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Nonhydro Renewables Now Routinely Surpass Hydropower Generation

July 31, 2014 in EIA, EV News, Geothermal, Greentech, Solar, Wind

 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly and Short-Term Energy Outlook Courtesy of EIA

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly and Short-Term Energy Outlook
Courtesy of EIA

April marked the eighth consecutive month that total monthly nonhydro renewable generation exceeded hydropower generation. Only a decade ago, hydropower—the historically dominant source of renewable generation—accounted for three times as much generation in the United States as nonhydro renewable sources (wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, landfill gas, and municipal solid waste).

The recent growth in wind and solar, which reflects policies such as state renewable portfolio standards and federal tax credits as well as declining costs of technology, has been the primary driver in the increasing market share of nonhydro renewable generation. There also has been growth in geothermal and biomass sources.

October 2012 was the first month on record in which nonhydro renewable generation exceeded hydropower generation. Although this reversal was short-lived because of the significant month-to-month variation in both hydro and nonhydro resources, the trend lines began to cross each other more frequently in the past year, with the most recent reversal lasting from September 2013 through April 2014. While hydropower once again exceeded nonhydro renewable generation in May 2014 (the latest available data), EIA projects that 2014 will be the first year in which annual nonhydro renewable generation surpasses annual hydropower generation. By 2040, nonhydro renewables are projected to provide more than twice as much generation as hydropower in EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO2014) Reference case, as discussed in the AEO2014 Market Trends. In other AEO cases that assume the continuation of tax credits or other policies that support nonhydro renewables, their overall generation and generation share relative to hydropower is much higher.

The dataset used to develop this article includes only generation from plants whose capacity exceeds 1 megawatt, and as a result does not include generation from most distributed solar PV capacity. Inclusion of distributed solar PV generation, which EIA estimates at roughly 10 billion kilowatthours in 2013, modestly accelerates the timing of the crossover between hydro and nonhydro renewable generation (see AEO2014).

Hydropower capacity has increased by slightly more than 1% over the past decade, although actual hydropower generation can vary noticeably by season depending on water supply conditions. Wind capacity, on the other hand, has increased nearly tenfold over that same period. Although wind often has lower capacity factors than hydropower, wind generation increased from 3% to more than 30% of total renewable generation between 2003 and 2013.

Hydropower does exceed nonhydro renewable generation in several states, particularly in the Northwest, where in 2013 conventional hydropower accounted for 69% and 56% of total electricity generation in Washington and Oregon, respectively. However, the market penetration of other renewables is growing in the United States, particularly in the Midwest and California. Between 2003 and 2013, the number of states for which nonhydro renewable generation exceeded hydropower generation, shaded green on the maps, nearly doubled—increasing from 17 to 33 over this period.

 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity data browser Courtesy of EIA

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity data browser
Courtesy of EIA

Principal contributors: Danielle Lowenthal-Savy, Michelle Bowman

This article is a repost, credit: EIA.

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Investing in renewables ‘top priority’ for energy security irrespective of voting intention, poll finds (UK)

July 25, 2014 in EIA, Environment, EV News, Greentech, Oil, Politics, Wind

By RenewableUK

Courtesy of EIA

Courtesy of EIA

Investing in renewables is seen as the top priority for maintaining energy security by nearly half the British population – a view reflected across voters of all four major political parties – according to new polling information conducted by ComRes on behalf of RenewableUK. This follows research published last week that found politicians opposing wind development are a turn off for voters.

48% of respondents chose investing in renewables as their number one priority, far ahead of the next most popular choice – building new nuclear reactors – which came in at 15%. Fracking came a distant fourth behind reducing consumption, including for half of people living in the 40 most marginal Labour/Conservative constituencies.

The opinion poll research revealed that of those surveyed:

· 48% of people want to prioritise developing renewables, 50% in marginals;

· Renewables were top priority among voters of the Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems and UKIP, both nationally and in marginal seats;

· Fracking was the top priority for 13% of people, slumping to 8% in marginals;

Courtesy of EIA

Courtesy of EIA

The public also see securing our energy supplies as one of the most important priorities for the Government, with 53% of people citing it as a top 5 priority. Other issues considered a top five priority were unemployment, inflation, law and order and the NHS. Just 5% of people said reducing onshore wind farms should be a priority.

RenewableUK Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said: “This poll shows that the public want to tackle our energy security crisis by investing in renewables like wind, wave and tidal power and offsetting the need to import volatile and dirty fossil fuels from insecure parts of the world. Onshore wind, as the cheapest low carbon electricity source is a crucial component of that so it’s no wonder that the electorate will reject Parties that rule out its future use.”

This article is a repost, credit: RenewableUK.

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Television ads say “Thank you” to American wind power champions in Colorado and Iowa

July 23, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Politics, Wind

Photo credit: Horizon Wind Energy   Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm Courtesy of AWEA

Photo credit: Horizon Wind Energy
Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm
Courtesy of AWEA

Washington, D.C. — Television ads set to run this week in Colorado and Iowa will thank members of Congress who are some of American wind power’s biggest champions. The television ads thank U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and U.S. Representative Bruce Braley of Iowa and Senator Mark Udall of Colorado for their legislative leadership and their frequent, strong and proactive public support for wind energy.

These champions demonstrate wind’s strong bipartisan support in Congress. It is because of their leadership that American wind power is the mainstream source of electricity it is today and one of the biggest, fastest, cheapest ways to reduce carbon emissions while creating good-paying jobs and saving consumers money.

The television ads are available here.

The Colorado television ad features wind technology instructor Shawn Lamb of Aurora, Colorado, who trains students seeking to join the wind and renewable energy workforce. Both of the Iowa television ads feature Rob Hach of Anemometry Specialists in Alta, Iowa. Anemometry Specialists helps provide their customers with technology capable of measuring where wind power is the strongest.

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) is responsible for creating the ads and will follow these TV ads with additional initiatives to thank the many other Republican and Democratic wind champions.

Supporters can show their support for these wind champions by sharing these YouTube video links on Twitter with the following Tweets:

“Wind champions in Congress, “Thank you” for your support for American #windpower http://bit.ly/1p28ekB” “#Colorado thanks @MarkUdall for his leadership in supporting American #windpower http://bit.ly/1rjm5aR” “#Iowa thanks both @ChuckGrassley and @BruceBraley for supporting American #windpower http://bit.ly/1p28ekB

Wind power supports up to 8,000 jobs in Iowa and Colorado combined and has attracted $14.3 billion in capital investment to these states’ local economies. American wind power attracts as much as $25 billion a year in private investment and supports as many as 85,000 jobs.

AWEA is the national trade association of the U.S. wind energy industry, with 1,000 member companies, including global leaders in wind power and energy development, wind turbine manufacturing, component and service suppliers, and the world’s largest wind power trade show, the AWEA WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition, which takes place next in Orlando, FL, May 18-21, 2015. AWEA is the voice of wind energy in the U.S., promoting renewable energy to power a cleaner, stronger America. Look up information on wind energy at the AWEA website. Find insight on industry issues at AWEA’s blog Into the Wind. Join AWEA on Facebook. Follow AWEA on Twitter.

This article is a repost (7-21-14), credit: AWEA.

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IBM Research Launches Project “Green Horizon” to Help China Deliver on Ambitious Energy and Environmental Goals

July 7, 2014 in China, Climate Change, Environment, EV News, Greentech, Pollution

Agreement with Beijing government helps transform approaches to air quality management

Leader of IBM's Green Horizon initiative: Dr. Jin Dong, Distinguished Engineer & Member of IBM Industry Academy, Associate Director, IBM Research - China  Photo courtesy of IBM

Leader of IBM’s Green Horizon initiative: Dr. Jin Dong, Distinguished Engineer & Member of IBM Industry Academy, Associate Director, IBM Research – China
Photo courtesy of IBM

Dubbed “Green Horizon”, the project sets out to leap beyond current global practices in three areas critical to China’s sustainable growth: air quality management, renewable energy forecasting and energy optimization for industry. Led by IBM’s China Research laboratory, the initiative will tap into the company’s network of 12 global research labs and create an innovation ecosystem of partners from government, academia, industry and private enterprise.

One of the first partners to come on board is the Beijing Municipal Government. Through a collaboration agreement, the two parties have agreed to work together to develop solutions which can help tackle the city’s air pollution challenges. The collaboration will leverage some of IBM’s most advanced technologies such as cognitive computing, optical sensors and the internet of things all based on a Big Data and analytics platform and drawing on IBM’s deep experience in weather prediction and climate modelling.

“China has made great achievements and contributed much to the world’s economic growth over the past 30 years. It now has an opportunity to lead the world in sustainable energy and environmental management,” said D.C. Chien, Chairman and CEO, IBM Greater China Group. “While other nations waited until their economies were fully developed before taking comprehensive action to address environmental issues, China can leverage IBM’s most advanced information technologies to help transform its energy infrastructures in parallel with its growth.”

China’s economic growth over the past several decades has raised the living standards of hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens and led to China becoming the second largest economy in the world. However, the resulting environmental impact, particularly air pollution, has become a priority for the Chinese government and a matter of global importance.

According to Dr. Lu Qiang, Professor at Tsinghua University and Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “the key to tackling environmental problems is not only monitoring emissions but adopting a comprehensive approach to air quality management and addressing the issues at their roots. Initiatives like IBM’s Green Horizon can help by fostering joint innovation across the entire energy value chain.”

Urban Air Quality Management

Global urbanization is creating air quality challenges for all major cities around the world. In China, where cities have been the engines of much of the country’s economic growth over the past decade, the government has launched the “Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan” as it moves to safeguard the health of approximately 700 million people living in urban areas.

The city of Beijing will invest over $160 billion to improve air quality and deliver on its target of reducing harmful fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) particles by 25% by 2017. To support the initiative, IBM is partnering with the Beijing Municipal Government on a system to enable authorities to pinpoint the type, source and level of emissions and predict air quality in the city.

IBM’s cognitive computing systems will analyze and learn from streams of real-time data generated by air quality monitoring stations, meteorological satellites and IBM’s new-generation optical sensors – all connected by the internet of things. By applying supercomputing processing power, scientists from IBM and the Beijing Government aim to create visual maps showing the source and dispersion of pollutants across Beijing 72 hours in advance with street-scale resolution.

“As a leader in climate modelling, cognitive computing and predictive analytics, IBM Research can provide a lot of value to Beijing and other Chinese cities which are facing significant pressure to better monitor, respond to and address air pollution issues. Science based decision support systems, combined with sophisticated data analysis is exactly what the Chinese government needs to address the country’s energy and environmental issues,” said Tao Wang, Resident Scholar, Energy and Climate Program, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.

With accurate, real-time data about Beijing’s air quality, the government will be able to take rapid action to address environmental issues by adjusting production at specific factories or alerting citizens about developing air quality issues.

“The Chinese government is taking bold steps to transform the country’s energy and environmental structures. IBM is here to help and through Green Horizon we are committed to deploying our most advanced technologies and best talent from around the world,” said Dr. Xiaowei Shen, Director, IBM Research – China.

Renewable Energy Forecasting

The Chinese government recently announced increased investment in solar, wind, hydro and biomass energy in a bid to decrease its dependency on fossil fuels. To support the objective, IBM has developed a renewable energy forecasting system to help energy grids harness and manage alternative energy sources.

The solution combines weather prediction and Big Data analytics to accurately forecast the availability of renewable energy which is renowned for its variability. It enables utility companies to forecast the amount of energy which will be available to be redirected into the grid or stored – helping to ensure that as little as possible is wasted. It increases the viability of renewable energy, helping the Chinese government to realize its objective of getting 13% of consumed energy from non-fossil fuels by 2017 and enabling the construction of the world’s biggest renewable grids.

The display shows the predicted amount of renewable energy (graph right) generated by a wind farm (map left) based on current and forecast weather conditions. The close relationship between the yellow lines (forecast energy) and blue line (actual energy), illustrates the high accuracy of the system (over 90%). Through its 'Green Horizon' initiative, IBM is applying its expertise in weather forecasting to air pollution management, using predictive analytics to create visual maps showing the source and dispersion of pollutants across Chinese cities. Graphic courtesy of IBM

The display shows the predicted amount of renewable energy (graph right) generated by a wind farm (map left) based on current and forecast weather conditions. The close relationship between the yellow lines (forecast energy) and blue line (actual energy), illustrates the high accuracy of the system (over 90%). Through its ‘Green Horizon’ initiative, IBM is applying its expertise in weather forecasting to air pollution management, using predictive analytics to create visual maps showing the source and dispersion of pollutants across Chinese cities.
Graphic courtesy of IBM

Based on IBM’s “Hybrid Renewable Energy Forecasting” (HyRef) technology, the solution uses weather modeling capabilities, advanced cloud imaging technology and sky-facing cameras to track cloud movements, while sensors monitor wind speed, temperature and direction. It can predict the performance of individual renewable energy farms and estimate the amount of energy several days ahead.

The system has already been rolled out to 30 wind, solar and hydro power sources. The biggest deployment is at China’s largest renewable energy initiative – the Zhangbei Demonstration Project managed by State Grid Jibei Electricity Power Company Limited (SG-JBEPC) in the Northern province of Hebei. Using the system, SG-JBEPC is able to integrate 10% more alternative energy (enough for 14,000 homes) into the national grid. With a prediction accuracy of 90% proven on Zhangbei’s wind turbines, it is one of the most accurate energy forecasting systems in the world.

“Applying analytics and harnessing big data will allow utilities to tackle the intermittent nature of renewable energy and forecast power production from solar and wind, in a way that has never been done before,” said Brad Gammons, General Manager IBM’s Global Energy and Utilities Industry. “We have developed an intelligent system that combines weather and power forecasting to increase system availability and optimize power grid performance.”

Energy Optimization for Industry

China’s economic growth over the past 10 years has led it to becoming the biggest energy consumer in the world. As part of the transformation of Chinese industry, the government has committed to reducing the country’s “carbon intensity” by 40-45% by the year 2020, compared with 2005 levels (equivalent to 130 million tons of coal per year).

To support these goals, IBM is developing a new system to help monitor, manage and optimize the energy consumption of industrial enterprises – representing over 70% of China’s total energy consumption.

Using a Big Data and analytics platform deployed over the cloud, it will analyze vast amounts of data generated by energy monitoring devices and identify opportunities for conservation. It could be used to analyze data from industrial enterprises in different cities and identify which sites and equipment waste the most energy. The system will be valuable for guiding decisions about optimization and investment in China’s most power hungry industries such as steel, cement, chemical and non-ferrous metal.

The new energy optimization system for industry leverages IBM’s expertise in regional energy management in China. IBM is already engaged with China Southern Grid to manage the energy consumption of HengQin Island in Guangdong province helping the island to decrease energy consumption, costs and CO2 emissions.

About IBM in China

IBM has been a partner to China’s modernization program since the 1970s, providing computing systems and services to government, industry and scientific research. Today China is home to a number of world-class IBM laboratories and development centers including one of its twelve global research labs.

IBM Research – China was established in 1995 and today has labs in Beijing and Shanghai. IBM Research – China pursues a broad research agenda including cloud, big data analytics, cognitive computing and Internet-of-Things. IBM Research – China collaborates with partners from government, academia and industry to address key challenges across multiple sectors including energy and environment, logistics and supply chain, healthcare and financial services.

This article is a repost, credit: IBM.

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High wind speeds lead renewables to hit all-time high at nearly 20% of electricity mix (UK)

July 1, 2014 in EIA, Environment, EV News, Wind

Courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook

Courtesy of Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook

RenewableUK says new statistics published today (6-26-14) by the Department of Energy and Climate Change prove the case for wind power. The figures show that 19.4% of all the UK’s electricity mix in the first quarter of this year was generated from renewable energy sources, compared to 12.4% for the same period in the previous year. DECC says the primary reason for the increase was improved performance and greater capacity from onshore and offshore wind power.

Total renewable electricity generation was a record 18.1 terawatt hours in the first quarter of 2014, compared to 12.7 terawatt hours the previous year, an increase of 43%. This is enough to power 15.17 million homes for the quarter. Coal, gas and nuclear production all fell in the same period.

Onshore wind showed the highest absolute increase in generation, increasing by 62% to 6.6 terawatt hours, with offshore wind increasing by 53% to 4.4 terawatt hours. This made onshore wind the largest source of renewable electricity, with the technology providing 7.2% of all electricity across the UK. The combined total for onshore and offshore wind was nearly 12% of all electricity. The increase was partially due to increases in installed capacity, but also record high performance factors (load factors) of 40.4% for onshore wind and 54.3% for offshore wind. In addition, wave and tidal production increased 77%.

The paper also confirms previously released statistics for 2013, once again showing record performance for renewables across the year, led by onshore wind. However, the document does confirm that progress towards the overall energy target, including heat and transport, was below the interim target that the Government set out for 2013, highlighting the need to keep investing in renewable electricity – including onshore wind.

RenewableUK’s Director of External Affairs Jennifer Webber said: “Once again, wind delivered strongly for the UK in the first quarter of the year – when we need power most – providing nearly 12% of all our electricity. At a time when some politicians were finalising their plans to rule out any future support for onshore wind, it was quietly generating enough electricity for the equivalent of over 5 and a half million homes. Offshore wind also made a significant contribution to getting us off the hook of fossil fuels and reducing our dependence imported energy.

Onshore wind is delivering today, and it’s deeply illogical to talk about limiting its potential. Without the strong performance of wind last year, the Government would have been even further behind its energy targets. That’s why we need to ensure that there’s continued investment in both onshore and offshore wind moving forward.”

The statistics come the day after RenewableUK announced its 2015 General Election Manifesto which includes a pledge for onshore wind to be the cheapest form of new generation by 2020, with a lower price point than new gas, nuclear or other renewables – as long as the next Government is supportive. The Association announced the formation of a cost-cutting taskforce to highlight the initiatives needed to ensure this happens.

Commenting on this, Ms Webber said:

“We’ve shown this week that with the right policy support by 2020 the cheapest way to generate new electricity, to replace all the older power stations that are closing down, will be onshore wind. It’s time for all politicians to recognise the role that onshore wind is playing in our electricity provision and security of supply – and give it their support. Otherwise we’re signing up future consumers to a higher cost future, in hock to foreign powers for our electricity”.

Courtesy of EIA

Courtesy of EIA

This article is a repost (6-26-14), credit: RenewableUK.

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High-flying turbine produces more power

May 15, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Greentech, Wind

MIT alumni develop airborne wind turbine that floats 1,000 feet aloft to capture stronger, steadier winds.

The Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT), developed by Altaeros Energies, uses an inflatable shell to float 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground, where winds blow five to eight times stronger, and more consistently, than winds at tower level.  Courtesy of Altaeros Energies

The Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT), developed by Altaeros Energies, uses an inflatable shell to float 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground, where winds blow five to eight times stronger, and more consistently, than winds at tower level.
Courtesy of Altaeros Energies

By Rob Matheson, MIT

For Altaeros Energies, a startup launched out of MIT, the sky’s the limit when it comes to wind power.

Founded by alumni Ben Glass ’08, SM ’10 and Adam Rein MBA ’10, Altaeros has developed the world’s first commercial airborne wind turbine, which uses a helium-filled shell to float as high as a skyscraper and capture the stronger, steadier winds available at that altitude.

Proven to produce double the energy of similarly sized tower-mounted turbines, the system, called Buoyant Air Turbine (or BAT), is now readying for commercial deployment in rural Alaska.

Surrounded by a circular, 35-foot-long inflatable shell made of the same heavy-duty fabric used in blimps and sails, the BAT hovers 1,000 to 2,000 feet above ground, where winds blow five to eight times stronger, as well as more consistently, than winds at tower level (roughly 100 to 300 feet).

Three tethers connect the BAT to a rotating ground station, automatically adjusting its altitude to obtain the strongest possible winds. Power generated by the turbine travels down one of the tethers to the ground station before being passed along to microgrids.

“Think of it as a reverse crane,” says Glass, who invented the core BAT technology. “A crane has a nice stationary component, and an upper platform that rotates in order to suspend things down. We’re doing the same thing, but suspending things up.”

Next year, the BAT will test its ability to power microgrids at a site south of Fairbanks, Alaska, in an 18-month trial funded by the Alaska Energy Authority. People in rural Alaska rely on gas and diesel generators for power, paying upward of $1 per kilowatt-hour for electricity. The BAT, which has a capacity of 30 kilowatts, aims to drop that kilowatt-hour cost down to roughly 18 cents, the co-founders say.

But despite its efficiency, the BAT is not designed to replace conventional tower-mounted turbines, Rein says. Instead, its purpose is to bring wind power to remote, off-grid areas where towers aren’t practically or economically feasible.

Conventional turbine construction, for instance, requires tons of concrete and the use of cranes, which can be difficult to maneuver around certain sites. The modular BAT, Rein says, packs into two midsize shipping containers for transport “and can just be inflated out and self-lift into the air for installation.”

Target sites include areas where large diesel generators provide power — such as military bases and industrial sites — as well as island and rural communities in Hawaii, northern Canada, India, Brazil, and parts of Australia. The BAT could also provide power to places blacked out by natural disasters, as well as at amusement parks, festivals, and sports venues.

“It’s really about expanding wind energy to all those places on the fringes where it doesn’t really work today, and expanding the amount of wind power that’s able to be deployed globally,” Rein says.

Aerostat innovation

Much of the BAT’s innovation lies in its complete autonomy, Glass says. Such aerostats usually require full-time ground crews to deploy, land, and adjust. But the BAT automatically adjusts to optimal wind speeds and self-docks in case of emergencies, eliminating the need for manual labor.

“When winds are low, typically we want to go as high as possible — because, generally speaking, the higher you are, the stronger the winds,” Glass explains. “But if winds get too high, above the maximum [capacity] of the turbine, there’s no reason to operate in those very strong winds, so we can bring it down, where it operates at rated power, but is not subject to very strong winds.”

To guide its positioning, the BAT is equipped with anemometers installed in the airborne unit and ground station. When the anemometers detect optimal wind speed, a custom algorithm adjusts the system’s tethers to extend or contract, while the base rotates into the wind. In rare instances, when wind conditions are optimal on the ground, the system will self-dock, but continue rotating.

Designed to handle winds of more than 100 mph, the system is unaffected by rain or snow. However, should the weather get too inclement, or should a tether break loose, the BAT’s secondary grounding tether — which protects the system’s electronics from lightning strikes — will self-dock.

Because the BAT is an advanced aerostat platform, Glass says, customers can use it to lift additional “payloads,” such as weather monitoring and surveillance equipment.

But perhaps the most logical added “payload,” Glass says, is Wi-Fi technology: “If you have a remote village, for instance,” he says, “you can put a Wi-Fi unit up, outside the village, and you’re much higher than you’d get with a traditional tower. That would allow you to cover six to eight times the area you would with a tower.”

Prototype to product

Glass first conceived of the BAT while working at MIT toward his master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics. Harboring an interest in wind turbine design, and knowing that traditional towers could never reach high-altitude winds, he designed the BAT in his free time, receiving technical guidance from Institute Professor Sheila Widnall and other faculty.

Soon, he’d bring his concept to 15.366 (Energy Ventures), a class at the MIT Sloan School of Management where engineering, policy, and business students build startups around clean tech ideas. At the time, Rein, who had done independent research on clean energy, was an MBA student and teacher’s assistant for the class who helped Glass flesh out an initial business model.

The duo — along with Harvard University grad student Alain Goubau and investor Alex Rohde, then an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow — soon formed Altaeros. They solicited advice from seasoned entrepreneurs at MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) — “our first advisory board,” Rein says — who steered the startup toward rapid prototyping by using low-cost, off-the-shelf materials.

For their first power-producing prototype, they bought a small, reliable wind-turbine rotor, “and cut off some metal in the back that was dead weight and built a composite nacelle to hold our custom electronics and control systems,” Rein says.

In 2012, Altaeros, after just two years of refining, proved the BAT’s efficiency at 300 feet above ground at a former Air Force base in Maine, where the company still assembles and tests the system. They did so again last August, at 500 feet in 45-mph winds.

Altaeros remains headquartered in cleantech incubator Greentown Labs (which Rein co-founded), in Somerville, Mass. — where its first rotor is proudly displayed near the entrance, along with enlarged photos of the first trial run. At Greentown, employees engage in computer modeling and design, build electronics and circuit boards, develop algorithms, and test winches and cables.

Looking back, Glass credits his undergraduate years on MIT’s Solar Electrical Vehicle Team — a student organization that builds and races solar cars for competition — with giving him the experience and motivation to bring the BAT from concept to reality.

“Just being able to see a project from design and analysis stage through building, testing, and operating was valuable,” he says. “It’s also something that helped in leading a technical team at Altaeros, to essentially do the same thing on a bigger scale.”

For now, Altaeros is focused on finalizing the commercial product for Alaska and, eventually, deploying the technology worldwide. “To take the system from concept to actual prototype has been exciting,” Glass says. “But the next step is making the prototype a commercial product and really seeing its real-world performance.”

This article is a repost, credit: MIT.

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California ISO finds power supplies adequate for summer 2014

May 12, 2014 in Environment, EV News, Solar, Wind

Extreme weather heat waves, wildfires still concern for Southern California

Map courtesy of State of California

Map courtesy of State of California

FOLSOM, Calif. The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) released today (5-9-14) its 2014 summer assessment that shows the ISO system has adequate power supplies for meeting summer peak conditions across the state despite well below average hydroelectric supply. Southern Orange and San Diego counties will be a focus of summer grid operations in the event that heat waves, unexpected power plant outages or wildfires threaten transmission lines and challenge reliability in the area affected by the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Under challenging conditions, ISO operators will count on customers participating in local demand response and conservation programs to reduce their power use when the ISO issues a Flex Alert through the media.

“We know it is an inconvenience, but if the ISO issues a Flex Alert asking for conservation it is because the grid is under a lot of stress and we need to immediately reduce power demand,” said ISO President and CEO Steve Berberich. “Voluntary conservation is better than people losing power when demand outstrips supply.”

While drought conditions will have little impact on supply availability in San Diego and Orange counties, the overall ISO system will have less hydro-electricity than last year. As of April 29, 2014, statewide precipitation was at 56 percent of average. Meanwhile, snowpack water content was at 20% of average for the date and reservoir storage was at 63 percent of average for the date. The ISO expects to have 1,370 megawatts (MW) to 1,669 MW less of in-state hydro for summer 2014. Pacific Northwest hydro conditions are about normal and should help make up some for the low California hydro conditions.

Operating reserve margins for the ISO system are good for normal conditions at 24 percent, but it could fall to about 14 percent during extreme conditions, which still remain above the threshold that puts customers at risk of power outages, which is triggered when reserves drop to the 3 percent level.

The system-wide peak electric demand is expected to reach 47,351 MW during summer 2014, which is 646 MW more than 2013 weather normalized peak of 46,705 MW. The all-time record instantaneous peak demand was 50,270 MW in 2006.

Meanwhile, the ISO projects that 53,950 MW of power capacity will be available this summer, which is an increase of about 3,243 MW of new generation since last summer. About 68 percent of the new generation is from renewable resources. Renewables make up about 22 percent of the ISO resource mix, which is an increase of about 4 percent from summer 2013. The ISO set a new instantaneous production record for solar power of 4,475 MW on April 30, 2014. The instantaneous wind record occurred on April 12, 2014 with 4,769 MW generated. As of May 1, the ISO has about 15,126 MW of renewable resource capacity connected to the grid.

This article is a repost (5-9-14), credit: CalISO.