April 2015 - Power Air Quality Insights 204

Hot Gas Filtration and Gas Turbine Inlet High Level Discussions Slated For Charlotte on the 28^th and 29^th

A whole new approach to decision making will be pursued on April 28 and 29^th in Charlotte when AFS, McIlvaine and International Filtration News combine for a unique event. It all started with a 30 page spread in IFN and creation of Hot Gas Filter and Gt inlet filter Decision Guides. Lots of new information has also been added to the McIlvaine Power Plant Air Quality Decisions Orchard. This Alert and our others help round out the 4As operating system with Alerts, Answers, Analysis and Advancement. All the details are covered at: Power Plant Decisions

The GT air filter discussion will take place on Tuesday afternoon, April 28^th. On Wednesday morning there will be a 90-minute discussion using Hot Gas Filtration Global Decision Guide as the visual display. Our twelve panelists will spend a minute or two summarizing the power points in the Decision guide which they have contributed. That leaves 60 minutes for discussion and debate. The encouragement of debate is due to the fact that non experts need to hear one expert analysing the arguments of the other. A jury makes much better decisions when they hear opposing counsel interrogate the witness.

Tom Hart of AEP provides the view of one of the world’s largest utilities. Steve Feeney of B&W brings to bear the experience of a boiler and APC supplier with a range of filter successes. Rich Miller has just been appointed V.P. of Solaft but has decades of experience in the filtration and mercury capture industry. Eddie Ricketts of Donaldson will be arguing for membranes and surface filtration based on the many installations around the world. Martin Shroter of Dürr brings both the experience of a major APC supplier and the details on a new hot gas filtration and acid gas control concept.

John McKenna of ETS has analyzed more filter bags than anyone else and has invaluable insights on performance and life of media. John Johnson of FLSmidth brings extensive filter bag experience in power and cement. John Eleftherkatis will cover the performance of the ceramic catalytic filter which has been extensively discussed in several recent hot topic hours. Nate White of Haldor Topsoe had a last minute command performance elsewhere but has provided details on the unique 3-layer catalytic bag. Pavlos Papadopoulos of Purolator will argue that metals rather than ceramics provide the lowest dp and resistance to plugging.

Mick Chambers of SEI will show results from a number of recent precip upgrades demonstrating that the toughest particulate emission standards can be met using electrostatics. Clint Scoble of Testori will provide details on a range of non-woven combinations which he argues provide advantages over the surface filtration approach.

Cement Industry Will Spend over $3.8 Billion on Air Pollution Control Equipment In 2015

The combination of new plant construction and retrofits to existing plants will boost the air pollution control market for the cement industry to $3.85 billion in 2015. This is the latest conclusion from the McIlvaine Company based on aggregating forecasts in five separate reports. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

Subject	$ Millions
Fabric Filter Systems	2,300
Bags	300
Precipitator New and Repair	800
Scrubber	100
Thermal Treatment	50
NO_x Control	300
Total	3,850

The biggest investment will be for fabric filter systems. Most new cement plants use fabric filters for the kiln exhaust as well for many grinding and transfer processes. NO_x control is increasingly required. Most plants use selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR). A few use selective catalytic reduction (SCR). A new NO_x and particulate control option is the catalytic filter element. This product is available from FLS and Clear Edge.

Most of the precipitator investment will be in repair and upgrades. India has new regulations applying to the 194 cement plants located there which require them to reduce kiln emissions below 30 mg/Nm³. The average plant presently emits more than 100 mg/Nm³.

Many cement plants have chosen to remove the internals of existing precipitators and install fabric filter elements.

The U.S. has tough new air toxic rules. It was anticipated that there would be large expenditures for wet scrubbers and thermal treatment systems to meet the requirements. However, the industry has selected to use low cost capital approaches such as dry sorbent injection.

Oak Creek Energy Closes on Sale of First Two Construction Ready Phases of the Tres Mesas Wind Project in Mexico

Oak Creek Energy Systems, Inc., a pioneering developer of utility scale wind energy projects, has completed the sale of the first two construction-ready stages of the Tres Mesas Wind Project, a 148.5 megawatt wind energy project in Tamaulipas, Mexico, to an affiliate of GS Infrastructure Partners (GSIP) and GBM Infrastructure (GBMI). The equity investment by GSIP and GBMI is expected to support and complete construction of Phases 1 and 2 of the Tres Mesas Wind complex, representing one of the largest sustainable energy projects in Mexico to date. Sigma Alimentos, which is a subsidiary of ALFA, and Walmart de México have committed to power purchase agreements with the project companies. In partnership with GSIP and GBMI, Oak Creek Energy will continue to support the projects through its Mexican operating company, Oak Creek de México, pursuant to construction and long term project management contracts.

As part of the transaction, which closed on March 31, 2015, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and North American Development Bank (NADB) have agreed to provide senior debt financing. OPIC will fund a U.S. $81 million loan for the 62.7 megawatt Phase 1 through U.S. capital markets issuance of “green guaranties” (assets adhering to the Green Bond Principles), and will fund up to U.S. $105 million equivalent for the 85.8 megawatt Phase 2 in its first Mexican peso denominated loan through the issuance of Certificates of Participation purchased by Banco Mercantil del Norte (Banorte). NADB will provide a peso loan to Phase 2 for approximately U.S. $55 million.

SunPower announced that it has begun construction on the 86-megawatt peak (MWp) Prieska solar power plant in South Africa's Northern Cape Province. Expected to be fully operational in 2016, the project represents the third solar power plant constructed by SunPower under the South Africa government's renewable energy program (REIPPP). In 2014, SunPower completed two projects totaling 33 megawatts, located near Douglas in the Northern Cape Province.

"With an abundance of reliable, cost-effective solar resources, South Africa is one of the fastest growing solar markets in the world today," said Tom Werner, President and CEO of SunPower.

SunPower designed and is constructing the Prieska project, and will provide operations and maintenance services once it is operational. The project will sell the electricity it produces to the regional public utility ESKOM under a power purchase agreement. Approximately 700 jobs will be created by the project during construction.

SunPower® Oasis® Power Plant technology will be installed at the Prieska site. The technology uses single-axis trackers to position high efficiency SunPower solar panels to face the sun throughout the day, increasing energy capture by up to 25 percent over fixed-tilt solar technology.

Southern Company Accelerates Sustainable Energy Innovations with Five Solar Projects in Three States

Three Southern Company subsidiaries are marking major milestones in the strategic expansion of one of the nation's largest renewable energy portfolios through the announced development or acquisition of five large-scale solar projects.

Subsidiaries Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Southern Power are contributing to the company's 3,100-megawatts (MW) of announced or completed renewable energy generating capacity with more than 160 MW of photovoltaic (PV) solar.

Gulf Power received Florida Public Service Commission approval to develop 120 MW of utility-scale solar at three military installations: Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach (30 MW), and Navy facilities Holley Field in Navarre (40 MW) and Saufley Field in Pensacola (50 MW).

Southern Power announced the acquisition of a controlling interest in the 32-MW Lost Hills-Blackwell Solar Facility in California from First Solar, Inc.

Georgia Power and U.S. Army officials held a groundbreaking of a 30-MW solar installation at Fort Benning near Columbus, GA. The project is one of three solar installations totaling 90 MW being developed at military bases through a partnership between Georgia Power and the Army.

Kyocera TCL Solar Inaugurates Floating Mega Solar Power Plants in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Kyocera Corporation and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation announced that Kyocera TCL Solar LLC, a joint venture established by the two companies, has completed construction of two floating mega-solar power plants at Nishihira Pond and Higashihira Pond in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The plants, inaugurated in late March, will generate an estimated 3,300 megawatt hours (MWh) per year in total— enough electricity to power approximately 920 typical households.

1. Floating solar power generating systems typically generate more electricity than ground-mount and rooftop systems due to the cooling effect of the water.

2. They reduce reservoir water evaporation and algae growth by shading the water.

3. Floating platforms are 100 percent recyclable, utilizing high-density polyethylene, which can withstand ultraviolet rays and resists corrosion.

4. The floating platforms are designed and engineered to withstand extreme physical stress, including typhoon conditions.

Viaspace Announces Signing of Engineering, Procurement and Construction Supervision Agreement for 12 MW Giant King Grass Power Plant in Nicaragua

Viaspace Inc. announced that Energia Reino Verde has signed an agreement for the Engineering Procurement and Construction Supervision of the 12 MW biomass power plant that will be co-located with the 834 hectare (2,060 acre) Giant King® Grass plantation project in Nicaragua. Viaspace Inc. owns a 50 percent interest in Energia Reino Verde (Green Kingdom Energy in English), the special-purpose company that will own and operate the project. The other 50 percent is owned by investors and executives of AGRICORP - a large agribusiness company in Nicaragua.

The agreement was signed with a global Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company that will provide the power plant engineering and equipment, and guarantee the plant's performance. The agreement provides technical specifications of all the power plant equipment, price, and power plant performance guarantees.

· Conco Systems Pty re-tubing Coal-fired Stanwell Power Station in Queensland, Australia

· AGL Energy will not extend the Life of Loy Yang A Power Station in Australia

· Proposal in the Works to build Two Natural Gas-fired Power Plants in Follansbee, WV

· B&W and Magotteaux form Strategic Alliance to market Advanced Coal and Industrial Pulverizer Solutions

· InterWebviews™, Decision Guides, Hot Topic Hours, Coordinated Conferences and Decision Orchards combine to provide you with a New Unique Route to Market

· “CEMS for MACT and MATS Compliance” was Hot Topic Hour on April 16, 2015

On Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting on important energy and pollution control subjects. These Webinars are free of charge to owner/operators of the plants. They are also free to McIlvaine Subscribers of Power Plant Air Quality Decisions and Utility Tracking System. The cost for others is $300.00 per webinar.

See below for information on upcoming Hot Topic Hours. We welcome your input relative to suggested additions

DATE	SUBJECT	DESCRIPTION
April 23, 2015	No Webinar but on-site interviews at Electric Power in Chicago.
April 30, 2015	MACT Update
May 7, 2015	Wet Calcium FGD
May 14, 2015	Gas Turbine Intake Filters
May 21, 2015	Power Plant Valves
May 28, 2015	No webinar but on-site interviews at Industrial Valve Summit in Bergamo, Italy