DOE Announces Additional $64 Million for Clean Coal Projects
The post DOE Announces Additional $ 64 Million for Clean Coal Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has earmarked $ 64 million in additional funding for research and development of smaller, more efficient, and cleaner coal plants. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette on Feb. 7 announced the money would be part of the DOE’s “Coal FIRST Initiative,” telling the audience at an Atlantic Council meeting Friday in Washington, D.C., that the program is designed to “produce more coal power more efficiently and transform it into a near zero-emission energy source.”
The Atlantic Council calls itself a “nonpartisan organization that galvanizes U.S. leadership and engagement in the world, in partnership with allies and partners, to shape solutions to global challenges.” The agency’s international advisory board includes former prime ministers and presidents from Australia, Denmark, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, among others.
“Coal is a critical resource for grid stability that will be used in developing countries around the world well into the future as they build their economies,” said Brouillette in a news release detailing the funding opportunity announcement (FOA).…
Public Safety Power Shutoffs: How Utilities Could Partner
The post Public Safety Power Shutoffs: How Utilities Could Partner appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Catastrophic wildfires have devastated California in recent years. This article seeks to outline a plan wherein neighboring utilities can send energy to support a utility that has shut down critical paths during wildfire mitigation efforts.
On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, the Camp Fire erupted 90 miles north of Sacramento, California (Figure 1). This fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, ultimately causing 85 fatalities.
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| 1. The Camp Fire as seen from the Landsat 8satellite. Source: NASA/Joshua Stevens |
The fire started under Pacific Gas and Electric’s (PG&E’s) 115-kV transmission line near Pulga in Butte County, and resulted in the January 2019 bankruptcy of PG&E—once the U.S.’s largest utility with annual revenues of $ 16 billion. While PG&E is the first utility to face financial ruin over its wildfire exposure, climate change could make this a cogent problem for many utilities across the nation.…
The POWER Interview: Benefits of a Smarter Grid
The post The POWER Interview: Benefits of a Smarter Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The smart grid is transforming the way utilities communicate with their customers. Smart grid technology, including control systems and automation that help new technologies work together, supports a power grid that can respond digitally to quickly changing electricity demand.
The smart grid enables electricity producers to enhance reliability, availability, and efficiency. It can provide cost savings—both for utilities and consumers—and even environmental benefits. It will allow for faster restoration of power after outages, and supports better integration of distributed generation resources, including renewable energy, to the larger grid. It also supports grid integration of large-scale renewable energy resources.
It also is designed to improve the security of the grid, enabling power generators, along with transmission and distribution operators, to recognize and respond more quickly to grid anomalies.
The smart grid will be a focus of POWER’s upcoming Connected Plant Conference, set for February 25-27 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.…