By Fernando Nuno / Published on Tue, 2010-03-09 11:14
In this session the main elements of the parabolic trough technology will be described: concentrators, receivers, heat transfer fluids, connecting elements, etc.
Then, the main characteristics of today’s parabolic trough solar thermal power plants will be presented: design, operation and costs.
Finally, the audience will get some ideas for future developments.
This is the 2nd lesson of the general training on CSP technology.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Thu, 2010-03-04 12:54
Following the training course on electricity markets regulation, a set of support papers is being delivered to complete the didactic set.
This paper explains the various concepts about the regulationof the power quality: quality regulation, commercial quality, reliability, performance publication, standards and quality incentives schemes.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Thu, 2010-03-04 12:44
Following the training course on electricity markets regulation, a set of support papers is being delivered to complete the didactic set.
This paper explains the various price regulation methods: Rate of Return Regulation, Cap Regulation, Yardstick Competition, Sliding Scale and Profit Sharing Regulation.
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Sustainable Energy Blog
By HDK / Published on Sat, 2010-02-20 12:27
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Thu, 2010-02-18 15:55
Lesson 1 : Fundamentals of concentrating solar thermal power
In this session, the contents will focus on the physical and thermodynamic basis of Concentrated Solar Power:
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2010-02-16 14:58
The IEP roadmap to 2050
In December 2009, the International Electricity Partnership (IEP) published its 'Roadmap for a Low-Carbon Power Sector by 2050'. The IEP was created in October 2008 at an international summit of electricity chief executives held in Atlanta, USA. Its roadmap focuses on Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and the United States.
The IEP industry leaders see a crucial role for the electrical power sector. Historically, electrical power has been the largest source of CO2 emissions, the main contributor to climate change. But in the upcoming decades electricity can become a key lever in evolving towards a low carbon economy, states the IEP. The key technological evolutions necessary to make this happen are the electrification of heating and transport, and carbon-free power generation.
Aggressive application of technology
The report sets a target of 60% to 80% reduction in carbon emission by 2050. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this is the level of reductions required to stabilise greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere at 450 to 550 ppm CO2eq. This is estimated to correspond with an average global temperature rise of 2-3 °C. The IEP argues that reaching this target is only possible through an aggressive application of technology. It advocates policies that provide incentives for high investments in renewable energy, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), nuclear power, smart grids, electric vehicles, heat pumps, and energy efficiency.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Wed, 2010-02-10 14:28
Some fundamental questions for any country willing to introduce renewables and distributed generation are:
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Wed, 2010-02-10 11:08
Binu ParthanBinu Parthan, Deputy Director General of our partner The Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) declared that “REEEP believes that the project-by-project determination of additionality in the current CDM procedures for clean energy technologies does not have the intended effect. REEEP calls on those responsible to categorise all renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies as additional, i.e. to pre-determine additionality at the technology level.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Sat, 2010-01-16 22:25
Over-sizing the cross section of a cable beyond the result of voltage and current theoretical calculations is, in most of cases, a worthwhile investment that is easily amortised by the electricity bill savings (reduction of Joule losses). In the case of a photovoltaic (PV) installation, the allocated price for energy (feed-in tariff) is much higher than the market price, getting amortised much faster.
Together with an improved profitability of the project, there are additional advantages when using bigger cable sections:
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Tue, 2010-01-12 15:46
The European power system has changed considerably in the last 15 years. The liberalisation and unbundling of the electricity market has led to increased international power flows and reduced influence of the system operators. Meanwhile, renewable and other small-scale uncontrolled and variable energy sources are being installed in the system.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Tue, 2010-01-12 15:01
The European power system has changed considerably in the last 15 years. The liberalisation and unbundling of the electricity market has led to increased international power flows and reduced influence of the system operators. Meanwhile, renewable and other small-scale uncontrolled and variable energy sources are being installed in the system.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Thu, 2010-01-07 06:30
'Searching for a miracle'
Last September, an interesting new analysis was published by two California-based think tanks: Searching for a miracle / "Net Energy" limits & the fate of industrial society. The report, written by Richard Heinberg, is a joint initiative by the International Forum on Globalization and the Post Carbon Institute.
As with the book Sustainable energy / Without the hot air by David Mc Kay (on which we reported earlier on this blog), the report by Heinberg has as its principal merit a comprehensive analysis of the energy problem. With global warming becoming an increasingly important topic and the all-time peak of global oil production most probably behind us (July 2008, 87.9 million barrels per day), we can no longer hide behind local solutions. The world’s energy use will need a radical change in the upcoming decades.
But contrary to David Mc Kay’s book, Heinberg’s study also takes the cost, the reliability, and the potential transition speed of possible energy resources into account, as well as their physical and technical potential. However, Heinberg looks at the energy solutions separately and does not propose scenarios in which demand and production figures are added up and matched, as Mc Kay did.
It is worth noting that both experts put emphasis on the need for energy conservation and on the advantages of electricity as an energy carrier. Another common viewpoint of both experts is that they see only a very limited potential for biomass, ethanol, and biodiesel. Both also view wind energy and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) as very powerful options for the future.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Wed, 2009-12-23 11:46
A PSERC Public Webinar
The inherent variability of generation from renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, may
1) increase the operating costs associated with additional ramping requirements, and
2) increase the amount of installed conventional generating capacity needed to maintain the operating reliability of a network.
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By Fernando Nuno / Published on Fri, 2009-11-27 15:06
This webinar will provide a general view of drivers and barriers for CSP development, with a particular focus on the structure of the CSP Value Chain. From a technical point of view, the main key performances will be reviewed for the different technologies.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-11-10 06:30
Do them by yourself, on the back of an envelope
Numbers have something that mere words seem to lack. Let’s call it an aura of absolute truth, of incontestability.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-11-03 06:30
How to do more with off-the-shelf energy efficient technology
The August edition of Science Magazine dedicated an eight page long focus article on how to leap the efficiency gap. This gap consists of the imbalance between the wide range of energy efficient technology that is readily available on the market and the rather small share this technology represents in the daily practice of industry, buildings, and transport.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-10-27 06:30
California stimulating middle-scale renewable energy projects
California regulators have designed a new market system for stimulating middle-scale renewable energy projects in a competitive way. The main idea is to create a reverse auction market where renewable energy companies can offer their services for green energy projects. The company that offers to sell electricity at the lowest rate wins a particular purchase agreement. Subsequently, the state will pay the developers the feed-in tariff that is sufficient to bring that particular project online.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-10-20 05:30
Avoiding a high administrative burden
The Australian government’s Department of Climate Change has created a new system of Renewable Energy Credits (REC) for systems up to 1.5 kW. Those small systems are mainly comprised of PV systems, along with small wind and hydroelectric installations. The problem with the former Renewable Energy Certificates system was that the resulting administrative burden for such small systems was too high and the resulting income too low to result in a successful incentive.
In the new RECs system, the energy production is not measured but estimated. The certificates are paid for in advance, at the time the system is purchased, for a lifetime of fifteen years. The production estimation is based on standard figures of mean solar irradiation in the local region. To provide an extra incentive for small systems, this figure is multiplied by 5 for systems installed between June 2009 and June 2012. This multiplier will decrease gradually after 2012 and be set at 1 from June 2015 onwards.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-10-13 05:30
No effective, affordable, low risk solutions available
If we are able to influence the earth’s CO2 density and climate in a negative way, it seems logical to assume that we are also able to influence it in a positive way. That is the basic idea behind geo-engineering solutions to climate change. Those solutions generally include such ideas as afforestation, CO2 air capture, ocean fertilisation, cloud albedo (using sea water spray to whiten clouds and increase cloud reflectivity), surface albedo (using specifically coloured roofing and paving materials), creating stratospheric sulphur aerosols, and space solar reflectors.
Is CCS geo-engineering?
A recent article on the subject in the Financial Times also includes CO2 capture at the stack ('Carbon Capture and Storage', CCS) among other geo-engineering solutions. This is noteworthy primarily since this solution is generally seen as more realistic. CCS already receives significant amounts of R&D funding, in contrast with the other geo-engineering solutions.
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By Bruno De Wachter / Published on Tue, 2009-10-06 05:30
Focus on PV, CCS, nuclear, hydrogen, biomass, and energy storage
In August, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the delivery of $377 million in funding for 46 new Energy Frontier Research Centres. The centres will be hosted by universities, national laboratories, non-profit organisations, and private companies. The research domains that were chosen offer a good sampling of those technologies the US Department of Energy (DOE) sees as potentially important in the energy landscape of the future. The funded projects are focussed on:
- Improving the efficiency of photovoltaic systems; with particular projects dedicated to hybrid inorganic/organic PV cells and nanometre-sized PV cells
- Advanced nuclear techniques
- Carbon capture and geological storage (CCS)
- Hydrogen, including the production of hydrogen as well as hydrogen fuel cells
- Biomass, including energy-rich plants and the conversion of biomass into chemicals and fuels
- Energy storage systems
- Superconductivity (1 project)
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