Reduce | EnergyNorthwest.com

India Plans to Reduce Coal-Fired Generation, and Mine More Coal

May 30, 2022

India’s Power Ministry, despite the country facing shortages of electricity in recent years and as recently as the past month, said it plans to reduce the amount of power generation from at least 81 of the country’s 173 coal-fired power plants over the next four years.

The agency, in a letter dated May 26 that was sent to top federal government, state, and energy department officials, said the country needs to support renewable resources to maximize cleaner power generation and reduce energy costs. The agency, though, said the plan does not include closing older coal-fired power plants.

“The thermal power plants in [the] future shall operate up to the technical minimum to accommodate cheaper renewable energy when it is available,” the ministry said in the letter. The International Energy Agency has said India, with a population of about 1.4 billion, is expected to see its demand for electricity more than double by 2030. Much of that demand comes as more and more homes and offices install air conditioning.…

U.S. Agrees to Ramp Up LNG Exports to Europe, Actively Reduce Natural Gas Demand

March 30, 2022

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The Biden administration and the European Commission launched a multi-pronged effort that will dramatically ramp up U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to the European Union (EU) but also reduce overall natural gas demand in the U.S. and EU through “accelerated market deployment” of clean energy measures.

The measures are part of strategic energy cooperation between the U.S. and EU under a joint “Task Force on Energy Security,” which President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled on March 25. According to the White House, the joint task force will work “to ensure energy security for Ukraine and the EU in preparation for next winter and the following one, while supporting the EU’s goal to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.”

Meeting EU LNG Demand with Urgency

The initiative’s launch follows pivotal developments over the past weeks that have shaken up the EU’s long-term fuel supply prospects. Since September 2021, Europe has fielded an acute post-pandemic energy crisis stemming from a “perfect storm” of factors, including a sharp rebound of Asian demand for LNG, various supply constraints, and climate-conscious cuts to upstream investments.…

How Power Plants Can Reduce Asset Integrity Risks with Digital Technology

January 26, 2022

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There are countless risks associated with power plant operations. For example, the risk of equipment failure is present in virtually every power plant system. In some cases, the risk is very low and could even be inconsequential. In others, it’s much higher and could be catastrophic, not only to plant operation, but also to the health and safety of workers. Understanding where the greatest risks lie and acting to reduce the likelihood of an unwanted incident should be high on every plant manager’s to-do list.

Digital technology has made the task of managing risk much easier. Tools are available today that can organize data and help users evaluate where the most probable and/or consequential failures are likely to occur. For example, risk-based asset integrity management (AIM) software, which often uses data imported from a plant historian or other legacy software systems, can sort and prioritize data to identify areas of concern and provide insight for decision-makers.

There are several companies that offer AIM products.…

District Energy Systems Improve Efficiency and Reduce Carbon Emissions

June 27, 2016

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Although it’s not widely publicized, a majority of the energy used to generate electricity is wasted in the form of heat discharged to the environment. For better or worse, that’s just the way a typical thermal power plant works.

Fuel, such as coal, biomass, natural gas, or uranium (in the case of nuclear plants), is used to heat water, producing high-temperature and high-pressure steam. The steam is admitted into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity. However, not all of the energy stored in the steam is converted to useful work through the process.

In order for the cycle to continue, the steam exhausted from the turbine must be returned to its liquid form inside a condenser. In a fairly standard arrangement, the condenser is cooled by river, lake, or ocean water. The cooling water from the condenser is often simply released back to its source, and with it, the energy that was transferred inside the condenser.

Waste Not, Want Not

The average U.S.…