Flexible gas-fired “peaker” plants, together with energy storage, will bolster the intermittency of solar and wind power for years to come, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). Battery storage is forecast to see surge in capacity by a factor of more than 160 times by 2050.
Following substantial investment in new capacity, Gazprom’s power generation strategy through to 2027 is focussing on upgrades as well as decommissioning on economically unviable capacity. Construction of the Grozny thermal power plant is slated to be finished before the end of 2019.
Eager to advance energy savings, U.S. electric utilities have spent over $3.6 billion on energy efficiency customer incentives in 2016, or an average of $24 per customer. According to an EIA survey, the top spent on efficiency savings was in Massachusetts, with $128 per customer.
Come June 26, General Electric will lose its listing in the Dow Jones Industrial Average after more than a century, reflecting GE’s difficulties to win new business and a slump in the company’s share price. GE executives said drooping out of the Dow would not change the company’s commitment to create a “stronger, simpler” enterprise.
Only large scale and intelligent energy storage can solve the issue of variable renewable electricity generation. There is little political will for a fresh wave of subsidies for storage – as there was for renewables – hence a carefully crafted market design is needed to incentivises flexibility and storage, says Patrick Clerens, Secretary General at the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE).
Finland’s technology group Wärtsilä has launched an integrated solar PV and energy storage to deliver a true “renewables as baseload” solution that increases resilience and efficiencies. The adaptable Wärtsilä Hybrid Solar can be supported by a power producer’s existing grid infrastructure.
French utility Engie has sold its shareholding in Thailand’s Glow Energy to the PTT unit Global Power Synergy for net proceeds of €2.6 billion. With the disposal, Engie will no longer operate any coal-fired assets in Asia-Pacific and reduces its installed coal power capacity by 14% globally.
Dismissing news about a possible sale of Siemens Power&Gas (PG) business unit, CEO Joe Kaeser said he wanted to improve the unit’s performance although this doesn’t exclude the possibility of outsourcing, or sale, at a later stage. A Siemens employee familiar with the matter told Gas to Power Journal there are some strategic considerations about how to slowly dismantle the group.
First fire of Toshiba’s 50 MW(th) commercial-scale combustor has been carried out at NET Power’s oxy-combustion CO2 power-cycle demonstration plant in La Porte, Texas. Testing uses CO2 working fluid to produce low-cost electricity while virtually eliminating emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other pollutants.
RWG (Repair & Overhauls) Ltd, a Siemens and Wood Company, has been appointed for new assembly and testing of Siemens SGT-A05 (KB7 HE) gas turbines. The Houston-based facility of RWE will handle all aspects of the new-build programme including sub-assembly, dynamic balance, engine assembly and factory acceptance testing.
Global gas trade expanded last year by 63 billion cubic metres, or 6.2%, with growth in LNG outpacing growth in pipeline trading, according to the latest BP Statistical Review of World Energy. The apparent absence of a glut shows, according to analysts, that any surplus LNG resulted in bouts of unsustainably low prices rather than a build-up of idle capacity.
Today, Electrify Europe – the world’s first event dedicated to the convergence between power generation and distribution sectors – is getting underway in Vienna, Austria. Digitalization, decarbonization, decentralization and electrification are the megatrends that are critically examined in various conference panels and on the exhibition floor.
Ansaldo Energia and Leonardo – one of the top ten players in aerospace, defence and security – are setting up the "Start 4.0 Competence Centre for the Security and Optimisation of critical Infrastructures" in Liguria, Italy. Their mission is to identify adequate solutions through experiments and validate methodological approaches to map risk and protect infrastructure, notably power plants.
Developing Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) would substantially increase U.S. crude oil and natural gas production after 2030. The state of Alaska holds an estimated 36 billion barrels of crude oil and 137 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, so after the Trump administration lifted an ANWR drilling moratorium in December 2017, wildcatters are rushing north to tap America’s Arctic resources.
Sudden shutdown of six gas-fired power stations in Nigeria has brought the country on the brink of an energy crisis. The outages made power supply slump drops by 1,087 MW, as reported by the Nigerian Electricity System Operator (NESO). Load-shedding is currently imposed all across Nigeria to avoid a complete collapse of the power transmission network.
News in Brief
Siemens builds microgrid in Finland
June 22 – Lempäälän Energia has selected Siemens to implement a self-sufficient smart grid system in the industrial area of Marjamäki, Finland. The medium-voltage microgrid will be equipped with a corresponding grid automation system and an electrical storage system.
Toshiba R&D into battery anodes
June 21 - Toshiba and Brazil’s CBMM are jointly developing anode material for lithium-ion batteries using Niobium Titanium Oxide (NTO). The aim is to develop next-generation lithium-ion battery material, characterized by high-energy density and ultra-rapid recharging.
Finning offers new Cat engine
June 20 – The new Cat C9.3B industrial engine, compliant with EU Stage V emissions standards, is now available from Finning UK and Ireland. The six cylinder, 9.3 litre engine builds on capabilities of previous Cat models that have logged more than 200 million operating hours.
GE risks €35m fine in France
June 19 – French government officials said GE will have to pay penalties if it fails to realise its pledge to create 1,000 jobs in France by the end of this year. GE made the promise in 2014 as part of the €12.4 billion takeover of Alstom’s power generation and grid business. "The contract called for a 50,000 euro penalty for every job not created," France’s labour minister Muriel Penicaud told BFM television.
MAN to deliver engines to Oman LNG
June 18 – Oman LNG is seeking to develop a new gas engine-driven power plant at its Qalhat facilities. MAN Diesel and Turbo will deliver the gas engines and associated equipment, while KBR will manage the project execution, supply the generators and ensure safety requirements.
CHP market to top $27bn by 2023
June 15 – Global market for combined heat and power is estimated to grow at an annual rate of 5.48% to reach $20.69 billion in 2018 and $27.01 billion by 2023. According to Markets and Markets, the main growth drivers are demand for energy efficiency and government incentives and programs to promote CHP.
Enel starts battery storage in the UK
June 14 – Enel Group’s first utility-scale, stand-alone battery energy storage - the 25 MW/12.5 MWh Tynemouth project - is about to start operations, supported by a four-year contract with British System Operator National Grid to provide grid-balancing services. Enel bought the storage venture from Element Power in May 2017, and invested about 20 million Euros in the overall project, including construction.
New Mach Gen files for bankruptcy
June 13 – U.S. power generator New Mach Gen has filed for bankruptcy, presenting a pre-packaged reorganisation plan. New Mach Gen operates three gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,500 MW in Athens, NY, Maricopa County, Arizona and Charlton, Massachusetts.
Siemens, Covestro partner on digitalization
June 12 – Siemens and Covestro Deutschland have agreed a Joint Business Development Plan that reinforces their longstanding, trust-based partnership in the field of digitalization. Siemens is developing predictive process data models for manufacturing through the use of its cloud-based IoT operating system, MindSphere, while Covestro will introduce its process technology and production expertise to generate joint marketing solutions.
U.S. hurricane season underway
June 11 – With June 1 marking the official start of the 2018 hurricane season in the United States, Dominion Energy has urged customers to prepare and emergency storm kit. The Virginia-based utility is continuing day-to-day preparations for a busy storm season.
EIA broadens energy survey
June 8 – For electricity, the number of end-uses estimated in the EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) has expanded from 4 to 26 by adding estimates for various types of equipment. Itemized estimates collectively cover 87% of residential electricity use.
Cost-effective transition towards CHP
June 7 – COGEN Europe, an industry lobby group, has underlined the sector’s commitment to a “cost-effective transition towards a sustainable future in Europe” by means of utilizing combined heat and power generation. CHP provides flexibility across heat, electricity and gas networks and sectors by relying on short, medium and long-term storage to balance energy supply and demand.
Europe’s largest battery operational
June 6 – With a capacity of 48 MW/50 MWh, Europe’s largest battery EnspireME has been in operation since the beginning of this month. Located in Jardelund, northern Germany, the battery will be used as a backup by the local grid operator and participate in the weekly auction of primary reserve capacity. It was built by the Dutch utility Eneco and Japan's Mitsubishi in eight months.
BlueVault powers offshore operations
June 5 – Siemens is applying its electrification experience in the marine industry to offshore oil and gas, focussing on reducing emissions and risk in harsh operational environments. BlueVault, Siemens’ advanced lithium-ion battery-based solution, is suited for both all-electric and hybrid energy-storage applications.
Duke Energy opens new CCGT unit at Lee Station
June 4 – U.S. utility Duke Energy has been continuously operating its new 750 MW combined-cycle gas power unit at the W.S. Lee Station in Anderson County, South Carolina, since the beginning of June. Construction of the $700 million gas power unit started in March 2015, creating more than 600 construction jobs. Now fully operational, the CCGT is expected to generate about $4.4 million in tax revenue for Anderson County in 2019.
Reliability risk in California, Texas
June 1 – California and Texas are two potential tight spots for reliability of electricity this summer, even as most regions seem prepared to meet peak summer demand, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) notes. In its 2018 energy market and reliability assessment, the regulator predicts warmer than average temperatures which could stir record high gas-burn for power generation.
Siemens to roll-out energy monitoring system at Rexel
May 31 – Electrical wholesaler Rexel Austria has placed an order with Siemens to deliver a cloud-based energy monitoring system which is meant to achieve a 15% reduction in energy use at its logistics center in Weisskirchen. Siemens’ cope of supply includes 66 communication-capable 7KM PAC 1500 and 7KM PAC 4200 power measuring devices, powermanager energy monitoring software, and connection to its cloud-based operating system MindSphere.
