Smart Grid T&D

Power transmission firms plan German wind highways

Thu, 31 May 2012 10:13:00 GMT

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s renewable power strategy has received a considerable boost after Germany’s power transmission companies put forward plans to build four electricity Autobahns to link wind turbines off the north coast with manufacturing centres in the south of the country, at a cost of $24bn.

Tennet, Amprion, 50 Hertz and Transnet BW intend to strum up support for their plans to build 3800km high-voltage electricity lines over the next ten years.

In a first blueprint for the government, the companies proposed 2,100km of direct-current power lines – similar to those used for undersea links like that between the UK to the European continent – to connect the North Sea and the Baltic coasts to the south.

The stability of the electricity network has proved a serious headache for Frau Merkel as it was designed to pipe nuclear electricity from south to north, not renewable electricity from the coast.

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China deepens interest in Brazil’s power market

Wed, 30 May 2012 12:01:00 GMT

State Grid Corp of China is again focusing on Brazil’s electricity transmission line business, as it seeks to buy the Brazilian electricity transmission assets of Spain’s Actividades de Construcci�n y Servicios for $531m plus debt of $411m.

The latest deal is State Grid’s second acquisition in Brazil, according to FT, where it previously bought seven electricity transmission lines for $1bn in 2010.

State Grid has also been reported to be interested in buying a 39 per cent stake held in another Brazilian power holding company, Neoenergia, that is held by Spain’s Iberdrola.

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European Smart Grid forum appoints UK chairman

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:25:00 GMT

A European forum on Smart Grids is to be led by a UK industry leader following the appointment of Energy Networks Association chief executive David Smith as its chairman.

GEODE is a European Group of independent energy distribution and distribution-related companies, as well as other organisations in the gas and electricity sectors.

It was set up to aid the EU development in Smart Grid thinking by sharing expertise and feeding this back to the EU Commission.

Smith said: “I’m delighted to have been asked to chair this group. A Smart Grid is a vital part of our energy future in the UK, and, as an interconnected Europe.”

ABB clinches $50m order for Brazil substations

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:26:00 GMT

Swiss power group ABB has won orders worth more than $50m to build transmission substations in Brazil.

The deals are for a total of six substations owned by Eletrobras Eletronorte and Costa Oeste Transmissora De Energia and all of the work is scheduled to be completed by next year.

Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB’s substations business, said: “These new substations and extensions will increase capacity and strengthen the country’s transmission and distribution infrastructure to help meet growing electricity demand from residential, industrial and commercial consumers.”

Brazil’s population is expected to increase by about 10 per cent to 220 million by 2020, driving electricity capacity demand to an anticipated 144 GW by the same year, a 35 per cent rise from current levels.

Earlier this month ABB won a $33m order from India’s largest power company, NTPC, to build two substations in the state of Maharashtra.

The company has also won an order worth $44m to deliver three gearless mill drive systems for a new copper mine to in southeastern Kazakhstan.

Clean Line seeks customers for 800 km transmission line

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:05:00 GMT

US transmission company Clean Line Energy has received regulatory approval to start signing customer deals for a 800-km overhead line that will connect wind farms in Iowa with Illinois.

The $1.7bn high voltage direct current Rock Island Clean Line is expected to be operational by 2017 and transfer 3.5 GW of renewable power to eastern states.

Houston-based Clean Line said the approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would allow it to subscribe up to 75 per cent of the Rock Island line's capacity with anchor customers. The remaining capacity would be sold through an open season process, the company said in a statement.

“This approval marks an important step forward in the steady progress of our Rock Island Clean Line project," said Michael Skelly, president of Clean Line.

Zambia to get $100m transmission line upgrade

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:38:00 GMT

The European Investment Bank is to provide $30m towards the upgrade of a 341 km transmission line in Zambia.

The Kafue-Livingstone line is the only major electricity connection in south-western Zambia and its upgrade will enable power to be traded with nearby Namibia via the Caprivi interconnector.

The upgrade, which is due for completion in 2014, will boost capacity from the current 120 MW to 360 MW and will include the construction of new substations to replace some infrastructure which is over 50 years old.

The original line between the Victoria Falls hydro-power station and Lusaka was built in the 1970s.

The total cost of the project is around $100m, with other support coming from the World Bank the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation.

“Upgrading the Kafue-Livingstone transmission line will assist the Zambian government’s efforts to ensure that a reliable supply of energy can keep pace with economic growth in Zambia and improve electricity distribution across southern Africa,” said European Investment Bank vice-president Plutarchos Sakellaris.

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Japanese and US collaborate on Smart Grid project

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:47:00 GMT

Several Japanese companies are involved in the launch of a demonstration study for the Albuquerque, Business District Smart Grid Demonstration Project in the US.

The project was assigned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), to be carried out as part of its Japan-U.S. Collaborative Smart Grid Demonstration Project.

The demonstration study will continue for two years, ending in March 2014 and the Japanese companies involved are Shimizu Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Sharp Corporation, Meidensha Corporation, Tokyo Gas, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Fuji Electric, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. and TheFurukawa Battery Co.

An opening ceremony for the demonstration facility took place in Albuquerque to mark the occasion, the many attendees including officials of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque, the NEDO chairman, and presidents and executives of the nine participating Japanese companies.

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ABB wins $33m order as India continues to improve grid

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:43:00 GMT

Swedish-Swiss group, ABB (NYSE: ABB), has won an order worth around $33m from NTPC Limited, India’s largest power company, to build two substations in western India.

The substations will facilitate transmission of electricity from new power generation plants being constructed in the region.

"These substations will provide the transmission and distribution infrastructure to increase capacity and meet growing demand for electricity in the region,” said Brice Koch, Head of ABB’s Power Systems division. ”

Given its growth ambitions and per capita consumption India is expected to expand its power infrastructure substantially in the coming years.

India needs to invest more than $135bn to add between 600 and 1200 GW of additional new power generation capacity by 2050 to provide universal access to electricity for its population.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

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Smart meters can benefit UK to the tune of $11bn says Hendry

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:03:00 GMT

Smart meter

The UK’s Energy Minister Charles Hendry says rolling out its smart meters will benefit the country to the tune of �7bn ($11.1bn)

Mr Hendry added that smart meters will significantly slash the nation's carbon emissions.

As the 2014 launch nears for the mass deployment of smart meters to millions of homes and businesses, the Minister vowed to keep "consumers' interests at the heart of the programme", reports ClickGreen.

"Smart gas and electricity meters will play a key role in bringing our energy management into the 21st century," he wrote. "They will bring benefits for consumers, giving us more control over how we use our energy at home and at work, helping us to cut energy consumption save money and reduce carbon emissions.

"They will also help suppliers run their businesses more effectively. New products and services will be supported in a vibrant and competitive market in energy and energy management services.

The roll out will also support the development of a smart grid delivering improved network efficiency and responsiveness and supporting the uptake of electric vehicles and microgeneration.”

Mr Hendry added that the government programme involved every home in Britain having a smart electricity and gas meter with an In-Home Display which will show consumers how much energy they are using.

"Energy suppliers will be required to install smart meters in 28 million homes and two million smaller businesses in Britain, delivering over �7 billion net benefit to the nation.

The mass roll out of smart meters will begin in 2014 and be completed in 2019.

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Denmark joins global Smart Grid group

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:02:00 GMT

Denmark has joined the Global Smart Grid Federation, an international group of technology associations.

The Scandinavian country will be represented by the Danish Intelligent Energy Alliance, an initiative set up by the Danish Energy Association (DEA).

Morten Baadsgaard Trolle, managing director of intelligent energy at the DEA, described the Smart Grid as “a clash between energy and information technologies”.

“It will be a major task to fuse energy with advancing technologies in order to ensure the effective conversion to an intelligent energy system,” he added. “The key to success is international co-operation. In joining the GSGF we have taken the first steps on the path to create a common language for Smart Grid that everyone can understand and act upon.”

Denmark is the 11^th member of the GSGF, which includes organisations representing the European Union, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, the US, Australia, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

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Google backed wind project takes forward step in US

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:03:00 GMT

A $5bn transmission line which is intended to send power from wind farms off the East Coast of the US has overcome a legislative obstacle, allowing the Google Inc-backed project to move to the next step in the approval process, officials said.

The US Department of the Interior, reports Reuters, that there was "no overlapping competitive interest" in proposed areas for building the line off the mid-Altantic coast.

The ruling cleared the way for an environmental review of the Atlantic Wind Connection line.

The project faces regional and federal regulatory hurdles which backers hope to clear within two years so it can nail down financial agreements and start transmitting power by the end of 2017.

The AWC, which would transport up to 7000 megawatts of power, is also backed by a private company called Good Energies, and Japan's Marubeni Corp.

Clearing the competitive interest hurdle allows the project to "intelligently plan for the backbone transmission system," said Bob Mitchell, AWC's CEO.

The United States does not yet have any offshore wind farms. But the AWC backers hope companies will build them soon, so they can transmit power that has not been generated by burning of fossil fuels.

Interior officials said the government hopes to move forward in coming months with lease sales for companies interested in building the wind farms.

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Smart Grid taking off in Asia

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:58:00 GMT

Asia is beginning to look like a powerhouse of Smart Grid technology with a new report predicting the market will be worth $19bn by 2016.

The cumulative smart grid market in China, Japan and South Korea is currently valued at US$8.5bn according to GTM Research's latest market report, The Smart Grid in Asia, 2012-2016: Markets, Technologies and Strategies.

"We expect to see the smart grid in Asia move forward at a breakneck pace," said Kamil Bojanczyk, the report's lead author and an analyst-at-large with GTM Research. "Over $45bn in funding has been earmarked by governments and utilities across China, Japan and South Korea, with the clear majority of those funds and opportunities originating in the Chinese market."

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Consumer backlash halts Smart Grid progress

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:34:00 GMT

The rising wave of opposition to the adoption of Smart Grid technology is having an adverse effect on the development in the industry across the US.

Reuters reports that American utility companies have invested more than $15.4bn in Smart Grids, but uncertainty about how regulators will react to the growing backlash has left some utilities unwilling to commit money to these projects.

Iowa utilities MidAmerican Energy Co. and Alliant Energy Corp. as well as Connecticut's Northeast Utilities all told their respective states that they intended to delay proposed Smart Grid development programs as they evaluate the best approach to customers' concerns. In all, more than $29bn in investment has stalled.

Consumers have raised several issues with use of smart meters in particular, with many claiming the costs outweigh the benefits, especially in some areas where such projects have seen major cost overruns.

Data privacy is also an issue, due to increased access to electricity usage.

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Elster wins smart meter contract in Rio

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:18:00 GMT

Elster has been contracted to supply 80000 smart meters to households in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by local utility Light.

Energy Efficiency News reports that the order follows the successful deployment of 20000 units in the neighbourhoods of Tabajaras, Cabritos and Borel, in the city, in the first half of 2011.

The advanced metering system was developed in Brazil and allows the utility to install up to 12 devices in one unit, which is then typically placed on top of an electric transformer pole to prevent interference.

The UK division of Elster was recently contracted by energy giant E.ON for the deployment of 300,000 smart meters.

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Nexans receives certification for Dow Endurance cables

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:01:00 GMT

Dow Inside alliance partners, Dow Electrical & Telecommunications (Dow E&T), and Nexans’ Energy Cable division in North America, have acheived CSA International certification for power cables manufactured by Nexans using Dow E&T’s advanced performance TR-XLPE, DOW ENDURANCE™ HFDC-4202.

The certification covers four separate cable insulation systems for medium voltage (MV) power distribution cables rated for 15kV to 46kV with an operating temperature range of 90�C to -40�C.

Compliance with the CSA C68.5 requirements reinforces the benefit to utilities of specifying cables that meet high performance standards.

“Our industry demands solutions that extend the life of the power system and demonstrate consistent reliability over time,” added Dave Hawker, Vice President and General Manager, Nexans’ Energy Cable division in North America. “Achieving CSA clearly exhibits our commitment to using the best materials to produce quality cables that will support utilities for years to come.”

As Dow Inside alliance partners, the intent of Nexans and Dow is to reduce the total life cycle cost of cable ownership for their end use customers while responding to the constantly evolving system requirements of the power transmission and distribution industry.

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Echelon rolls out new Smart Grid module in Asia

Wed, 09 May 2012 10:39:00 GMT

Echelon has launched a new control module to be rolled out in its Asian smart meter markets.

The new control module will be provided to partners serving China, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia, and is aimed at expanding their reach from smart meters to a whole array of smart grid devices.

Green Tech Grid reports that the plan is to give regional meter manufacturers a tool to hook their smart meters to devices like solar panels and battery inverters, grid sensors, plug-in vehicle chargers and other grid devices, all over Echelon’s grid networking and software infrastructure.

Partners including Mitsubishi Electric Automation in Thailand, South Korea’s VIDCOM, Malaysia's Comintel, and existing partner China’s Holley Metering plan to use the technology, which will be available in the second half of 2012, Echelon reported.

China is going to need about 300 million smart meters over the next five years, according to government targets, and Brazil wants to deploy 65 million smart meters by the end of the decade.

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Modest global growth predicted for Smart Grid

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:41:00 GMT

A new report has confirmed that emerging markets and particularly the Asia-Pacific region look set to continue progression for Smart Grid technology.

The Asia Pacific region will continue to outpace all other regions driven by major deployments in China, utilizing a different breed of smart meter technology.

The global smart meter market is forecast to experience a modest 4.9 per cent CAGR between 2012 and 2020, but hidden beneath seemingly steady growth are significant regional peaks and valleys, each with their own opportunities and risks.

As anticipated in earlier Pike Research smart meter forecasts, the North American market has already peaked, and faces dramatic near-term contraction, just as the European market begins a similarly dramatic growth period.

In 2008, less than 4 per cent of the global installed base of 1.5 billion electricity meters could be considered “smart” but 4 years later this penetration will have grown to over 18 per cent, and is forecast to exceed 55 per cent by 2020.

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Smart Grid system provider wins Scottish wind farm contract

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:03:00 GMT

S&C Electric Co., the Chicago-based Smart Grid specialist is capitalising on Europe’s drive to develop its wind energy resources.

The company’s European subsidiary, S&C Electric Company Europe Ltd., has won a “multimillion-pound contract” from EDF Renewables to provide a smart grid system that will modulate the variable output of clean, renewable electricity to be produced from the Fallago Rig wind farm in the Scottish Border region south of Edinburgh.

S&C Electric, won the contract ahead of some much larger power industry technology and equipment providers such as ABB Ltd. (NYSE: ABB), GE (NYSE: GE) and Siemens NYSE: SI.

Located in the Scottish Borders region, EDF Renewable’s Fallago Rig wind farm will be the site of some 48 wind turbines with a total rated capacity of 144 MW, enough clean, renewable electrical power to supply some 90,000 homes, reports Clean Technica.

“To guarantee Grid Code compliance, S&C will deliver a 60MVAR PureWave DSTATCOM� Distributed Static Compensator to reduce voltage variations such as sags, surges, and flicker which can result from intermittent electricity generation, along with instability caused by rapidly varying reactive power demands,” S&C explained in a press release.

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Lack of awareness harming Smart Grid

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:06:00 GMT

Despite utilities having invested billions of dollars in new Smart Grid program rollouts, customer adoption has been slow.

A new Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) US survey and report titled Listening to the Heartland: Insights into a Customer-Centric Strategy for the Smart Grid found that most (58 per cent) customers have not even heard of smart grid technology and those who have feel that they have very limited knowledge of the opportunities that the smart grid offers.

The report, which summarizes key findings from a survey of 900 utility customers in the US Midwest as well as follow up focus groups, explores how customers use energy, how Smart Grid technology will affect their everyday lives and how much they expect to embrace products and services related to the Smart Grid in the next few years.

The report details PwC's recommended strategies to successfully promote customer adoption of smart grid solutions, according to T&D World.

Included within the report are recommendations on how to help generate interest, such as utilities becoming more effective marketers, emphasising and clearly communicating to customers how Smart Grid technology can allow them to take greater control of their energy usage and providing new opportunities for the customer and the utility to develop a partnership for their mutual benefit.

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Boliva seizes control of Spanish national grid company

Thu, 03 May 2012 13:02:00 GMT

Bolivia’s president Evo Morales has seized control of the Spanish company Transportadora de Electricidad (TDE) which runs around three-quarters of Bolivia’s grid.

Morales nationalized the company after ordering troops to take over its offices and hang the Bolivian flag outside its door.

He told a May Day ceremony that the takeover had been carried out because of a lack of investment in Bolivia by TDE.

"In honour of all Bolivian people who have struggled to recuperate our natural resources and basic services, we are nationalising Transportadora de Electricidad (TDE)," he said.

The move has been slammed by both the European Union and the Spanish government.

John Clancy, trade spokesman for the European Commission, said today: “The European Commission is concerned by the Bolivian government's decision. Actions like this one necessarily send a negative signal to international investors over the business and investment climate in Bolivia.”

He added: “We trust the Bolivian authorities will fully uphold their investment agreements with Spain and ensure prompt and adequate compensation for this expropriation.”

Transportadora de Electricidad is owned by Red El�ctrica Corporacii�n, which has run most of Bolivia's electricity distribution since the grid was privatised 15 years ago. In Spain, Red El�ctrica Corporacii�n is the sole grid operator and is 20 per cent owned by the government.

Morales has said that the Spanish company will be compensated for the takeover.

In 2010, Morales took control of most of Bolivia’s power generation companies, including UK-headquartered Ruralec, which is still seeking compensation via a court case in The Hague.

Yesterday’s action follows Argentina’s decision last month to nationlise oil firm YPF, in which Spanish company Respol had a controlling stake.