Distributed Generation

ABB completes acquisition of Thomas & Betts

Wed, 16 May 2012 20:42:00 GMT

ABB (NYSE: ABB) has completed the acquisition of Thomas & Betts, a Tennessee-based provider of low-voltage products.

The deal will double ABB’s addressable market in North America to approximately $24 billion. Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisor to ABB and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as the main legal advisor. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. was the financial advisor for Thomas & Betts and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP was the legal advisor.

Dominic Pileggi will remain as chairman of Thomas & Betts, and Charles Treadway, previously the chief operating officer, is now the CEO in Pileggi’s place. The headquarters remains in Memphis. In addition, Thomas & Betts shares have stopped trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Eletrobras to invest $615mn in transmission projects for World Cup

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:42:00 GMT

Brazilian state-run power company Eletrobras Eletrosul (NYSE: EBR) says it will invest $615 million into new transmission projects to help meet power demands expected during the 2014 World Cup.

According to Business News Americas, the announcement means Sul Brasileiro and Marumbi, construction joint ventures between Eletrobras Eletrosul and Copel (NYSE: ELP), can begin construction on 826 km of transmission lines and two substations. The projects are expected to be complete in May 2014.

Eletrobras Eletrosul said in the article that $276.8 million would be allocated to contracts won last year, which were approved by Brazil’s power regulator, Aneel, on May 10.

The projects will integrate substations Camaquã 3 (230/69 kV) and Curitiba Leste (535/230 kV) to the state power grids of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul in the south, the article said.

Brazil's government reportedly says it will need to add 14 GW of installed capacity to ensure power demands for the World Cup.

Combined-cycle power plant to use energy storage system

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:10:00 GMT

TAS Energy has been awarded a contract for a energy storage project at a new 1,300 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Virginia. The storage project is a combination of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and Turbine Inlet Chilling (TIC) systems.

TAS will be providing three of its patented F-70 chiller packages, each rated at 7,900 tons, and a variable-speed pump skid that interfaces with the TES tank, gas turbine filter house coils and the chiller packages for the Warren County Power Station.

The contract was awarded by Warren County Energy Partners (WCEP), a joint venture between Zachry Industrial Inc. and Burns & McDonnell. WCEP was selected by Dominion (NYSE: D) as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the plant that is expected to be operational in 2014.

TAS Energy will deliver the bulk of the TIC system, including the inlet cooling coils and the coil modules. When placed in combination with a TES tank, the F-70 chiller packages and pump skid will provide inlet chilling for the combined cycle project which will use three Mitsubishi M501G gas turbines and one Mitsubishi TC4F steam turbine.

TAS Energy will be manufacturing the equipment at their facility in Houston, Texas and expects delivery in early 2013.

Purdue plans to demolish coal-fired boiler, install CHP plant on campus

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:33:00 GMT

Officials with Purdue University in Indiana on May 7 presented a Comprehensive Energy Master Plan (CEMP), which calls for $33.1 million to be used to demolish an old coal-burning boiler, convert another coal-burning boiler to natural gas, install a natural gas-fired combined heat and power unit, and increase steam distribution along Jischke Drive. The money had originally been slated to build a new clean-coal boiler.

Planned near-term improvements include a 5 million gallon thermal energy storage tank that will allow water to be chilled at night when demand for cooling is low and electricity rates are cheaper. Wade Power Plant's Chiller 6 is scheduled for renovations to extend its service life. Planned upgrades to the pump at the northwest satellite plant will improve distribution at the north end of campus.

As written, mid- and long-term goals include replacing Chiller 6 at the Wade plant, removing Chiller 7 and Boiler 2, building a Boiler 9, adding new chillers at Satellite Plant 2, and building a new chilled water line along Third Street.

The Board of Trustees Physical Facilities Committee requested in 2011 that the university create a comprehensive energy plan to identify and meet the long-term energy needs on the campus. Burns & McDonnell was hired to assist the committee in the plan's development.

Eaton: California reported the most power blackouts in 2011

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:46:00 GMT

Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) released its Blackout Tracker Annual Report for 2011, saying that California topped the list of states with the most outages in 2011, followed by Michigan and New York.

The data is based on reported power outages across the U.S. and is organized into two sections: An overview of national power outage data and power outage data by state.

There were 3,071 reported outages affecting more than 41.8 million people across the U.S. in 2011, an average of 21,109 people affected per outage for the year.

Among the most unusual causes of outages in 2011 include strong winds picking up a trampoline and dropping it into a substation in Washington state, a bald eagle dropping a deer carcass onto a power line in Montana, and a paraglider getting tangled in a power line in Utah. The paraglider survived.

To download the full report, including a state-by-state ranking, click here.

GE distribution business unit opens manufacturing plant in Chile

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:41:00 GMT

GE Energy’s (NYSE: GE) Industrial Solutions business opened an electrical distribution product and service solutions manufacturing plant in Chile. The products assembled at the plant include low and medium voltage switchgear and motor control centers.

GE Energy opened the business center in Santiago to localize operations in Latin America, therefore cutting delivery time and costs for customers.

Industrial Solutions provides customers with end-to-end product and service solutions that ensure the reliability and protection of the electrical infrastructure.

Battery storage system integrated into thermal power plant in Chile

Thu, 03 May 2012 18:31:00 GMT

AES Gener and AES Energy Storage announced the commercial operation of the second energy storage project in Northern Chile, integrating 20 MW of advanced battery-based energy storage with a 544 MW thermal power plant. Both companies are subsidiaries of AES Corp (NYSE: AES).

The project is owned by AES Gener and will operate through its subsidiary, Empresa Electrica Angamos S.A. (Angamos).

The advanced reserve capacity provided by the storage technology will enable the Angamos plant to generate an additional 20 MW of energy at virtually all times throughout the year. As a result, this newly available energy will increase power generation from the Angamos plant by 4 percent.

The storage system was designed, built and operational in 15 months. It is comprised of approximately one million advanced lithium-ion battery cells divided between ten, 2 MW battery containers and five, 4 MW power controls containers. A123 Systems (NASDAQ: AONE) supplied the energy storage systems for the project, and the power controls modules were provided by ABB (NYSE: ABB).

AES Energy Storage worked with AES Gener throughout the design, development, and installation of the Angamos BESS. AES Energy Storage worked with CDEC-SING, AES Gener and its partners to configure the parameters of the advanced reserves product enabling the Angamos BESS to meet the performance requirements of the electrical system operator and respond autonomously within established parameters. The advanced reserves product also features system monitoring, SCADA and integration with other operational systems.

GE to deliver cogeneration gas sets to CHP plant in Wisconsin

Thu, 03 May 2012 16:35:00 GMT

GE’s (NYSE: GE) Waukesha gas engines factory manufactured and recently delivered two, 1 MW cogeneration sets for the Forest County Potawatomi Community’s (FCPC) planned biogas combined heat and power (CHP) project in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley. The biogas project will convert waste from area food processing operations into renewable energy for the tribal community as well as the local grid.

GE delivered the two Waukesha APG1000 Enginator biogas engines to FCPC on April 13. An anaerobic digester will process the food processor waste to produce biogas that will fuel GE’s Waukesha engines in the CHP plant. The engines are designed specifically to run on biogases that are rich in methane.

The two generator sets will produce a total of 2 MW of renewable electricity. The biogas plant’s electricity will be sold to WE Energies. The Potawatomi Tribe expects the CHP plant to begin operations in April 2013.

Siemens to deliver gas turbine for CHP plant in Mexico

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:33:00 GMT

Siemens Energy (NYSE: SI) said it has received its first order for the supply of its SGT-750 industrial gas turbine in North America. The purchaser is Energia MK KF, S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of textile manufacturer Grupo Kaltex.

When commercially operational in October 2013, the 36 MW facility will supply electricity to the textile facilities operated by Grupo Kaltex in Mexico.

The Energia MK KF, S.A. de C.V., combined heat and power plant with a total installed capacity of 36 MW will be in Altamira, in Tamaulipas State, Mexico. One-third of the total electrical capacity will be used for the Kaltex facility on site and two-thirds will be fed into the grid for other Kaltex facilities in Mexico. The plant will meet approximately 40 percent of Kaltex's power needs in Mexico.

The Siemens scope of supply encompasses supply, installation and commissioning of the SGT-750 gas turbine together with the electrical generator, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with supplementary firing system and auxiliary systems.

FERC and NERC release report on September 2011 blackout

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:21:00 GMT

Staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) have released a report analyzing the September 2011 blackout that left 2.7 million customers in southern California, Arizona and Baja, Calif. in the dark. The report surmises that the blackout stemmed from operating in an unsecured state due to inadequate planning and a lack of observability and awareness of system operating conditions on the day of the event.

The staff report, issued after a nearly eight-month inquiry, recommends that transmission operators and balancing authorities improve how they plan for operations to account for the status of facilities outside their individual systems, the effect of external operations on their own systems and how operation of transmission facilities under 100 kV can affect the reliability of the bulk power system.

FERC and NERC staff used on-site interviews, sophisticated computer modeling, event simulations and system analysis to make the determination that entities responsible for planning, operating and monitoring the bulk power system were not prepared to ensure reliable operation or prevent cascading outages in the event of a single contingency: the loss of Arizona Public Service’s (APS) Hassayampa-North Gila 500 kV transmission line.

That line loss itself did not cause the blackout, the report found, but it did initiate a sequence of events that led to the blackout, exposing grid operators’ lack of adequate real-time situational awareness of conditions throughout the Western Interconnection. More effective review and use of information would have helped operators avoid the cascading blackout.

Click here to read the entire report. (PDF)

GE to supply gas engines to landfill gas-to-electricity project in Chile

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:18:00 GMT

GE (NYSE: GE) will supply six Jenbacher gas engines to a landfill gas-to-electricity power plant in Chile.

The Loma Los Colorados landfill will host an 8.4 MW plant expansion that will use six of the 1.4 MW J420 Jenbacher units. GE will install the units adjacent to seven GE Jenbacher engines already on site for a total generating capacity of 18 MW. The company will also provide a master engine control system.

GE expects the units to enter operations between 2012 and 2014. Generadora Trasandina S.A. (GTSA) provided design and engineering support for the initial phase of the project. GTSA will also own the units during the next 10 years and is renting them to KDM Energia, the plant’s owner, under a 10-year agreement.

Landfill gas-to-electricity plant completed in Mexico

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:17:00 GMT

Ener-G Natural Power and Biogas Technology, both units of UK-based Ener-G Holdings Plc, completed a 3.2 MW landfill gas-to-electricity project in Mexico.

Ener-G invested 4.4 million pounds ($7.1 million) into the power plant at the San Nicholas landfill. The plant features two 1.6 MW biogas generators. The company developed the plant along with the city of Aquascalientes, which owns the landfill. A nearby Nissan Motor Co. manufacturing plant receives 2.475 MW of generated output from the plant.

Ener-G Holdings designs, develops and finances energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions around the world.

GE's battery storage unit to be used in power system

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:22:00 GMT

GE (NYSE: GE)'s Energy Storage business, a unit of GE Transportation, recently signed a Business Cooperation Agreement with Arista Power Inc. to jointly promote and market Arista's new Power on Demand System that will incorporate GE's new Durathon batteries.

Arista Power, a manufacturer, designer and integrator of renewable energy generation, management and distribution systems, has selected GE's new Durathon Battery system for use in its new Power on Demand Systems.

GE's Durathon battery is the product of a $100 million investment in next-generation battery technology. Durathon is a nickel salt battery that is marketed for energy storage and uninterruptable power supply (UPS) applications.

GE's Durathon is 50 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than traditional batteries, and are made to last up to 20 years.

Arista's Power on Demand system reduces electricity demand charges, by using energy generated by wind turbines, solar photovoltaic, the electric grid, and other power sources in conjunction with a custom-designed battery storage system and proprietary real-time demand monitoring technology.

Solar power installation completed in New Jersey

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:30:00 GMT

Constellation Energy, a business unit of Exelon (NYSE: EXC), and the Middle Township Board of Education in New Jersey said they have completed a 1.5 MW (DC) solar power project for four Middle Township Public School District sites.

Baltimore-based Constellation Energy owns and will maintain the solar power systems. In return, the school district will purchase and receive all of the electricity generated by the solar panels at a fixed rate from Constellation Energy under a 15-year power purchase agreement. The solar power systems, comprised of approximately 5,785 roof-mounted photovoltaic panels, are expected to generate 42 percent of the district’s electricity needs.

Gas-fired microturbines to be used in Eagle Ford shale play

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:29:00 GMT

Capstone Turbine Corp. (Nasdaq: CPST) said it sold 30 more C65 microturbines to be used in the Eagle Ford shale play.

The latest order for 30 C65 microturbines brings the total sold in excess of 150 units in the last nine months.

Capstone said the majority of the 150 microturbines will operate on natural gas to generate power for Lease Automatic Custody Transfer (LACT) units and transfer stations at remote well sites in the Eagle Ford shale play.

Capstone to supply gas-fired CHP system to Michigan hospital

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:24:00 GMT

Capstone Turbine Corp. (Nasdaq: CPST) said it has sold a dual-mode C1000 power package to a Michigan hospital that will operate in a combined heat and power (CHP) application.

The C1000 will provide both prime and backup power.

In prime power mode, the C1000 will use natural gas as fuel to provide an estimated 25 percent of the hospital's total power. The power package will generate electricity to offset the hospital's reliance on utility power. Microturbine exhaust heat will create steam for facility heating. If the grid fails, Capstone said the grid-connected C1000 will run independently to protect the hospital's critical loads by automatically kicking into stand-alone mode.

ABB to supply system to stabilize grid, increase transmission capacity

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:17:00 GMT

ABB (NYSE: ABB) has won $45 million worth of orders from Oncor to provide technology that will increase transmission capacity, stabilize the grid and help integrate renewable energy in Texas.

ABB’s flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS) will be incorporated into the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) program, which aims to increase the contribution of renewable energy in Texas by up to 18 GW. ABB will design, supply, install and commission one static var compensator (SVC) and two series compensators.

Generators set to maintain reliability of city's water and sewer services

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:27:00 GMT

Acclaim Energy Advisors secured twenty years of electrical reliability for Clear Lake City Water Authority (CLCWA) by providing them with the service of nine 500 MW generators. The generators are expected to maintain reliability of the city’s water and sewer services against power or grid outages.

The generators are expected to be installed in four locations within the CLCWA district by mid-2012.

Power management and storage system set for Alaska wind project

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:13:00 GMT

Xtreme Power Inc. signed an agreement with the Kodiak Electric Association to install a 3 MW power management and energy storage solution on its Pillar Mountain Wind Project in Alaska.

KEA said it plans to expand the wind project to 9 MW, which necessitated the need for the storage and power management system. The Dynamic Power Resource is designed to leverage real-time control system to automatically respond to grid disturbances by absorbing or releasing real and reactive power.

The DPR on the Pillar Mountain Wind Project will be completed in late 2012.

Capstone to sell microturbine for CHP plant in Singapore

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:05:00 GMT

Capstone Turbine Corp. (Nasdaq: CPST) will sell a Capstone C1000 microturbine that will be installed in a combined heat and power plant in Singapore.

N&N Agriculture Pte Ltd, a high-tech egg farm, purchased the C1000. The power package, which is fueled by biogas generated from animal waste in an anaerobic digester, will generate reliable, low-emission electricity and thermal power.

The onsite electricity produced by the C1000 will power the farm's six large climate controlled layer houses and two grower houses that span 32 acres at the Lim Chu Kang Agro-Technology Park. The exhaust heat from the Capstone power package will be used to dry spent grain used for chicken feed.

Sobono Energy, Capstone's Asian-Pacific distributor, secured the order and will supply and commission the C1000 in summer 2012.