Industry News | 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.…

The POWER Interview: How Solar Can Solve the C&I Power Puzzle

May 28, 2022

| No Comments

| Industry News

Commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises rely on their power supply. Many facilities, such as hospitals, federal institutions, and military bases—those considered mission critical—have long been at the forefront of finding solutions to keep their lights on.

In today’s world, the need for reliable and resilient power is critical for a wide range of industries. Uninterrupted power is essential, not only for operations but also for safety. Power outages can bring economic disaster for businesses that don’t have a power system that can ensure the lights don’t go out.

That’s why more and more C&I enterprises are installing their own power generation systems, to keep their business up and running. Many are embracing renewable energy solutions as part of their sustainability efforts, recognizing the importance of decarbonization as they design their own onsite generation, or as they purchase power from others—be it solar power, wind power, or another distributed energy resource.

Kirk Edelman, chief commercial officer with New York City-based Safari Energy, a solar energy company, answered questions from POWER about the solar industry and how it fits within the growing need for commercial and industrial facilities to produce their own power to ensure a reliable and resilient supply of electricity.

…

Philippines May Restart Bataan Nuclear Plant Project

May 24, 2022

| No Comments

| Industry News

The winner of the Philippines’ presidential election earlier this month has made another move in support of reviving nuclear power in that country, holding talks with South Korea about enlisting help to restart a nuclear power plant project that was abandoned nearly 40 years ago.

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met with Kim Inchul, South Korea’s ambassador to Manila, on May 23 to discuss reviving the 620-MW Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. The Bataan plant was championed by Marcos Jr.’s father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., during the latter’s time as the country’s leader, and $ 2.3 billion was spent on the plant’s construction.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son and namesake of longtime Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was elected as president of the Philippines on May 9. Marcos Jr., known as Bongbong, has said nuclear power will be a priority for his administration. Source: Wikipedia

The Bataan facility—what would have been the country’s first and only nuclear plant—was never commissioned, as safety concerns arose after the Three Mile Island accident in the U.S.…

Solving the Intermittency Problem with Battery Storage

May 22, 2022

| No Comments

| Industry News

The perfect storm of crises and policy directives have converged to create the energy storage moment. Between the drive to reduce carbon output to “net zero” over the coming decades and the commodity crisis created by the conflict in Ukraine (including its impact on the supply and price of oil and natural gas), the pressure to deploy renewable resources has never been greater.

The term “renewable resources” could include wood or falling water, but policymakers tend to equate “renewable” with wind or solar generation. While wind and solar both produce electricity without carbon emissions and with zero fuel cost, standing alone, they are considered intermittent resources. Put simply, when the wind is not blowing or the sun is not shining, these resources do not produce electricity.

The Challenge of Intermittent Resources

The bulk power system, which powers our nation and enables modern civilization, relies on a continuous current, or uninterrupted flow of electrons, to quite literally “keep the lights on.” For decades, this problem was met through the use of baseload resources such as coal, nuclear, or natural gas, which runs continuously for long periods of time, generating a constant flow of electrons.…

GE Turbines Will Equip Vietnam’s First LNG-Fueled Power Plant

May 16, 2022

| No Comments

| Industry News

Two units of a new gas-fired power plant in Vietnam will feature the first use of General Electric’s (GE’s) H-Class turbine in the country.

GE on May 16 announced that PetroVietnam Power Corp.’s (PV Power’s) Nhon Trach 3 & 4 Power Plant, with 1.6 GW of generation capacity, will use two GE 9HA.02 gas turbines. It also will be the first power station in Vietnam fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The new units are expected to provide electricity for three large industrial areas in the southern region of the country including Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, and Ba Ria–Vung Tau provinces.

LNG projects are being developed in Vietnam as the country tries to wean itself off coal-fired power generation, which supplies about half the country’s electricity. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in November of last year said Vietnam wants to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The country’s ruling Communist Party has said it does not want to build nuclear power plants, and in 2016 scrapped plans for reactors backed by both Japan and Russia.…

California, Again Facing Summer Supply Vulnerabilities, Eyes 20-GW Offshore Wind Goal

May 12, 2022

| No Comments

| Industry News

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is mulling a preliminary planning goal for 3 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and potentially expanding it to 10 GW to 15 GW by 2045. If finalized, California’s offshore wind goals would be the most ambitious in the U.S., surpassing even New York’s, which call for 9 GW by 2035.

In a draft report sent to the state’s governor on May 9, the CEC suggested California has an offshore technical potential in federal waters off the California coast of 21.8 GW, based on wind speed, ocean depth, bottom score, and distance to connecting infrastructure. Preliminary planning goals, however, focus mainly on floating offshore wind deployments, given that the deep waters of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf off California’s coast have “steep drop-offs and will require offshore wind turbines installed on floating platforms to be anchored to the seabed.”

The CEC’s draft responds to Assembly Bill 525 (AB 525), a law that took effect this January and requires the CEC to develop a “strategic plan” for offshore wind energy developments off the California coast in federal waters.…