What is the role of hydroelectric power in the United States?

The importance of hydropower as a source of electricity generation varies by geographic region. While hydropower accounted for 8% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2011, it provided over half of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest. Because hydroelectric generation relies on precipitation, it varies widely from month to month and year to year.

Conventional hydroelectric generators of varying capacity operated in 48 states in 2011. Operating expenses for hydroelectric generators are lower than for most other forms of electricity generation but facilities are limited by geography and operations are subject to seasonal constraints. There is a large concentration of capacity in the Pacific Northwest, contributing to low wholesale and retail electricity prices in that region, especially in the spring runoff season.

Conventional hydroelectric generators were among the oldest of the Nation's power plants operating in 2011. The vast majority of hydroelectric generators were built before 1980 and recent changes to hydroelectric capacity have been small.

Conventional hydroelectric plants come in two broad categories: run-of-river and storage. A run-of-river plant utilizes the flow of a waterway (usually a river) to turn a turbine, while a storage plant creates a reservoir using a dam that controls water flow over a turbine.

A run-of-river plant has little control over generator output. A storage plant has some control over generation by controlling spillway water flow at intake through the dam, but is still constrained by total reservoir water levels.

There are several other types of non-conventional hydroelectric generators including pumped-storage, hydrokinetic axial flow and wave buoy turbines. Pumped-storage generators represent the only non-conventional form of hydroelectric generation currently in wide commercial use. These systems pump water to high elevations during low load periods then run the same water through the turbines to produce electricity during high demand times. Other hydroelectric technologies, such as wave buoys, are being developed and demonstrated but not in wide use at this time.

Depending on the season and precipitation, the hydroelectric share of total generation varies from 4% to 10%. Precipitation, snowpack, drought conditions, and other meteorological factors contribute to water availability for generation through hydroelectric dams. For example, early snow melt runoff in the Pacific Northwest, elevated snowpack levels throughout much of the Western river basins, and significant rainfall in March in areas of high hydropower capacity resulted in a large increase in hydroelectric generation in 2011.

Most hydroelectric generators in the United States were co-located at dams originally built for other purposes, like flood control, municipal water supply, and irrigation. Operations are affected by environmental considerations associated with water use, fish populations, and impact on wildlife in surrounding areas. For example, fish ladders and lifts have been constructed at many dams to help protect migrating populations.

The Grand Coulee Dam, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is the fifth-largest power plant operating in the world and the largest in the Nation, with a net summer capacity of 7,079 Megawatts.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was the largest operator of U.S. conventional hydroelectric generating capacity in 2011, followed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The Nation's oldest power facilities are hydroelectric plants.

The Nation's 25 oldest operating power facilities are hydroelectric, the oldest of which began operating in 1891.

Hydroelectric generation is highly variable because it depends on precipitation.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, (July 2012).

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What is the role of hydroelectric power in the United States?

The importance of hydropower as a source of electricity generation varies by geographic region. While hydropower accounted for 8% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2011, it provided over half of the electricity in the Pacific Northwest. Because hydroelectric generation relies on precipitation, it varies widely from month to month and year to year.

Conventional hydroelectric generators of varying capacity operated in 48 states in 2011. Operating expenses for hydroelectric generators are lower than for most other forms of electricity generation but facilities are limited by geography and operations are subject to seasonal constraints. There is a large concentration of capacity in the Pacific Northwest, contributing to low wholesale and retail electricity prices in that region, especially in the spring runoff season.

Conventional hydroelectric generators were among the oldest of the Nation's power plants operating in 2011. The vast majority of hydroelectric generators were built before 1980 and recent changes to hydroelectric capacity have been small.

Conventional hydroelectric plants come in two broad categories: run-of-river and storage. A run-of-river plant utilizes the flow of a waterway (usually a river) to turn a turbine, while a storage plant creates a reservoir using a dam that controls water flow over a turbine.

A run-of-river plant has little control over generator output. A storage plant has some control over generation by controlling spillway water flow at intake through the dam, but is still constrained by total reservoir water levels.

There are several other types of non-conventional hydroelectric generators including pumped-storage, hydrokinetic axial flow and wave buoy turbines. Pumped-storage generators represent the only non-conventional form of hydroelectric generation currently in wide commercial use. These systems pump water to high elevations during low load periods then run the same water through the turbines to produce electricity during high demand times. Other hydroelectric technologies, such as wave buoys, are being developed and demonstrated but not in wide use at this time.

Depending on the season and precipitation, the hydroelectric share of total generation varies from 4% to 10%. Precipitation, snowpack, drought conditions, and other meteorological factors contribute to water availability for generation through hydroelectric dams. For example, early snow melt runoff in the Pacific Northwest, elevated snowpack levels throughout much of the Western river basins, and significant rainfall in March in areas of high hydropower capacity resulted in a large increase in hydroelectric generation in 2011.

Most hydroelectric generators in the United States were co-located at dams originally built for other purposes, like flood control, municipal water supply, and irrigation. Operations are affected by environmental considerations associated with water use, fish populations, and impact on wildlife in surrounding areas. For example, fish ladders and lifts have been constructed at many dams to help protect migrating populations.

The Grand Coulee Dam, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is the fifth-largest power plant operating in the world and the largest in the Nation, with a net summer capacity of 7,079 Megawatts.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was the largest operator of U.S. conventional hydroelectric generating capacity in 2011, followed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The Nation's oldest power facilities are hydroelectric plants.

The Nation's 25 oldest operating power facilities are hydroelectric, the oldest of which began operating in 1891.

Hydroelectric generation is highly variable because it depends on precipitation.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, (July 2012).

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PICO Hybrid Charging Power Supply

Introduction

PICO Hybrid Charging Power Supply, AC or solar power, wind power, power from the electrical charge. Electricity that can be used to move or fixed.
Home solar power system, or the expansion of factories and large, is a product that can be easily. Places need outdoor electrical products that can be used anywhere. The size or capacity will also be produced according to the customer's order.
Produced by anyone to be able to use the various features and components of the integrated clean energy sources have put the emphasis on ease of use.

Introduction

DIY installation is possible. Flexible inputs such as solar, generator or other charging methods are allowableMany kind of charging batteries can be used.Easy accessible GUI using touch pad Mobile or fixed in the body frameModular charging capacity can be increased up to 12KwUninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) function

Details

Images

Specification

Changing Terms and
Conditions of Use

Etc.

Product is the standard specifications. Production after considering all the conditions of use, technical consultations Charge the battery pack and control box produced by integral or detachable.

 

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Small Size 5kw Silent Diesel Electric Diesel Power Generator

 Origin

Feature
Canopied models for noise reduce performance
Double base frame for reducing vibrations
Larger fuel tank for longer autonomy
Integrated wheel on canopies
V-Twin diesel engine in models DG12000SE/SE-3
Control panel
Overload protection through intensity control LED display.
Leakage breaker 30mA for machine and person protection.
Pre heating system for easier starting in cold conditions.
LED digital display 4 functions.
Emergency STOP button.
DC 12V output 8, 3A.
Earth connection.
ATS automatic start in Electric start models with optional Remote Control and Trimmer.

Engine
Diesel 4 stroke Direct injection Air cooled.
Low oil alarm protection with automatic shuf off engine.
V Twin cylinder engine in DHY12000LE/LE-3 models.
Direct electronic injection system.
Alternator
100% Copper Winding.
AVR automatic voltage regulation.
Brush type alternator.

Running Time under 50% Load (hr.) Noise Level behind 7 Meters (dBA)

 

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Small Size 5kw Silent Diesel Electric Diesel Power Generator

 Origin

Feature
Canopied models for noise reduce performance
Double base frame for reducing vibrations
Larger fuel tank for longer autonomy
Integrated wheel on canopies
V-Twin diesel engine in models DG12000SE/SE-3
Control panel
Overload protection through intensity control LED display.
Leakage breaker 30mA for machine and person protection.
Pre heating system for easier starting in cold conditions.
LED digital display 4 functions.
Emergency STOP button.
DC 12V output 8, 3A.
Earth connection.
ATS automatic start in Electric start models with optional Remote Control and Trimmer.

Engine
Diesel 4 stroke Direct injection Air cooled.
Low oil alarm protection with automatic shuf off engine.
V Twin cylinder engine in DHY12000LE/LE-3 models.
Direct electronic injection system.
Alternator
100% Copper Winding.
AVR automatic voltage regulation.
Brush type alternator.
Running Time under 50% Load (hr.) Noise Level behind 7 Meters (dBA)



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Power Sector Laments Europe’s Uncertain Future Energy Policy

Energy policy in the European Union (EU) is in upheaval as concerns mount over the impact of energy costs on the competitiveness of the power industry. Over April and May, the EU voted on but failed to pass several crucial climate measures, from setting a renewables target for 2030 to boosting the carbon price of its floundering Emissions Trading System (ETS). Industry groups have said the policy uncertainty could prove expensive.

On May 22, EU leaders held the first of a special series of thematic discussions on economic sectorial and structural issues, but ensuing draft conclusions from that debate on how to limit the impact of energy costs seem to prioritize industrial competitiveness over climate change, calling on member states to ensure “competitive” energy prices and a diversification of energy supply. The conclusions also reportedly pledge to review the causes of Europe’s soaring energy prices by the end of the year. Separately, the European Commission in May reportedly drew up a draft action plan asking member states to consider removing or temporarily freezing taxes, including renewable and network levies, on energy-intensive industry for a period of two years.

Just a day before that summit (May 21), the European Parliament failed to set a renewables target for 2030 in the 40% to 45% range, approving instead a nonbinding resolution that says the EU should try to achieve a share of renewables in the overall energy mix of more than 30%. The bloc currently has three 2020 climate targets: an improvement of 20% on the continent’s carbon dioxide emissions, a 20% share of renewables, and a 20% improvement in energy efficiency.

And in April, by a 334–315 vote, European Parliament members rejected a proposed reform to reverse the sinking price of carbon and subsequent glut of permits in the ETS carbon trading program, Europe’s flagship climate policy that has seen a turnover that reached €90 billion in 2010. The proposed reform, also known as “backloading,” would have withheld 900 million carbon allowances and steepened an annual decline in allowance numbers to shore up carbon values. “We believe that backloading is now politically dead and it is very unlikely that any political intervention in the scheme will be agreed during the third phase [2013–2020],” said Stig Schjølset, head of EU Carbon Analysis at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. “We do not envisage prices rising much above the current €3 mark and they may well drop lower at least until the end of the third phase. The focus will now shift towards structural, more long-term oriented measures but certainly this vote makes the EU ETS irrelevant as an emissions reduction tool for many years to come,” he said.

The events have prompted Europe’s electricity industry association EURELECTRIC, an entity whose members represent the power sector in 32 European countries, to decry current EU climate and energy policies as a source of “confusion, not clarity. Today’s policy framework is half European, yet still half national; half market-based, but also half command-and-control; and seems to be only half committed to the ETS,” says a May letter to EU heads of state from EURELECTRIC president and CEO of ENEL, Fulvio Conti.

Conti called on leaders to put an end to investor uncertainty and “urgently agree on a coherent top-down package of proposals which establish an ambitious, firm, long-term, economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction target for 2030 up to 2050, in line with the European Council goal.” It is imperative, he said, that the body work out the “regulatory disorder” not just to avoid windfall taxes and retroactive changes, but also to give investors a foundation through long-term policy. Without early investment signals, Europe could face a “lost decade” of climate and energy policy inaction between 2020 and 2030, and this would require a costly sprint to decarbonize in the last two decades before 2050, the group said, citing a report titled “Power Choices Reloaded” that it published in mid-May.

Among “serious” measures that should be tackled is an improved market design, including a European coordinated approach to capacity mechanisms in which “all assets contributing to the security of supply” are “fairly remunerated,” Conti and the heads of Gasterra, GDF Suez, Iberdrola, Eni, RWE, E.ON, and Gasnatural Fenosa urged in a separate release. Also required is a “more sustainable approach” to the promotion of renewables “so as to reduce costs to citizens and favour a greater convergence between member states.”

Siemens Energy, too, has voiced concerns about European energy policy direction. A study that the global power equipment and services company is conducting along with the Technical University of Munich to ascertain the utilization rate of resources of energy systems worldwide and how reliable that supply is suggests that billions are being wasted every year as a result of inefficiencies in worldwide systems and markets—and particularly in Europe’s. For example, “[i]f [renewables] installations were built at the sites in Europe that offer the highest power yields, some €45 billion of investment in renewables could be saved by 2030,” Siemens concludes (Figure 1).

1. More efficiently siting renewables. A study by Siemens Energy analyzing power-producing systems across Europe identifies considerable potential for optimization and concludes that if renewables installations were built at sites in Europe that offer the highest power yields (as shown in this image, which includes associated extension of the power grid), nearly €45 billion of investment could be saved by 2030. Several hurdles would need to be overcome, however, including implementation of a European Union–wide integrated electricity market. Courtesy: Siemens

But such a feat would require, among many other complex needs, a strongly centralized structure that could necessitate a single integrated energy market for Europe. In preparation for a presentation of the findings of Siemens’ study, and to offer possible solutions to future energy challenges at the World Energy Congress in South Korea this October, Michael Süß, CEO of Siemens’ Energy sector, has been engaging in a series of six roundtables with industry, policy-makers, and experts. The takeaway from the very first one in Brussels this May: Creating one European market is indeed an idealistic experiment, and its foremost challenge will lie in harmonizing 27 diverse European energy landscapes and creating political consensus among member states on how to proceed.

In another related development, ambitions to import solar power generated from North Africa to Europe, as initially proposed by the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii), have deflated. In late May, Dii CEO Paul van Son told EU media portal Euractiv.com that the initiative had abandoned “one-dimensional” thinking about the €400 billion plan to source 15% of Europe’s renewable power from the Maghreb by 2015. Dii is instead looking at a business model that creates integrated renewables markets.

Susanne Nies, head of Energy Policy and Generation at industry association EURELECTRIC, put it into better perspective. “Firstly, at a very basic level, we are still missing lines and capacities for export. Building these is technically difficult because of the deep waters in the Mediterranean,” she said. Beyond the link between North America and Europe, consideration should be given to how some countries, such as Spain, are already struggling with excess renewables capacity, and to cross-border interconnection lines, which are also congested.

“Secondly, it is difficult to argue that the EU needs the additional [renewable energy supply] capacity,” she pointed out. Renewables in Europe are already competing to replace existing conventional plants, and importing more renewable power would require “solving plenty of system issues,” a move that could require “giving time to the technical, economic, and regulatory framework to adjust.”

Finally, North Africa’s own power consumption is slated to grow tremendously, and it already exceeds demand, she said. “It would be a big mistake for Africa to neglect its own, indigenous power generation and risk its own security of supply for the sake of satisfying the demand of Europe.”

The 56-member Dii continues to have supporters—including RWE, E.ON, Deutsche Bank, ABB, and the German reinsurer Munich RE—even though it saw the high-profile withdrawal of Siemens and Bosch, and Spain’s reluctance to engage in deals given its current austerity measures.

—Sonal Patel is POWER's senior writer.

To request permission to reuse, reprint or reproduce a print or online POWER magazine article, email or call Nick Iademarco at 281-419-5725.

For single issues contact Theresa Nguyen via email or at 832. 242.1969.

What is RSS?

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing web content, such as news headlines. Using an RSS reader, you can view data feeds from various news sources, such as POWER Magazine, including headlines, summaries, and links to full stories.

How do I access RSS?

RSS/News Aggregators:

RSS/news aggregators (also called readers) will download and display RSS feeds for you. A number of free and commercial news aggregators are available for download.

Many aggregators are separate, "stand-alone" programs; other services will let you add RSS feeds to a web page. Yahoo! users can add RSS feeds to their My Yahoo! page.

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Beacon Power Makes a Comeback

Beacon Power Corp. was founded in 1997 to develop flywheel-based energy storage technology. By 2007, the 100-kW/25-kWh Gen 4 flywheel system was commercialized and deployed in several projects. However, market conditions pushed the company into bankruptcy in late 2011. The company has since emerged, reinvigorated with new investment and a new name: Beacon Power LLC.

Fundamentally, Independent System Operators (ISOs) are responsible for the continuous balancing of electricity supply and demand on their regional grids so that the grid frequency remains as close as possible to 60 Hz at all times. In the past, an ISO would send an automatic generation control (AGC) signal to utility generators to increase or decrease output to maintain the supply-demand balance. This process made maintaining grid frequency relatively straightforward.

However, integrating large amounts of intermittent and unpredictable renewable generation on the grid, particularly wind and solar, makes maintaining the supply-demand balance more difficult, particularly when the response of traditional electricity supply resources is relatively slow compared with the rapid see-saw output from a photovoltaic system on a partly cloudy day.

Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory studied the comparative value of the relatively slow response of AGC-controlled resources with fast-response flywheel-based regulation and reported their conclusions in a report: “Assessing the Value of Regulation Resources Based on Their Time Response Characteristics.” An important conclusion was that 1 MW of fast-response energy storage–based regulation has twice the system regulation value of average conventional regulation resources.

There are other important advantages to an ISO of using flywheel-based frequency regulation. For example, the flywheel energy storage system allows the ISO to recapture a portion of the generation capacity that otherwise would have been allocated for frequency regulation.

Also, if the flywheel-based system is located so that it can inject regulating power on the transmission system, then transmission and transformation losses may be reduced, freeing up transmission line capacity in congested regions. A flywheel system can be sited so it can inject regulating power at the distribution level to reduce grid losses, eliminating the need for conventional regulation plants to use a portion of needed grid capacity for regulation. In addition to grid frequency regulation, once flywheels are fully charged, they can also be used as a temporary grid backup and may be suitable for “black start” service in certain applications.

Beacon Power Corp. was founded in 1997 to commercialize flywheel technology to address the rapidly developing fast-response frequency regulation market and went public in 2000. Its first flywheel systems, the first and second generations of the technology, were deployed in North America for telecommunications backup power applications. Since 2004, the company’s focus has been development of a system that could “recycle” electricity from the grid, absorbing it when demand dropped and injecting it when demand increased.

The first grid-connected Gen 3 (15 kW/4 kWh) was introduced in 2004, followed by the familiar Gen 4 (100 kW/25 kWh) model in 2006 that now has over 3 million operating hours in commercial service (see sidebar). During 2005–2006, Beacon Power participated in 100-kW demonstration projects (using multiple Gen 3 modules) in New York and California. ISO-NE also sponsored a very successful 3-MW pilot program during 2008–2010.

The culmination of a decade of product development and testing was the grid-connected 20-MW frequency regulation plant at Stephentown, N.Y., in 2011, owned and operated by Beacon Power (as is a 0.5-MW facility in Massachusetts). That made it the world’s largest commercial grid-scale flywheel facility when it went fully commercial in June 2011, supplying the NYISO market.

The Stephentown Plant consists of 10 Gen 4 100-kW modules to produce each 1-MW unit. Twenty units are combined to form the plant’s 20-MW rated capacity (Figure 1). Electronic containers are installed for each group of 10 modules, and a cooling system is installed between two 1-MW units. Each unit is equipped with a transformer that increases the voltage output from 480 V to 13.8 kV. A switchyard transformer increases the plant output voltage from 13.8 kV to the New York grid 115 kV transmission line voltage. Plant reliability remains above 99%, and reached 100% during the last quarter of 2012, with 4,000 effective full charge/discharge cycles per year in response to remotely dispatched NYISO signals.

1. Power on tap. The Stephentown Plant consists of 200 100-kW modules that provide up to 20 MW for 15 minutes whenever required by NYISO. The plant has been in service for over two years, with overall plant reliability approaching 100%. Courtesy: Beacon Power LLC

The Stephentown Plant is a “first responder” to frequency deviations in NYISO, where—under a new tariff—resources are dispatched in order of fastest ramp rates. NYISO requires a ramp rate of 20 MW within 6 seconds, although the plant can respond faster, with no limits on degradation due to cycle, duty, depth of discharge, charging rate, ambient temperature, and so on. The plant’s NYISO “performance index” average is greater than 95% since inception—better than any competing technologies. In fact, the plant is capable of providing 35% of NYISO’s regulation requirements with only 10% of the market regulation capacity.

To build the Stephentown facility, in 2009, Beacon Power received a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) $43 million loan guarantee (of which the company drew about $39 million). When Beacon Power Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection on Oct. 30, 2011, as part of the bankruptcy court proceedings, the company agreed, on Nov. 18, to sell its Stephentown facility to repay the DOE loan.

On Feb. 6, 2012, private equity firm Rockland Capital bought the plant and most of the company assets. It has since rehired most of the staff, renamed the company Beacon Power LLC, and funded construction of a second 20-MW plant in Hazle Township, Pa., that will provide frequency regulation services to PJM. That plant, configured like the Stephentown Plant, will place the first 4 MW into commercial service in September 2013 and the remainder by the second quarter of 2014.

In late April, POWER discussed this remarkable turnaround with Beacon Power CEO Barry Brits to explore the underlying cause of the bankruptcy and how the company expects to earn revenue and build a business. Brits shared that in the past, the company struggled to earn revenue when there was no market tariff in place that placed a monetary value on regulation services, particularly fast-response regulation.

Today, tariff changes are in place in several ISO regions that will pay for regulation services. Other markets are developing, such as MISO and CAISO. Brits believes that Beacon Power is well situated to compete in those markets, particularly as the company’s cost/cycle is much lower than its primary competition, batteries. Brits expects the remaining ISO markets to follow suit in time and develop attractive tariff structures. With an established tariff, Beacon can build plants and earn a return on its investment. This is what Brits described as the company’s short-term plan, over the next year or so.

In the long term, the company will pursue global opportunities where fast-responding grid regulation services have a prescribed market value, particularly in islanding applications and in regions with high power prices and a high percentage of renewables. Not surprisingly, Brits was in Germany exploring market opportunities when we made contact by phone.

Brits noted that the Stephentown plant has provided grid regulation services (called ancillary services in other regions) for two years, earning revenue 24/7 while maintaining high reliability of service. With new tariffs for these services now available, the uncertainty that made investors reluctant to provide financing in the past has been removed. Brits suggests that there is ample money available from energy private equity or from hedge funds to construct new projects without difficulty. The company’s new connection with Rockland Capital has also opened new networks for project financing, expected to be in the range of 50% to 60% debt-to-equity.

As a taxpayer, it was very good to hear that Beacon Power has committed to the repayment of at least 70% of the DOE loan, unlike other firms that have walked away from loan repayments. Beacon’s repayment commitment is a good sign that the company has a strong product and is investing in that product with a long-term perspective.

— Dr. Robert Peltier, PE is editor-in-chief of POWER.

To request permission to reuse, reprint or reproduce a print or online POWER magazine article, email or call Nick Iademarco at 281-419-5725.

For single issues contact Theresa Nguyen via email or at 832. 242.1969.

What is RSS?

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is an XML-based format for sharing and distributing web content, such as news headlines. Using an RSS reader, you can view data feeds from various news sources, such as POWER Magazine, including headlines, summaries, and links to full stories.

How do I access RSS?

RSS/News Aggregators:

RSS/news aggregators (also called readers) will download and display RSS feeds for you. A number of free and commercial news aggregators are available for download.

Many aggregators are separate, "stand-alone" programs; other services will let you add RSS feeds to a web page. Yahoo! users can add RSS feeds to their My Yahoo! page.

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MIT Developing Floating Wind Turbines That Produce Power Even When There’s No Wind

Critics of wind power keep coming back to the same old complaint: what happens when there’s no wind? A new design from researchers at MIT could finally offer a solution to this renewable energy conundrum. Engineers have conceived of an offshore wind turbine anchored by hollow concrete spheres that could also turn seawater into electricity. The turbine would allow offshore wind farm managers to store excess energy for a time when there’s no wind.

The design would use massive concrete orbs (think: the diameter of the dome on the U.S. Capitol building) to anchor floating wind turbines to the ocean floor. When it’s particularly windy and the turbines produce more power than is needed, some of the energy could be diverted to a pump that would remove the water from the hollow sphere. Then, if there comes a time when power produced by the turbines is insufficient, water would be allowed to flow back into the sphere through a turbine attached to a generator, and the resulting electricity would be sent back to shore.

“One such 25-meter sphere in 400-meter-deep water could store up to 6 megawatt-hours of power, the MIT researchers have calculated; that means that 1,000 such spheres could supply as much power as a nuclear plant for several hours—enough to make them a reliable source of power,” reports David Chandler for PhysOrg.

According to the researchers, the trick is finding the correct concrete wall thickness to withstand the hydrostatic pressure while also providing enough ballast mass – this will depend on the strength of the concrete used. The concrete could incorporate significant amounts of fly ash from coal-fired power plants, and the spheres could double as artificial coral reefs.

 

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Google X Buys Airborne Wind Turbine Company Makani Power

Google X, the tech giant’s top secret experimental branch, recently announced that it will take over Makani Power, a startup that develops wind turbines that fly through the air like a kite, rather than being mounted on massive poles cemented into the ground. The acquisition is just one of many significant investments Google has made into renewable energy technologies, and indicates that airborne wind turbines might soon be ready to move out of the experimental phase and into commercial reality.

In case the term “kite power” gives you visions of Ben Franklin and the lightning storm, it’s important to point out that this kite-like system is far more sophisticated. Makani’s design consists of wind turbines mounted on unmanned, fixed-wing aircraft that are tethered to the ground (that’s where the kite part comes in). More accurately referred to as an Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT), the craft ascends to an altitude of 800 to 1,950 feet in order to take advantage of winds that are much stronger than anything feel here on the ground.

According to Makani, the design eliminates 90 percent of the material used in conventional wind turbines, and can access winds both at higher altitudes and above deep waters offshore — resources that are currently untapped. On-board generators create up to 600 kilowatts of electricity collected through dedicated turbines, which is then sent on to a tethered ground station.

Apparently, Google has been a long-time investor in Makani’s development of the airborne turbine, while also received support from the US Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program. The success of Makani’s test flights caught the attention of Astro Teller, the director of Google’s secretive research lab, and last February, he asked Chief Executive Officer Larry Page for permission to officially acquire the company. It’s one of the only known acquisitions by Google X, although there could be more.

 

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