Upcoming
Event
FEEDING YOUR FARM: USING CHP AND AGRICULTURE
DOE’s Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 11:00 am to 12:00 pm ET
Speakers:
• Deborah Nabaloga, Research Assistant, Upper West CHP TAP
• Margaret Cook, Research Associate, Upper West CHP TAP
• Marina Badoian-Kriticos, Assistant Director, Upper West CHP TAP
Upcoming
Event
Plans Unveiled for Microgrid 2022!
Microgrid Knowledge
June 1-2, 2022
Microgrid 2022 will feature the kinds of thought-provoking panel discussions, presentations, on-stage interviews, and workshops that Microgrid Knowledge has become known for. Attendees can also take virtual microgrid tours, participate in extensive networking opportunities, and visit the trade show floor to explore the latest in distributed energy technologies.
Main stage forums will highlight big picture energy and microgrid themes, while breakout sessions will focus on detailed educational topics. Participants also will have the opportunity to participate in a pre-conference workshop May 31 on government policy and regulation, organized by Think Microgrid, a policy advocacy and education division of Microgrid Knowledge.
Microgrid 2022 will also offer virtual microgrid tours, extensive networking opportunities and a trade show floor where microgrid customers can explore the latest in distributed energy technologies.
Microgrid Knowledge is bringing its annual industry gathering back to the Northeast because the area is an early epicenter of microgrid activity that has continued to grow as climate disasters mount, and more and more facility managers and communities seek greater energy reliability, sustainability and cost savings.
Philadelphia, in particular, has been a marquee city for microgrids because it is home to one of the most advanced commercial and industrial microgrids, located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Microgrid Knowledge will issue a call for speakers for Microgrid 2022 in December. Subscribe to the free Microgrid Knowledge Newsletter for notification of its release.
The annual industry event is expected to attract several hundred participants, among them businesses, institutions and government entities that are exploring microgrid adoption, along with utilities, microgrid developers, technology vendors, engineering and design firms, investors and others.
The event will feature the kind of thought-provoking and animating content that Microgrid Knowledge has come to be known for, presented over two days through panel discussions, presentations, on-stage interviews and workshops.
News
Cogeneration technologies can help Europe to deliver REPowerEU objectives
COGEN Europe
May 20, 2022
Brussels, 19 May 2022
COGEN Europe, the European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration, has welcomed the REPowerEU Plan that was published by the European Commission yesterday (18 May). The association is calling on the EU and its Member States to prioritise cogeneration for all thermally generated heat and power in order to save energy, support the transition to lower carbon and renewable energy sources and ensure a more resilient and affordable energy system.... PRESS RELEASE
Brussels, 19 May 2022
COGEN Europe, the European Association for the Promotion of Cogeneration, has welcomed the REPowerEU Plan that was published by the European Commission yesterday (18 May). The association is calling on the EU and its Member States to prioritise cogeneration for all thermally generated heat and power in order to save energy, support the transition to lower carbon and renewable energy sources and ensure a more resilient and affordable energy system.
"COGEN Europe fully supports the objectives of the European Commission’s REPowerEU Plan in terms of delivering energy savings, diversifying energy supplies and accelerating the uptake of renewable energy sources," said Hans Korteweg, Managing Director of COGEN Europe.
"However, the REPowerEU Action Plan remains vague on the role of efficient and flexible solutions like cogeneration. COGEN Europe estimates that cogeneration currently saves at least 15 bcm of gas per year and there is potential for new and refurbished CHP to save an additional 20-30 bcm of gas per year by 2030. These significant savings must not be ignored and should be seriously considered in the follow-up impact assessments that the European Commission plans to undertake."
“The latest cogeneration technologies, which are already being used in many European countries, are much more efficient than traditional thermal power plants and boilers. By generating electricity and capturing the heat that would otherwise be wasted, cogeneration can produce the same amount of useful energy using less fuel. This is important whether one is using valuable natural gas or renewable gases like biomethane and clean hydrogen," continued Mr Korteweg.
"In addition to higher efficiency, cogeneration also contributes to the flexibility and resiliency of our entire energy system, complementing intermittent renewables like solar and wind. The European Commission already accepts the fact that using gas to produce electricity is an essential part of Europe’s energy mix, so why not give priority to high efficiency cogeneration?"
"Cogeneration can also contribute to the decarbonisation of heating and cooling in buildings, as well as supplying hot water and producing the high temperature process heat required by industry. CHP is already widely used in district heating networks and in numerous industries where there is significant potential for switching over from imported natural gas to renewable alternatives like biomethane and clean hydrogen. Supporting high efficiency cogeneration for district heating and industrial uses should be seen as complementing the increased uptake of heat pumps and other solutions."
COGEN Europe is calling on the European Union and its Member States to support solutions that enhance energy efficiency across the entire energy system (from generation to utilisation) and to prioritise high efficiency cogeneration for all thermally generated heat and power. The association is actively engaged in dialogue with Members of the European Parliament and officials from the national governments of the Member States with a view to ensuring that legislation currently being finalised in the framework of the 'Fit for 55' package (including the revised Energy Efficiency Directive) will neither discourage nor penalise the deployment of cogeneration technologies.
Many of COGEN Europe’s members have experience of developing and implementing cogeneration projects which use renewable and circular sources of energy such as green hydrogen, biogas made from agricultural waste, or heat captured from a steel production plant. Examples of successful projects in Belgium, Germany and Italy were presented during a webinar ('REPowerEU: The role of energy efficiency'), which was hosted by COGEN Europe yesterday (18 May).
News
Prices of key minerals and metals for the clean energy transition have spiked in recent months
IEA
May 19, 2022
Prices of many minerals and metals that are essential for clean energy technologies have recently soared due to a combination of rising demand, disrupted supply chains and concerns around tightening supply. The prices of lithium and cobalt more than doubled in 2021, and those for copper, nickel and aluminium all rose by around 25% to 40%.
The price trends have continued into 2022. The price of lithium has increased an astonishing two-and-a-half times since the start of the year. The prices of nickel and aluminium – for which Russia is a key supplier – have also kept rising, driven in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For most minerals and metals that are vital to the clean energy transition, the price increases since 2021 exceed by a wide margin the largest annual increases seen in the 2010s.
News
America’s Electric Grid Has A $2 Trillion Problem
Energy Central
May 16, 2022
The U.S. power grid is strained as-is, with disruption and outages becoming more frequent in many regions where local grid operators struggle to keep the lights on in case of extreme winter weather or heat. Those events would only become more frequent with climate change, such as the current early heat wave in Texas, which is testing ERCOT’s ability to withstand a surge in power demand.
In recent days, grid operators from a growing number of states started warning about electricity shortages as grids cannot cope with the imbalance between demand and supply heading into summer. California warned last week that it would need to produce more electricity than it is currently producing to avoid blackouts. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the nonprofit charged with operating the power grid in 15 U.S. states and Manitoba, issued a warning about outages during the summer.
If grids are warning they may not be able to cope with a surge in power demand now, what would they do if renewables were to become the dominant source of electricity generation (provided that the Biden Administration’s goals of a carbon-free grid by 2035 and 50 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles are met)?
For sure, the grid needs huge amounts of investments, researchers and analysts say.
For example, in a “high electrification” or E+ scenario, with aggressively electrifying buildings and transportation so that 100 percent of cars are electric by 2050, America would need $360 billion invested in transmission through 2030 and $2.4 trillion by 2050, the Princeton University said in a report at the end of 2020.
Yet, it’s not only a matter of money, but many analysts and industry consultants also say. That’s because the U.S. currently lacks a national strategy that clearly defines the roles of policymakers, states, federal agencies, grid operators, and utilities in preparing the transmission system on a national level to handle a surge in renewable power generation, demand from EV charging, and the “electrify everything” drive at home.
“We really don’t have anyone in charge,” Rob Gramlich, president of Washington D.C.-based energy consulting firm, Grid Strategies LLC, told Reuters for a special report on the hurdles the U.S. grid faces.
“The politics are a freakin’ nightmare,” Alison Silverstein, an independent industry consultant and former senior adviser to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), told Reuters’ Tim McLaughlin.
The regulatory ‘nightmare’ makes investments in the grid more complicated, which could delay much-needed transmission infrastructure updates and thus, push further the timeline of the clean energy goals, analysts say.
“The majority of the nation’s grid is aging, with some components over a century old — far past their 50-year life expectancy — and others, including 70% of T&D lines, are well into the second half of their lifespans,” the American Society of Civil Engineers said in a report last year.
Expanding the grid capacity by 2-5 times from current levels and transmission investments totaling up to $2.4 trillion presents “multiple technical, economic, and public policy challenges,” Jonathan M. Moch, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, and Henry Lee, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program at The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs of Harvard Kennedy School, wrote in a policy brief in February 2022.
“First, there is a lack of coordination between regional and national transmission planning. The organizations responsible for regional transmission planning are often legally constrained from prioritizing the reduction of carbon emissions. Furthermore, construction of new transmission requires an extensive siting and permitting process that can stretch for over a decade and may put the goal of a carbon-free electric grid by 2035 out of reach,” Moch and Lee wrote.
Partner
News
Energetyka Cieplna Chooses Eneria Poland to Supply Cogeneration System from Caterpillar
POWERinfo Today
May 13, 2022
Eneria Poland will deliver the key components of the system, which includes four Cat G3516H gas generator sets, heat recovery components, controls, silencers, and exhaust components. Scheduled to begin operating in early 2022, the new system upgrades the current district heating system, which delivers over a half million gigajoules of heat annually to more than 24,000 customers. Power will be sold to the local distribution network operator. Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management supplied a portion of the project financing.
The new system helps to modernize the heating capabilities and improve the environmental impact of Energetyka Cieplna, which used coal for more than 97% of its district heat production in 2019. Through the cogeneration system, officials expect to reduce the heat produced from coal by about 136 gigajoules per year while decreasing annual emissions of carbon dioxide by more than 52 tons. The plant is expected to exceed 86% efficiency and was selected on the basis of several performance factors, including unit availability and total life cycle costs.
Eneria Poland will also provide ongoing support to help the managers of Energetyka Cieplna achieve the maximum long-term value from the system and focus on running their enterprise. Through a tailored customer value agreement (CVA), Eneria Poland will assume responsibility for on-site maintenance and service, which includes scheduled inspections and oil changes, technical support 24 hours a day, remote monitoring and control, dealer replacement of maintenance parts, and Cat S•O•SSM fluid analysis.
“Energetyka Cieplna has undertaken numerous initiatives to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment while continuing to serve its customers,” said Sven Buehler, territory manager for gas product sales at Caterpillar. “Caterpillar and Eneria Poland have the portfolio of advanced power solutions and deep technical expertise needed to help Energetyka Cieplna achieve its sustainability goals.”
Cogeneration Capabilities from Caterpillar
Facilities can reduce operating costs by implementing a Cat cogeneration combined heat and power (CHP) system or a cogeneration system incorporating cooling. This enables the units to simultaneously provide power for electrical loads as well as heat and cooling energy for a facility’s requirements. Any gas-fueled Cat engine can be configured to support facility processes or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) requirements.
Caterpillar delivers innovative power systems engineered for durability, reliability and value. The company offers worldwide product support, with parts and service available globally through the Cat authorized service and dealer network. In addition, dealer technicians are trained to service every aspect of Cat equipment.
News
NASEO, NARUC publish report examining the role of microgrids in resilient grids
Daily Energy Insider
May 11, 2022
With more and more natural and man-made events impacting the energy system — including winter storms, cyberattacks, and drought — state energy offices and public utility commissions are critical players in developing policy and regulatory actions that help enhance the resilience of the electric grid. One way is through microgrids.
The report, released by the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), offers some specific recommendations on how states can use microgrids to meet their resilience objectives. Some of the considerations include gathering data on microgrid performance, convening stakeholders to share how they value resilience, and monitoring the release of tools in development by the National Labs and other researchers.
Converge Strategies assisted NASEO and NARUC with the development of the report called “Valuing Resilience for Microgrids: Challenges, Innovative Approaches, and State Needs.”
Resilience — an electricity system’s response to a disruption — is a key consideration to guide electricity spending, whether from utilities, customers, or taxpayers. Developing tools and methods to accurately assess the costs and benefits of resilience investments is critical to mitigating the impacts of outages, the report said.
“Although no universally accepted valuation tool for resilience exists, National Laboratories, utilities, researchers, and state and federal agencies have collaborated to develop, apply, and improve a number of approaches to quantify resilience, several of which are still in progress at the time this report is published. This report seeks to share these important advances by discussing current definitions of resilience, how microgrids are defined and used to meet resilience objectives, new approaches to valuing resilience, steps State Energy Offices and PUCs have taken to further resilience valuation efforts, and finally, considerations and suggested next steps for State Energy Offices and PUCs,” the executive summary of the report reads.
Examples of specific microgrid projects and resilience valuation efforts are included throughout the report. While it is written specifically for NASEO and NARUC members, it may be useful for utilities, local governments, and individual customers interested in improving the way public and private dollars are spent to achieve resilience outcomes.
Combined Heat & Power eCatalog of Recognized Package CHP Systems
Packaged CHP Systems:
Rigorous Recognition Process
The Packaged Combined Heat and Power Catalog (eCatalog) is a voluntary public/private partnership designed to increase deployment of CHP in commercial, institutional and multi-family buildings and manufacturing plants. The core of the eCatalog are CHP Packagers who commit to provide pre-engineered and tested Packaged CHP systems that meet or exceed DOE performance requirements and CHP Solution Providers who commit to provide responsible installation, commissioning, maintenance and service of recognized Packaged CHP systems and also provide a single point of project responsibility.
Customer Engagement Networks: Incentivizing CHP in Your Area
Maximize Your CHP Investment When You Install Recognized Systems
An essential element in market success of energy efficient technologies, such as CHP, is a robust customer engagement network to educate end-users and provide assistance through the project development process. States, localities and utilities that are implementing programs and policies to increase the use of CHP in support of key economic, security, efficiency and environmental goals can integrate the eCatalog into their efforts by linking recognized CHP packages offered by Solution Providers or Packagers in their region to their programs. The eCatalog provides a unique platform for convening recognized CHP equipment and suppliers with state, local and utility market outreach, customer acquisition and incentive programs.
eCATALOG PACKAGED CHP SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
Packaged CHP System standardized1 electrical and thermal performance data presented for comparison in the eCatalog have been reviewed and recognized as accurate based on engineering data and available performance test data submitted by the Packagers. Emissions data presented in the eCatalog are based on either third-party emissions test results when available, or prime mover manufacture’s emissions certification data, both using standard EPA test methodologies or equivalent. When evaluating CHP performance for a particular project, it is important to use final performance data from the Packager or Solution Provider that reflects specific site conditions such as actual fuel characteristics, ambient temperatures and altitude, and thermal load temperatures or pressures. As an example, hot water thermal capacity ratings in the eCatalog are based on a standard hot water supply temperature of 180 F, with packager specified return temperatures for each system. Actual hot water available from a packaged CHP system for a project will depend on the specific temperature requirements of the hot water supply and return at the site, and may vary from data presented in the eCatalog.
“Even a small blip on the power grid can disrupt our production equipment and cause six to eight hours of lost production time. With the CHP systems, if there is a power blip we go into island mode and don't experience any disruption.”
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Combined heat and power (CHP) systems can provide reliable, flexible, low-cost, energy efficiency to a variety of industrial, commercial, and institutional energy consumers.
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