World Regions

Conergy to build two PV plants in Germany

Wed, 16 May 2012 15:38:00 GMT

Conergy AG (CGYK), a German solar-panel maker, has won orders to develop two solar photovoltaic power plants in the Trier area of Germany.

The Trier municipal utility commissioned Conergy to build a 1.2 MW plant near the A1 highway and a 1MW facility between Trier and Bitburg, the Hamburg-based company said in an e-mailed statement.

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Wartsila signs gas power agreement in South Africa

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:53:00 GMT

Wärtsilä has signed three year Operations & Maintenance (O&M) agreement with Sasol New Energy Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sasol, the integrated global energy and chemical company.

The agreement covers the company's gas engine power plant project in Sasolburg, South Africa.

The Sasol New Energy plant is expected to start producing electricity towards the end of 2012. It will be the largest power plant running exclusively on gas engines to be installed on the African continent, and because of its low emissions, will be a major advance in developing Sasol's electricity business.

The plant has installed capacity of 180 MW and it will provide the energy needed to power the company's major new production facilities, such as the Sasol Wax Expansion and Ethylene Purification Unit 5 projects, that are currently under construction.

"The gas engine power plant employs a cleaner fossil fuel based technology than traditional coal based technology and will reduce the CO₂ emissions by approximately 1 million tons per annum. In addition, it also generates electricity at a higher efficiency," says Kribs Govender, General Manager, Low Carbon Electricity, Sasol New Energy.

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Cogeneration and On-Site Power Production launch LinkedIn Group

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:06:00 GMT

Cogeneration and On-Site Power Production (COSPP) is pleased to announce the launch of our online COSPP LinkedIn Group.

COSPP LinkedIn promised to be the most dynamic area for industry news and discussion on the World Wide Web.

We welcome participation from everyone involved and interested in the various sectors that come under the heading of cogeneration and on-site power. The group offers the opportunity to meet with other industry peers, and interact through discussion, debate, news sharing and knowledge exchange.

We would also remind you of our other social media, Twitter and Facebook, and look forward to enjoying your input and enthusiasm on our latest venture.

Click COSPP LinkedIn and sign up today.

BP’s Brazilian unit to invest $25.5m in cogeneration project

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:27:00 GMT

BP Biocombustiveis, the Brazilian biofuels unit of BP (NYSE: BP), has announced that it will invest $25.5m in the development of a project for energy cogeneration from sugar cane bagasse.

The development will be located at its sugar and ethanol mill Tropical, in Brazil's central Goias state.

As a result of the project, the unit, which has capacity to crush 2.5 million tonnes of sugar cane per harvest, will be able to produce 170 GWh.

The company's energy cogeneration will ramp up to 510 GWh in 2013 from the 340 GWh estimated for this year, according to Mario Lindenhayn, CEO of BP Biocombustiveis.

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Carmanah awarded $1.3m rooftop PV contract

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:08:00 GMT

Carmanah Technologies Corporation (TSX: CMH) is working with PowerStream Inc. to provide and install a 300kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system for a community centre in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

The $1.3m (CAD) project will begin installation in May and has a target completion date for July 2012.

PowerStream’s solar division, a leading PV developer in Ontario, has completed several installations through the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program.

Leveraging their experience in custom rooftop systems and partnerships with sophisticated technology providers, Carmanah’s engineering team collaborated with Schletter Canada Inc. to propose an innovative design for the building’s requirements.

Carmanah and Schletter adapted a standard racking product that would minimize the necessity for physically anchoring the solar generating array, allowing for the bulk
of the system to be ballasted.

The system also features Heliene PV modules, selected again for their high performance and successful installation on last year’s Thornhill project.

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Haiti agrees on $250m waste to energy power plant

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:17:00 GMT

The Haitian Government has signed a $250m partnership agreement with the "International Electric Power Company"for the construction of a 30 MW waste to energy plant in the capital city of Port - au-Prince to power the city and its environs.

Karl Jean Louis Director of Centre for Facilitation of investments (CFI) explained, "we have an investor who wants to invest in this sector; it is the Phoenix project. They have signed a contract with the Government of Haiti and the project will start shortly, they will collect household waste, and convert them into energy and they will do so with a Haitian partner Boucard Pest Control."

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Chinese and German PMs discuss CHP at MWM meeting

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:02:00 GMT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao visited the MWM at the Hannover Messe in April, and were reminded of the benefits of CHP by the CEO of MWM.

Mr. Schumacher, CEO of MWM GmbH, welcomed the eminent visitors and introduced the company as well as the benefits of combined heat and power (CHP), which MWM is presenting in Hannover.

For more than 140 years, MWM has been developing and manufacturing gas engines and plants for the decentralized generation of power, heat and cold.

The combination of CHP together with gas engines lead the way to an ecological and economical generation of energy for the future.

Chancellor Merkel acknowledged the presentation by stating that ‘combined heat and power is a future technology.’

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US state governor argues passionately for cogeneration

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:01:00 GMT

The governor of the US state of Ohio, John Kasich has criticised the renewable-energy lobby in the state for an irresponsible self interest in objecting to cogeneration.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Gov. Kasich offered a most-passionate defence of his proposal to include cogeneration as an acceptable form of renewable energy in Ohio’s energy mix.

He singled out wind and solar power lobbyists as particularly culpable.

"All those who are in alternative energy and renewable standards believe in a cleaner environment, and that's just fantastic," Kasich said. "But don't lobby for your own industry to keep other industries out that result in a cleaner environment. And that happens.

So if I'm in the wind or the solar industry, I'm not so excited about waste heat or cogeneration because I get a nice big fat subsidy. OK.

That's just not the way it ought to be, because our goal ought to be a cleaner environment, and whatever moves us to a cleaner environment ought to be a part of it.

I'm a little disappointed when people lobby, and totally in self-interest."

The newspaper speculates that Kasich might have been referring to ongoing testimony related to Senate Bill 315, which would allow cogeneration --essentially the capture of waste heat --to be used to meet the state's energy-efficiency requirements.

A previous Senate-passed bill would add cogeneration to the definition of renewable energy, making it eligible for renewable-energy credits.

Last month, Columbus lobbyist Terrence O'Donnell testified before a Senate committee on behalf of wind-farm builder EDP Renewables of Houston against the "unqualified inclusion of cogeneration in the renewable-energy standard."

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IKEA Italy goes for on-site solar power

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:54:00 GMT

Q.CELLS has received an order for 7 Megawattpeak (MWp) of solar modules in Italy by IKEA.

In a statement Q.CELLS announced that their CIGS thin-film modules, known as Q.SMART, will be installed on the roof-top of the main warehouse of IKEA in the Northern Italian town of Piacenza within the coming months.

The project was developed together with the Italian companies F.lli Zaffaroni and GreenPowerTech.

'We are very proud of this order, which not only emphasises on our strong Italian footprint but shows, that leading brands like IKEA identify themselves with the high-quality and long-performing products of Q.CELLS”, said Ciro Ahumada, Senior Vice President of Q.CELLS Europe. 'Our Q.SMART thin-film modules engineered-in-Germany convince by their strong output especially in the hot climate of Italy as well as by their fine black aesthetics.”

Q.SMART holds the world record for thin-film modules in serial production since 2009 with efficiencies of up to 14.7% (aperture area) out of series production.

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Siemens receives first North American order for SGT-750 gas turbine

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:21:00 GMT

Siemens Energy has received a first order from North America for the supply of its SGT-750 industrial gas turbine.

In a press release the company announced that 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 located 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 per cent of Kaltex’s power needs in Mexico. The SGT-750 turbine will generate all the process steam needed for producing synthetic fibers.

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

“This order from Mexico shows that our SGT-750 gas turbine is now also gaining momentum in the 60-Hertz market,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of the Industrial Power Business Unit of Siemens Energy.

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Turkey launches first biogas power plant

Tue, 01 May 2012 13:23:00 GMT

Swiss developer and constructor firm Zorg Biogas have constructed the first biogas power plant in Turkey.

The biogas plant project is located in Cicekdagi village, and is the first functional biogas plant on the territory of Turkey.

The plant will process 50 tonnes of cow and sheep manure daily to produce 3000 m3 of biogas. A Jenbacher co-generation unit will convert the biogas into electricity (249 kW) and heat (200 kW).

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Cogeneration and On-Site Power Production launch LinkedIn Group

Tue, 01 May 2012 08:45:00 GMT

Click COSPP LinkedIn and sign up today.

New Jersey earmarks $55m in funding for CHP

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:06:00 GMT

The US state of New Jersey is to allocate $55m in grants in the hopes of encouraging the development of combined heat and power systems (CHP) as well as hydrogen fuel cells for businesses and industrial companies.

The grants are part of the state’s Energy master Plan, which aims to promote alternative energy and make New Jersey a leader in sustainability.

The issuance of these grants will be overseen by the state’s Economic Development Authority and the Board of Public Utilities. State officials believe that the initiative will lend significant momentum to the alternative energy industry.

The hydrogen fuel projects that will receive backing from the state are expected to be capable of generating 1 MW of electricity, enough to provide power to more than 800 homes.

The state is looking to grant $3m for fuel cell projects at this time, but will issue more funds for these projects at a later date.

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Alliance Tire to construct cogen plant under $160m India expansion

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:40:00 GMT

Alliance Tire Group (ATG), is to include a cogeneration plant in an intended $160m investment in greenfield and brownfield capacity expansion to meet increasing demand.

The company is proposing to set up a greenfield off-highway tyre production unit in Gujarat, India while it seeks to expand the production capacity of its existing plant in Tamil Nadu, reports mydigitalfc.

ATG is to also build a cogeneration plant at Tirunelveli comprising boiler with 35 tonne per hour capacity for steam generation and 4.5 MW turbine.

The proposed expansion is to be funded through a combination of debt and equity.

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ABB wins on-site network upgrade in Qatar

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:08:00 GMT

Qatalum has awarded ABB an order worth US$16 million to upgrade the on-site distribution network at its aluminum smelting site in Mesaieed Industrial City, 50 km south of the capital Doha.

The project includes re-engineering and reinforcing the existing distribution system to help increase the availability and reliability of the on-site power supply.

ABB is responsible for the design, engineering, supply and commissioning including civil work. The project is scheduled for completion by 2013.

ABB previously supplied the electrical equipment for the facility’s captive power plant, as well as the 220 kV gas-insulated switchgear substation.

Qatalum is a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and Norway’s Hydro Aluminum.

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Chancellor Merkel to meet Germany’s main utilities

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:54:00 GMT

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited the country's four main utilities to meeting in May to consider how best to develop Germany’s energy mix for the future, now that nuclear has been firmly removed from the menu.

Germany decided to move away from nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster, and whatever is discussed is bound to have an impact on cogeneration and on-site power interests.

At stake is how Germany will finance its transformation from primarily fossil-fueled and nuclear power generation to become more reliant on sustainable forms of energy such as offshore wind and solar power, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Utilities plan to invest €60bn ($79bn) in the next few years to build new power plants that would add nearly as much generation capacity as the Netherlands and Belgium combined had available in 2009, according to Germany's main energy lobby group BDEW—which represents companies that account for 90 per cent of German electricity and natural-gas sales.

Ms. Merkel is planning the meeting as an exchange of opinion and to obtain more information about the problems facing the utilities, a government official said Tuesday.

WSJ n May, Ms. Merkel will face the chief executives of E.ON AG, RWE AG, , and Vattenfall Europe, a unit of Sweden's state-controlled Vattenfall AB, as well as representatives from Siemens AG and power network operators.

One of the issues troubling utilities is that power prices currently are too low to provide incentives to build new natural gas-fired power plants, which emit less greenhouse gases than coal-fired plants.

"The supply of renewable energy is fluctuating as the sun doesn't always shine and wind isn't always blowing, so fossil-fuel plants are needed as backup," said Macquarie analyst Matthias Heck. "Conditions have to be designed in a manner which makes investments attractive."

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ENER-G land Nissan on-site power contract in Mexico

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:03:00 GMT

UK renewable energy business ENER-G has partnered with the Municipality of Aguascalientes to open Mexico's first landfill gas capture facility at San Nicolás landfill, Aguascalientes, in central Mexico.

ENER-G Natural Power and its sister company Biogas Technology are generating clean electrical energy from biogas for use by Nissan at its manufacturing site in Aguascalientes. The power generated is being sold over a long term power purchase agreement with the car maker.

ENER-G's renewable energy project will help Mexico deliver on its bold new Climate Change Act, which will commit Mexico to cutting its carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent by 2020, and by 50 per cent below current levels by 2050, and to generate 35 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2024.

Nissan is the first automotive plant in Mexico to use electricity from biogas, and it is the first project of its kind for many Nissan manufacturing plant in the world.

The Nissan production site, which makes March, Versa and Sentra cars, receives 2.475 MW of clean energy - sufficient to produce 37,000 vehicles per year.

The second phase of the project involved ENER-G Natural Power installing two 1.6 MW biogas generators as part of a six month build programme.

Hugh Richmond, Managing Director of ENER-G Natural Power, said: "This ambitious project is converting damaging greenhouse gases into renewable power that is benefiting Mexico's successful car industry, providing valuable income for the Municipality of Aquascalientes, and benefiting the environment.”

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Saudi moves to increase plant capacities through cogeneration

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:56:00 GMT

Capacity at three power plants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be expanded under an agreement signed on Monday between Saudi Aramco and cogeneration supplier Tihama Power Generation Co, a joint venture between International Power and Saudi Oger.

Aramco generates power both through third-party companies that operate and produce electricity and also through its own power assets reports Al Arabiya News.

It plans to double its power generation capacity to 4 GW by 2015 as it brings new projects on stream.

Aramco has cogeneration plants in Berri, Uthmaniyah, Qatif, Abqaiq, Riyadh, Yanbu, Jeddah, Shaybah, Juaymah, Shedgum, Ras Tanura.

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New Italian ‘smart city’ to feature trigeneration system

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:42:00 GMT

Cogeneration facilities are to form part of the plan as Genoa in northern Italy announced plans to spend €60m ($78m) to create a ‘smart city’ with a green energy and building refurbishment.

The program is part of an €11bn European subsidy scheme to develop clean energy and reduce carbon emission in 30 major cities across Europe.

The Port Authority of Genoa Environmental Energy Plan includes drawing energy from wind turbines located offshore from the city, equipping port buildings with solar roof panels and a plant capable of drawing energy from wave motion, reports Property Investor Europe.

Further measures include the inclusion of cogeneration and trigeneration systems, energy efficient refurbishment of public buildings, lighting changes and creating innovative technology to increase the efficiency of cargo handling. Works have begun on the electrification of the docks so that ships under repair can power down auxiliary engines, saving 10,000t. CO2 per year.

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On-site power forms part of $70m Rolls Royce Asian contracts

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:16:00 GMT

Bergen Engines AS, trading as Rolls-Royce Reciprocating Power Systems, has secured orders with a combined value over $70 million, for equipment which includes on-site power provision.

A total supply 26 Bergen engines, associated power plant equipment and design services are destined for customers in Bangladesh and Indonesia to increase electrical power generation.

The contract includes agreement to supply a B35:40V12 gas engine to Shun Shing Power Pvt Ltd of Bangladesh to provide an additional 5MW of power to help expand the capacity of the cement plant of Shun Shing Group, Bangladesh where two similar Bergen engines are already in operation.

Graham Gate, Vice President - Bergen Engines said: “Many countries in Asia face a pressing need for reliable and affordable power generation to support their economic growth. Our efficient power generation technology, underpinned by localised technical support, enables us to meet the needs of our expanding customer base in the region.”

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