China Group Develops Plan to Turn Biomass Into Low-Carbon Natural Gas

February 8, 2022

Researchers in China have published the results of a study that the group said provides an efficient catalytic approach to directly transfer solid biomass into natural gas, while enabling the gas to have a low-carbon footprint.

The researchers said bio-natural gas produced from the hydrogen combined with lignocellulosic biomass could be used at power plants, and would have applications for transportation and other industries. The group said it could be transported using existing pipeline infrastructure.

China’s Biomass Energy Industry Promotion Association (BEIPA) last year reported that the country annually produces more than 900 million tons of agricultural and forestry biomass. BEIPA officials said the biomass could generate power equal to that from about 400 million tons of coal, and said the figure is higher when including organic waste from urban and rural areas.

The study, supported by several entities including the Natural Science Foundation of China and published in January by the scientific journal Nature Communications, provides what the group calls new guidance for the catalytic transformation of raw biomass.…

CAISO Plan Calls for $30.5 Billion for Transmission—and More Renewable Energy

February 4, 2022

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California’s power grid continues to evolve and will look much different by 2040, according to a 20-year draft transmission plan released by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). The plan calls for significant additional renewable energy resources, along with a $ 30.5-billion build-out of the transmission grid.

The outlook, developed by the grid operator along with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), provides details about how the state will meet increased demand for electricity. The plan said the state will need about 120 GW of new power generation resources added to the CAISO system by 2040, including energy storage, utility-scale solar, offshore wind, and imports of clean energy from other states.

“There is a critical need for more proactive, long-term transmission planning and coordination,” said Elliot Mainzer, CAISO president and CEO, in a statement released Feb. 1. “In developing the 20-year Outlook, we have worked closely with the California Energy Commission (CEC), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and a diverse group of stakeholders to begin delineating the long-term architecture of the California grid and better align power and transmission planning, resource procurement and interconnection queuing.…

Nuclear Is the Bastion of Pennsylvania’s Newest Climate Action Plan

September 25, 2021

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Pennsylvania, a major power producer that relied on fossil fuels for 66% of its net power generation in June, plans to maintain its nuclear generation at current levels until it can ramp up other carbon-free supplies to 100% by 2050, the state’s Sept. 22–released 2021 Climate Action Plan suggests.

The measures are part of a broader 18-strategy suite outlined in the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) fifth iteration of the plan, which is updated periodically as required by the 2008 Pennsylvania Climate Change Act. But because electricity generation is the greatest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Commonwealth, accounting for nearly 30% of total emissions, they are a priority, officials told reporters on Wednesday.

The plan acknowledges Pennsylvania’s historic and current role as a significant regional energy hub. The state is the third-largest energy-producing state in the U.S. (after Texas and Florida); it ranks in the top three for coal and natural gas production, and it is the nation’s second-largest nuclear generator.…

Xcel Scrapping Plan to Build New 800-MW Gas-Fired Plant

June 28, 2021

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The post Xcel Scrapping Plan to Build New 800-MW Gas-Fired Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Xcel Energy is pivoting from its plan to build a new 800-MW natural gas-fired power plant at the site of its Sherco coal-fired facility in Becker, Minnesota. Instead, Xcel plans to build two smaller gas-fired “peaker” plants, one in Minnesota and one in North Dakota, as part of a new initiative for the utility’s power generation in the Midwest.

Xcel also proposed two repowered gas-fired plants—one in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and another in Wisconsin—that also would run only during periods of high demand for electricity. The utility, based in Minneapolis and with operations in eight states, outlined its proposal in a plan submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on June 25.

Xcel’s still plans to close its Minnesota coal-fired power plants, include Sherco’s three units that have more than 2,200 MW of generation capacity, by 2030. Sherco—short for Sherburne County Generating Station—began operating in the 1970s.…

BP Details Plan for UK’s Largest Hydrogen Project

March 23, 2021

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The post BP Details Plan for UK’s Largest Hydrogen Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The global market for hydrogen development has taken another step forward, as oil and gas major BP announced it is studying development of what it said would be the UK’s largest blue hydrogen production facility.

BP on March 18 said the project, which would be sited on England’s northeast coast, is part of a plan to make the region a hydrogen production hub. The company initially is looking at a project that could grow to 1 GW of production capacity by 2030, at a plant that could produce about 260,000 metric tons of hydrogen annually when fully operational.

The announcement came one day after the UK government announced $ 238 million in funding for nine projects in five industrial areas. The projects would be part of the country’s decarbonization strategy, and would be focused on blue hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

BP’s plan comes on the heels of Enegix Energy’s March 1 announcement that it plans to build what the company said would be the world’s largest green hydrogen plant, a facility in northeast Brazil that could produce more than 600 million kilograms, or about 1.32 billion pounds, of the fuel per year.…

Five Reasons Remote Technology Makes Sense Even If You Never Plan to Operate Your Power Plant Remotely

January 25, 2021

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The post Five Reasons Remote Technology Makes Sense Even If You Never Plan to Operate Your Power Plant Remotely appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The case for advanced analytics and remote diagnostics

During the last 25 years significant advancements have been made in remote monitoring capabilities for power plants. A number of operations and maintenance (O&M) functions can routinely be managed remotely, and it is also becoming more common for peaking and renewable energy plants to be remotely operated reliably and safely.

Operating and maintaining a full-scale power plant remotely presents challenges that require sophisticated systems, reliable sensor and diagnostic equipment, stable high-bandwidth communication, and advanced security protocols. Even with progress made in each of these areas, some plant managers don’t foresee a scenario where remote operations will become the norm. But even in cases where there are no plans to run a generating station from a remote location, there is still a solid case for adopting remote technology.

Here are five reasons why the case for remote technology is stronger today than ever before.…

EnergyNorthwest.com

Tag: Plan

CAISO Plan Calls for $30.5 Billion for Transmission—and More Renewable Energy

Nuclear Is the Bastion of Pennsylvania’s Newest Climate Action Plan

Xcel Scrapping Plan to Build New 800-MW Gas-Fired Plant

BP Details Plan for UK’s Largest Hydrogen Project

Five Reasons Remote Technology Makes Sense Even If You Never Plan to Operate Your Power Plant Remotely

The case for advanced analytics and remote diagnostics