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Solar Foundation's Luecke discusses jobs outlook for the industry
Can the solar industry continue to develop jobs without the extension of federal grant programs? During today's OnPoint, Andrea Luecke, executive director at the Solar Foundation, discusses the newly released National Solar Jobs Census 2011. Luecke says 50 percent of solar firms are expected to add workers in the next year. She explains why, despite policy and regulatory uncertainty, the solar industry has continued to show growth.
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Monday, October 17, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The variability of interconnected wind plants
This paper could help make a case for siting wind at different locations on the base. May be a section of our report
The variability of interconnected wind plants
Warren Katzensteinn
, Emily Fertig, Jay Apt
a b s t r a c t
We present the first frequency-dependent analyses of the geographic smoothing of wind power’s
variability, analyzing the interconnected measured output of 20 wind plants in Texas. Reductions in
variability occur at frequencies corresponding to times shorter than 24 h and are quantified by
measuring the departure from a Kolmogorov spectrum. At a frequency of 2.8 10
4
Hz (corresponding
to 1 h), an 87% reduction of the variability of a single wind plant is obtained by interconnecting 4 wind
plants. Interconnecting the remaining 16 wind plants produces only an additional 8% reduction. We use
step change analyses and correlation coefficients to compare our results with previous studies, finding
that wind power ramps up faster than it ramps down for each of the step change intervals analyzed and
that correlation between the power output of wind plants 200 km away is half that of co-located wind
plants. To examine variability at very low frequencies, we estimate yearly wind energy production in
the Great Plains region of the United States from automated wind observations at airports covering
36 years. The estimated wind power has significant inter-annual variability and the severity of wind
drought years is estimated to be about half that observed nationally for hydroelectric power.
& 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
The variability of interconnected wind plants
Warren Katzensteinn
, Emily Fertig, Jay Apt
a b s t r a c t
We present the first frequency-dependent analyses of the geographic smoothing of wind power’s
variability, analyzing the interconnected measured output of 20 wind plants in Texas. Reductions in
variability occur at frequencies corresponding to times shorter than 24 h and are quantified by
measuring the departure from a Kolmogorov spectrum. At a frequency of 2.8 10
4
Hz (corresponding
to 1 h), an 87% reduction of the variability of a single wind plant is obtained by interconnecting 4 wind
plants. Interconnecting the remaining 16 wind plants produces only an additional 8% reduction. We use
step change analyses and correlation coefficients to compare our results with previous studies, finding
that wind power ramps up faster than it ramps down for each of the step change intervals analyzed and
that correlation between the power output of wind plants 200 km away is half that of co-located wind
plants. To examine variability at very low frequencies, we estimate yearly wind energy production in
the Great Plains region of the United States from automated wind observations at airports covering
36 years. The estimated wind power has significant inter-annual variability and the severity of wind
drought years is estimated to be about half that observed nationally for hydroelectric power.
& 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Sunday, September 25, 2011
U.S. Army Embarks On $7 billion Renewable Energy Overhaul
http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/us-army-embarks-on-7-billion-renewable-energy-overhaul.php
TINA CASEY SEPTEMBER 25, 2011, 1:57 AM 3166 28
The U.S. Army has embarked on an ambitious $7 billion series of utility-scale renewable energy projects.
The new program involves building twenty utility-scale renewable energy installations that rely on a mix of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass power. The installations will be constructed on land owned by the Department of Defense, at Army bases throughout the U.S.
The program calls for the Army to use its land as equity to leverage about $7 billion in private investment for the twenty projects.
The Army’s goal is to provide its bases with reliable energy sources that are insulated from price spikes, shortages and grid disruptions. Aside from these energy security issues, reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are key goals.
Rather than paying up front for the installations, the Army plans to attract companies that would build the renewable energy installations in exchange for a commitment from the Army to purchase the energy.
This type of arrangement, called a Power Purchase Agreement, is common in the solar industry.
Since many base commanders do not have the resources to initiate or manage utility-scale energy construction projects (defined as about 10 megawatts or more), the Army has formed a new Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF) composed of a small staff of experts who will assess projects, vet renewable energy companies, develop new technologies and streamline the approval process.
EITF was organized over the summer and officially announced that it was open for business on September 15.
At a recent roundtable discussion held for bloggers and reporters, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack described EITF’s mission as “unprecedented” in terms of size, and in terms of expanding the Army’s established acquisition procedures into new areas.
“We’ve got the land and we’ve got the demand,” said Hammack.
Hammack made it clear that the Army intends to use its normal acquisition procedures to push the program through.
“We are going to leverage all of the tools available,” said Hammack, which would include loans and technology grants as well as loan guarantees.
EITF’s mission dovetails with the Army’s recently announced Net Zero program, in which Army bases have the goal of consuming only as much energy and water as they can produce on site.
Fort Bliss, one of the Net Zero program’s pilot bases, recently announced a $1.5 billion investment program to install more than 140 MW of renewable energy facilities on the base, and reclaim more than 500 million gallons of water annually.
The first steps for EITF involve setting up new procedures and vetting 20 projects that are already in the pipeline. EITF’s goal is to have the first round of projects ready to go out for bid early next year.
EITF will also be working with federal research resources including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to identify promising new technologies.
Hammack noted that EITF is looking at all forms of renewable energy and has already received numerous contacts from the renewable energy industry regarding advanced technologies.
In recent years the Department of Defense has raised an increasingly urgent call for transitioning out of petroleum fuel products, as risks and expenses rise.
“We cannot serve and protect the citizens of the United States unless we have reliable access to energy,” said Hammack.
TINA CASEY SEPTEMBER 25, 2011, 1:57 AM 3166 28
The U.S. Army has embarked on an ambitious $7 billion series of utility-scale renewable energy projects.
The new program involves building twenty utility-scale renewable energy installations that rely on a mix of solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass power. The installations will be constructed on land owned by the Department of Defense, at Army bases throughout the U.S.
The program calls for the Army to use its land as equity to leverage about $7 billion in private investment for the twenty projects.
The Army’s goal is to provide its bases with reliable energy sources that are insulated from price spikes, shortages and grid disruptions. Aside from these energy security issues, reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are key goals.
Rather than paying up front for the installations, the Army plans to attract companies that would build the renewable energy installations in exchange for a commitment from the Army to purchase the energy.
This type of arrangement, called a Power Purchase Agreement, is common in the solar industry.
Since many base commanders do not have the resources to initiate or manage utility-scale energy construction projects (defined as about 10 megawatts or more), the Army has formed a new Energy Initiatives Task Force (EITF) composed of a small staff of experts who will assess projects, vet renewable energy companies, develop new technologies and streamline the approval process.
EITF was organized over the summer and officially announced that it was open for business on September 15.
At a recent roundtable discussion held for bloggers and reporters, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Katherine Hammack described EITF’s mission as “unprecedented” in terms of size, and in terms of expanding the Army’s established acquisition procedures into new areas.
“We’ve got the land and we’ve got the demand,” said Hammack.
Hammack made it clear that the Army intends to use its normal acquisition procedures to push the program through.
“We are going to leverage all of the tools available,” said Hammack, which would include loans and technology grants as well as loan guarantees.
EITF’s mission dovetails with the Army’s recently announced Net Zero program, in which Army bases have the goal of consuming only as much energy and water as they can produce on site.
Fort Bliss, one of the Net Zero program’s pilot bases, recently announced a $1.5 billion investment program to install more than 140 MW of renewable energy facilities on the base, and reclaim more than 500 million gallons of water annually.
The first steps for EITF involve setting up new procedures and vetting 20 projects that are already in the pipeline. EITF’s goal is to have the first round of projects ready to go out for bid early next year.
EITF will also be working with federal research resources including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to identify promising new technologies.
Hammack noted that EITF is looking at all forms of renewable energy and has already received numerous contacts from the renewable energy industry regarding advanced technologies.
In recent years the Department of Defense has raised an increasingly urgent call for transitioning out of petroleum fuel products, as risks and expenses rise.
“We cannot serve and protect the citizens of the United States unless we have reliable access to energy,” said Hammack.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Army initiative could be boon for U.S. companies
A rare bright spot appeared on the horizon for the beleaguered American solar industry yesterday when the U.S. Army launched an ambitious initiative to build large-scale renewable energy projects on its land.
The Army is looking to install 2.1 megawatt-hours of renewable energy across its millions of acres of land in the United States (E&ENews PM, Aug. 10). Given the concentration of bases the service has in the sun-drenched Southwest and its experience with the technology, solar will likely make up a significant portion of that, service officials said.
And U.S. companies won't be competing with their often-cheaper Chinese counterparts for the Army's business, thanks to a provision in the fiscal 2011 defense authorization (E&E Daily, April 14).
That's good news for an industry that saw three major companies file for bankruptcy in recent weeks as Asian competitors dominate the market (Greenwire, Sept. 6).
Assistant Secretary of the Army Katherine Hammack said the Army's demand could kick-start a new round of innovation in the American market.
"Certainly there is some turmoil in the solar industry," Hammack said. "We are confident that what we're doing is going to spur innovation and it's going to spur production in the United States."
Her office is not just looking at current technologies, and Hammack said she hopes the project will provide the sort of impetus for nascent renewable energy technologies that other military projects did for GPS and the Internet.
Ken Zweibel, director of the Solar Institute at George Washington University, said the new initiative could be a well-timed boost for U.S. industry.
"That's really great news for solar installers here and solar manufacturers here, which are under a lot of pressure," he said.
The United States does not have a large manufacturing base, though, said Swami Venkataraman, a utilities analyst at the rating company Standard & Poor's.
"That's not a negligible amount, of course, and companies will be happy to have this customer," he said, "but it's not so massive that it's going to completely change the complexion of the U.S. solar manufacturing industry in terms of reversing or even stemming the flow of manufacturing to Asian locations."
The Army's project is spurred both by a desire to become less reliant on the civilian grid and an expectation that traditional energy will become increasingly expensive.
"We know that there are growing challenges to the Army's energy supply and the nation's energy supply," Hammack said. "It's also fiscally prudent in the current fiscal situation that the nation is in."
Venkataraman said the initiative, which the Army is looking primarily to third-party financing to fund, could help the service rein in costs at a time when defense spending is facing intense scrutiny.
"The Army is coming in at a time when prices are at historic lows. Solar power has become quite cheap, and in many states, solar companies are able to provide power at prices that are lower than the local utilities," he said. "It's possible the Army may be able to not only encourage solar, but they may be able to save money comparable to their existing utility bills."
http://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/2011/09/16/4
The Army is looking to install 2.1 megawatt-hours of renewable energy across its millions of acres of land in the United States (E&ENews PM, Aug. 10). Given the concentration of bases the service has in the sun-drenched Southwest and its experience with the technology, solar will likely make up a significant portion of that, service officials said.
And U.S. companies won't be competing with their often-cheaper Chinese counterparts for the Army's business, thanks to a provision in the fiscal 2011 defense authorization (E&E Daily, April 14).
That's good news for an industry that saw three major companies file for bankruptcy in recent weeks as Asian competitors dominate the market (Greenwire, Sept. 6).
Assistant Secretary of the Army Katherine Hammack said the Army's demand could kick-start a new round of innovation in the American market.
"Certainly there is some turmoil in the solar industry," Hammack said. "We are confident that what we're doing is going to spur innovation and it's going to spur production in the United States."
Her office is not just looking at current technologies, and Hammack said she hopes the project will provide the sort of impetus for nascent renewable energy technologies that other military projects did for GPS and the Internet.
Ken Zweibel, director of the Solar Institute at George Washington University, said the new initiative could be a well-timed boost for U.S. industry.
"That's really great news for solar installers here and solar manufacturers here, which are under a lot of pressure," he said.
The United States does not have a large manufacturing base, though, said Swami Venkataraman, a utilities analyst at the rating company Standard & Poor's.
"That's not a negligible amount, of course, and companies will be happy to have this customer," he said, "but it's not so massive that it's going to completely change the complexion of the U.S. solar manufacturing industry in terms of reversing or even stemming the flow of manufacturing to Asian locations."
The Army's project is spurred both by a desire to become less reliant on the civilian grid and an expectation that traditional energy will become increasingly expensive.
"We know that there are growing challenges to the Army's energy supply and the nation's energy supply," Hammack said. "It's also fiscally prudent in the current fiscal situation that the nation is in."
Venkataraman said the initiative, which the Army is looking primarily to third-party financing to fund, could help the service rein in costs at a time when defense spending is facing intense scrutiny.
"The Army is coming in at a time when prices are at historic lows. Solar power has become quite cheap, and in many states, solar companies are able to provide power at prices that are lower than the local utilities," he said. "It's possible the Army may be able to not only encourage solar, but they may be able to save money comparable to their existing utility bills."
http://www.eenews.net/
Thursday, September 8, 2011
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