power grids need extra generating capacity to work properly. For
       example, about 20 percent of New York State’s generation fleet
       runs less than 250 hours a year.  :o Because they don’t run
       much, “peaker plants” are by design the cheapest and least
       efficient fossil generators. When they do run they cost a lot to
       operate and produce more air pollution than other types of
       fossil generation. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a
       cost-effective and environmentally sustainable substitute for
       dirty fossil-based peakers?
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/128fs318181.gif
       [img width=40
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
       />
       As has happened with solar PV, the costs for multi-hour energy
       storage are about to undergo a steep decline over the next 2 to
       3 years. This cost trend will disrupt the economic rationale for
       gas-fired simple cycle combustion turbines (CTs) in favor of
       flexible zero emissions energy storage. This will be especially
       true for storage assets owned and operated by vertical utilities
       and distributed near utility substations.
       Simple cycle gas-fired CTs have been a workhorse utility asset
       for adding new peaker capacity for decades. But times and
       technologies change, and the power grid’s long love affair with
       gas-fired CTs is about to be challenged by multi-hour energy
       storage. Flow batteries that utilize a liquid electrolyte are
       especially cost-effective because the energy they store can be
       easily and inexpensively increased just by adding more
       electrolyte.
       CTs cost from $670 per installed kilowatt to more than twice
       that much for CT’s located in urban areas. But the economics of
       peaking capacity must also reflect the benefits side of the
       cost/benefit equation. Distributed storage assets can deliver
       both regional (transmission) and local (distribution) level
       energy balancing services using the same storage asset. This
       means the locational value and capacity use factor for
       distributed storage can be significantly higher compared to CTs
       operated on a central station basis.
       These points are discussed in Energy Strategies Group’s white
       paper, “Guide to Procurement of Flexible Peaking Capacity:
       Energy Storage of Combustion Turbines.” As noted in the paper,
       Capex for a 4-hour storage peaker is projected to be $1,390 by
       2017, or $348 per (installed) kilowatt-hour of capacity.
       Factoring in the added value of locating storage on the
       distribution grid and ownership and operation by a vertical
       utility, 4-hour energy storage will win over CTs at the high end
       of the CT cost range by 2017.   [img width=70
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       By 2018 the cost of ViZn Energy’s 4-hour storage solution, which
       was selected by Energy Strategies Group as a proxy for the
       lowest cost multi-hour storage solutions currently being
       commercialized, is projected to be $974 per kW, nearly identical
       to that of a conventional simple cycle peaker. For a 4-hour
       storage resource – that translates to $244 per (installed)
       kilowatt-hour of capacity. Given the added benefits of
       installing storage in the distribution network, by 2018 storage
       will be a winner against the mid-range cost for a simple cycle
       CT and clearly disruptive compared to higher cost simple cycle
       CTs.
       The disruptive potential of energy storage as a substitute for
       simple cycle CTs has been recognized. For example, Arizona
       Public Service (APS) and the Residential Utility Consumer Office
       (RUCO) recently filed a proposed settlement which, if approved,
       would require that at least 10% of any new peaker capacity now
       being planned as simple cycle combustion turbines would instead
       need to be energy storage — as long as the storage meets the
       cost effectiveness and reliability criteria of any CTs being
       proposed.
       When selecting new peaking capacity, utility planners can choose
       between assets that better fit the emerging distributed grid
       architecture or the older and disappearing centralized approach
       to grid design. The choices we make today should be consistent
       with current and long-term cost-performance trends in
       fossil-based generation, solar PV and energy storage.
       Lower cost solar PV and its rising penetration in all market
       segments will have a profoundly disruptive effect on utility
       operations and the utility cost-of-service business model. This
       has already started to happen. Storage offers a way for
       utilities to replace lost revenues premised on margins from
       kilowatt-hour energy sales by placing energy storage into the
       rate based and earning low-risk regulated returns
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