1 / 29

CHANGES IN ELECTRIC GENERATION

CHANGES IN ELECTRIC GENERATION. Generation vs. Demand: Demand growing 3% per year New Generation more difficult to build due to Environmental Factors: Air Emissions for Fossil Fuels Land and Water Impacts with greenfield sites

daniel_millan
Download Presentation

CHANGES IN ELECTRIC GENERATION

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. CHANGES IN ELECTRIC GENERATION • Generation vs. Demand: • Demand growing 3% per year • New Generation more difficult to build due to Environmental Factors: • Air Emissions for Fossil Fuels • Land and Water Impacts with greenfield sites • Outlet Transmission Lines nearly impossible to build or upgrade (NIMBY)

  2. Generation • Large, Centralized Plants (Old Way) • Small, Distributed Plants (New Way) • Also, Site Renewable Generation where it makes Sense (and Profit)

  3. Large Plants • Environmental Issues • Fossil Fuels • Location/Siting

  4. Large Plants (Cont.) • New Ideas: • “Clean Coal” • Wind, • Solar, • Geothermal, • Biomass • Oceanic Thermal Energy

  5. Clean Coal • Coal Gasification (Combined Cycle) - Low Emmissions • Could Happen on Iron Range (Excelsior Project)

  6. WIND • Wind Generators currently very popular • More and more Cost Effective • Not a Cure-All - never windy when you need it most

  7. Wind Farm • Current Standard – 1.75 MW WTG on 80 meter Towers • Energy cost now in the 4 cents/KWH range • OFF-SHORE has great potential

  8. NE Minnesota Wind Data

  9. Typical Service Drop to WTG

  10. NEG Micon NM82

  11. Solar • Photvoltaics • Electricity Directly from Sunlight • Low Conversion efficiency • Fairly High Cost • Amorphous Designs could be applied anywhere • Solar Thermal - Solar One • Could yet show some promise • ONLY WHEN THE SUN SHINES

  12. Geothermal • Hot Water from the Earth • Use the Hot Water or Flash to Steam • Currently 2700 MW capacity in US • Capacity growing at 9% worldwide • Excellent for Home Use - Heat Pumps

  13. Binary-Cycle Plant (Geothermal)

  14. OTEC • Extract “solar” heat from Ocean Water • Flash it to Steam for Turbine/Generator • Can be combined with DeSalination • Costly

  15. Typical Energy Costs for Various Generation Sources • Type: Installed Cost: Energy Cost: • Fuel Cells $15,000-20,000/kW 15-20 cents/kwh • Solar - PV Cells $6,000-8,000/kW 12-15 cents/kwh • Geothermal $5,000-10,000/kW 8-10 cents/kwh • Biomass $2,000-2,500/kW 3-5 cents/kwh • Wind $1,000-2,000/kW 3-5 cents/kwh • Natrl Gas (Turbine) $1,500-1,800/kW 2-4 cents/kwh • Coal $1,500-2,000/kW 1.5-2 cents/kwh • Hydro $2,000-3,000/kW 0.2-0.5 cents/kwh

  16. Distributed Generation • Make Electricity where and when needed: • Neighborhood • Commercial Center • Industrial Park • Wind, Solar, Geothermal, Biomass • Fuel Cells • MicroTurbines

  17. Fuel Cells • Most common type: PEM Polymer-Electrolyte Membrane • Strips Electrons from Hydrogen to make Electricity • Safety/Cost • Where to get H2?? • H2 Energy Density

  18. Microturbines • Run on Natural gas – Short Sighted? • 30-50 kilowatt Designs • Create both Electricity and Hot Water • Small businesses, collection of homes

  19. DEMAND SIDE • Conservation Through: • Market Pricing • Efficient Products

  20. Market Pricing • Energy Prices becoming De-Regulated • New Equipment to Automate Pricing: • Smart Meters • Smart Appliances

  21. Smart Meters • Talks to Electric Company • Records Hourly Prices • Tells Appliances what current Price is • Shops Around for a Better Rate?

  22. Efficient Products • Smart Appliances run only when energy is cheapest, talk to each other • Superconductors • Cars

  23. Superconducting Motors • Extremely Efficient – Zero Electric Losses • Very High Torque - 140X increase in Power Density • Costly? • Not very Rugged – Bismuth-Cu Ceramic Tape • US Navy Loves Them

  24. Other Superconductors • Transformers • TransmissionLines • Potential Savings… • Between 5 and 10% of all Electricity Generated is lost in Transformers and T-Lines

  25. Cars • EVs - Electric Vehicles • Biggest Problem is Energy Density • Battery Powered - Poor Range/Heavy • Fuel Cell Pwrd - Hydrogen is volatile, has poor energy density and delivery system in early development, LNG has emissions • Hybrids - LEVs • Just appearing on Market • Good “Next Step” • 35 MPG SUV: – Ford ’05 Escape

  26. The HYDROGEN ECONOMY • The US DOE has Millions of Dollars to award in Hydrogen Fuel Research • BENEFITS: • Burns Clean • Not a Fossil Fuel • DRAWBACKS: • Volatile (but so are many other fuels) • Low Energy Density • Not Available in Pure Form

  27. How to Get Hydrogen • Hydrogen currently produced by two methods: • Steam Reforming (Heating Fossil Fuels to release hydrogen) • Electrolysis (splitting water molecules with an electric current) • New Methods: Photoelectrochemical (PEC) – PV cells, immersed directly in water, doped with organic chemicals to increase efficiency, make hydrogen with sunlight Photobiological – Using the inherent photosynthetic capability of bacteria to break water down

  28. CONCLUSIONS • More of the Same Old Stuff (with new tech) • More and More New Stuff • Greater Emphasis on Environmental Factors • Conservation is Key • Wireless, Wireless, Wireless – Improved communications will lead to better efficiencies

  29. WEB References • National Renewable Energy Labs • http://www.nrel.gov/ • Electric Power Research Institute • http://www.epri.com/ • US Dept. of Energy • http://www.energy.gov/ or www.eere.gov • Electric Vehicles • http://www.evworld.com/

More Related