News & Events
$2.2 billion Ivanpah solar plant nears completion
(Courtesy Energy Central)
The giant Ivanpah solar plant in the Mojave Desert approximately 110 miles east of Barstow and five miles west of the California-Nevada border will soon go online. Construction on the $2.2 billion project is 95 percent complete and it’s expected to be operational by the end of 2013. The California Energy Commission licensed the project in 2010. Construction began in October 2010.
It is the largest solar plant of its kind (under construction) in the world, according to project owners. The 377 MW project comprises three 459-foot tall towers and 170,000 heliostats on 5.3 square miles of federal land. The Ivanpah plant will employ 86 people in permanent operation and maintenance jobs. It took 2,100 workers and support staff to build at the peak of construction.
Click the link for details:
http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29466817
Coal leader, lawmakers angered over new EPA rules
(Courtesy Energy Central)
Coal-fired electrical generating plants fell into President Obama’s crosshairs Friday, September 20, 2013 touching off a tidal wave of protest from political, industry and union leaders in West Virginia. Obama who bypassed Congress imposed a limit of 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per megawatt- hour (MWhr), and new coal plants to 1,100 pounds of CO2.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said, “Forcing coal to meet the same emissions standards as gas when experts know that the required technology is not operational on a commercial scale makes absolutely no sense and will have devastating impacts to the coal industry and our economy.”
Moving to thwart the EPA, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. introduced the Ensure Reliable and Affordable American Energy Act to delay the rules until other nations that make up at least 80% of non-U.S. global carbon dioxide emissions enact regulations that are at a minimum equal to the new standards.
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http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=30060043
Gainesville Wood Biomass Plant Begins Generating Power
(Courtesy Energy Central)
Two years after construction started, the 100MW Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (Florida) began generating electricity on Aug. 16, 2013 by wood biomass. Still to come are a series of performance tests and air emissions tests with the plant expected Commercial Operation Date in November, 2013.
After COD, the plant can sell the City all the plant’s output at a price of about $130 per megawatt-hour under a 30-year contract. Until then, the price will be far more modest, approximately $38 a megawatt-hour covering fuel costs and variable operations and maintenance costs, but not the more substantial costs such as construction debt. GREC plans to use the wood biomass plant to meet its year-round base load demand.
Click the link for details:
http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29766290
Siemens develops SST-500 GEO steam turbine for geothermal power plants
(Courtesy Energy Central)
Siemens Energy has developed a new steam turbine for geothermal power plants up to 120MW. The SST-500 GEO is a single-casing, double-flow condensing turbine. As a derivative of the SST-500 and SST-600 turbine families, it combines the proven casing and auxiliaries of the Siemens SST-500 and SST-600 steam turbines with the geothermal features and steam path technologies. The SST-500 GEO steam turbine can be deployed in geothermal power plants with a varying range of steam conditions, being designed for both single and double flash applications.
The SST-500 GEO is suitable for live steam temperatures up to 250°C, with steam pressures up to 15 bar absolute, and includes resource- and turbine-stage-specific high-grade materials as well as special features for moisture removal at every stage.
Click the link for details:
http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28837183
Duke Energy’s Edwardsport IGCC power plant began operations
(Courtesy Power Engineering)
On June 10, 2013, Duke Energy’s 618 MW Edwardsport coal gasification power plant in Knox County, Indiana began commercial operations. The plant uses technology to gasify coal, remove sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulates, and burn that gas to produce electricity. “Both gasifiers have successfully produced syngas from coal and electricity has been generated by the turbines”, Duke’s Chairman and CEO Jim Rogers said.
Duke reached a settlement with Indiana regulators to place a cap on project costs that could be recovered from customers at $2.65 billion, though the company estimated the project would cost approximately $2.88 billion. Duke first got state approval for the plant in November 2007. The plant replaces the 160 MW Edwardsport coal-fired power plant located adjacent to the new plant.
Click the link for details:
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2013/06/dukes-edwardsport-igcc-power-plant-begins-operations.html