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Power Line Management in the Time of Coronavirus

June 14, 2020

The post Power Line Management in the Time of Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has put communities on lockdown and created a need for social distancing. Many are staying at home, but that’s not an option for the frontline workers running critical power transmission infrastructure and keeping the lights on.

How can utilities keep up with their operational and safety obligations with a reduced onsite workforce? Specifically, how can utilities maintain power line inspection and maintenance regimes, and what are the additional challenges for those in areas such as California, where COVID-19 collides with other threats, such as wildfire season?

Making Hard Work of Field Work

By definition, power transmission and distribution networks deal with long distances. At the best of times power line inspection entails despatching crews into the most remote pockets of a country or state, far from major population centres.

*Paul Frey is chief operating officer of Sharper Shape.*

In many ways that can be a blessing: deep in the forests and mountains you may be more likely to run into a cougar or bear than another human being carrying COVID-19.…

EIA Notes Power Demand Destruction From Coronavirus

April 8, 2020

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The post EIA Notes Power Demand Destruction From Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The coronavirus pandemic is altering the power landscape, with utilities and other power generators forced to adjust for load disruptions. Power consumption is changing as commercial and industrial electricity users close their businesses, and load is shifting to the residential sector with workers now settled in home offices, and students practicing remote and distance learning.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) published April 7 said it expects significant impacts to U.S. electricity consumption, and the group has lowered its estimates for power generation through the rest of this year.

“The economic slowdown and stay-at-home orders will likely affect U.S. electricity consumption over the next few months, with the largest impact occurring in the commercial sector because of business closures,” according to the outlook. “We also estimate that sales of electricity to industry will fall as factories cut back production.…

The POWER Interview: GenCell’s CEO on Importance of Clean Energy

March 25, 2020

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The post The POWER Interview: GenCell’s CEO on Importance of Clean Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The coronavirus pandemic is expected to slow the growth of renewable energy in 2020, owing to supply chain disruptions and an economic recession. It could make hitting targets for clean energy adoption more difficult, particularly in the short term.

Will government officials look to adjust their goals for renewable energy? Perhaps, but with most of the targeted goals 10 or more years away, it’s likely they will take the long view, with adjustments happening down the road depending on market conditions.

Rami Reshef, CEO of GenCell, an Israel-based fuel cell technology company, in a recent interview with POWER talked about the importance of renewable energy, including fuel cells, which convert potential chemical energy into electrical energy and generate heat as a by-product. While chemical energy is stored inside batteries, fuel cells can continuously generate electricity as long as they are supplied with fuel (hydrogen) and an oxygen supply.…

The POWER Interview: Google, Utilities Partner for Energy Solutions

March 10, 2020

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The post The POWER Interview: Google, Utilities Partner for Energy Solutions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Businesses are putting more emphasis on sustainability, coordinating their operations to ensure financial success while also being mindful of environmental concerns. Investors in many cases are demanding companies embrace sustainability, which often includes being more efficient in their use of energy.

That’s one reason behind the growth in distributed power generation, as companies develop their own systems—often utilizing renewable power—to have more control over their energy use and its cost. Several of these companies have told their stories, and provided information about their commercial and industrial power installations, at POWER’s Distributed Energy Conference.

This year’s conference is scheduled for Oct. 19-21 in Chicago, Illinois. Sustainability will again be part of the agenda, with businesses discussing how they are developing programs to address financial, social, and environmental concerns.In the corporate world, it is sometimes referred to as the triple bottom line.

Google, the Silicon Valley-based search engine giant, has become a leader in sustainable business practices, purchasing renewable energy to match its global power consumption.…

Georgia Power Orders First Fuel Load for Vogtle Unit 4

March 6, 2020

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The post Georgia Power Orders First Fuel Load for Vogtle Unit 4 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Georgia Power on March 5 announced it has ordered the first nuclear fuel load for Vogtle Unit 4, as work continues on the first new-design reactors in the U.S. in more than 30 years. Fuel for Unit 3 of the two-unit expansion at Vogtle was ordered last summer.

The completion of the fuel order for Unit 4 is another milestone for the project at the Plant Vogtle site near Waynesboro, Georgia. The project is now approximately 84% complete, according to Georgia Power. The two AP1000 (Advanced Passive) units each have generation capacity of 1,117 MW.

Southern Co., the parent of Georgia Power, in an email to POWER on Thursday said the order consists of 157 fuel assemblies, each 14 feet tall. According to Georgia Power, “The fuel will eventually be loaded into the reactor vessels to support startup once the reactors begin operating.…

How Much Will Hydrogen-Based Power Cost?

February 27, 2020

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The post How Much Will Hydrogen-Based Power Cost? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Costs associated with 40 hydrogen technologies used in 35 applications, including for heat and power, could tumble dramatically over the next decade as the scale-up of hydrogen production, distribution, and equipment and component manufacturing continues. For some applications, hydrogen could become competitive with other low-carbon alternatives, and even conventional options. Those are key findings from an in-depth assessment of industry-provided hydrogen application costs that the Hydrogen Council—an international CEO-level advisory body—underscored in a Jan. 20–released report.

The findings offer an important glimpse at growing efforts to integrate hydrogen into the global energy framework. As part of concerted decarbonization goals, 18 governments (whose economies account for 70% of global gross domestic product) had developed detailed strategies for deploying hydrogen solutions, as of January. Industry, too, is paying attention to sharp improvements to cost drivers associated with “renewable” hydrogen production, and the versatile role hydrogen could play in future energy systems.…