Do you have questions about fans and blowers for use in Power Plants?
You can have them answered at the McIlvaine Company “Hot Topic Hour” on “Power
Plant Fans” on July 14, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. CDT (Chicago time). We are
changing the format of the Hot Topic Hours in order to focus more on the
technical issues of concern to the participants. Rather than having each
participant prepare their own 20 minute presentation as was done in previous Hot
Topic Hours, we are assembling a panel of 3 to 5 experts on the subject matter
to address specific questions. Each person on the panel will be asked to
comment on a series of four to six questions prepared by The McIlvaine Company
after consulting with the panelists, and from those you may submit.
To register for the "Hot Topic Hour" on Thursday, July 14, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
CDT (Chicago time), click on:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/hot_topic_hour_registration.htm.
If you have any questions or concerns that you would like addressed by the
panel, please send an e-mail to Jim Downey at
jdowney@mcilvainecompany.com.
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Gas May Not be a Power Plant Fuel After All
The NY Times has analyzed future natural gas prices in front page
stories. There is the possibility that shale gas will not be an inexpensive
fuel. The contention is that the assumptions relative to productivity of wells
are much too positive. Instead of decades of productivity at an assumed
level, it may be only a few years. Furthermore, periodic fracking may be needed
just to extend the productivity at a minimum level. When you add the
environmental problems including the revelation that methane emissions
associated with the entire chain from discovery through combustion are high, and
including the fact that the 20 year global warming potential of methane is 82
times CO2 and not 2l, it becomes highly questionable whether gas will
be the power plant fuel of the future.
EIA forecasts that nearly all gas production in the U.S. will be from shale gas
by 2035. Conventional gas sources are fast disappearing. LNG prices are
again soaring. This is another pause for concern. Why should shale gas
producers sell gas to power plants at a low price when they can convert it to
LNG and sell it to China at $20/MMBtu? Why not build gas-to-liquid plants and
take advantage of $100 oil. So the prospect of cheap gas for power plants
is looking quite bleak.
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Here are the Headlines for the June 24, 2011 – Utility E-Alert
UTILITY E-ALERT
#1030 – June 24, 2011
Table of Contents
FUTURE HOT TOPICS
COAL – US
COAL – WORLD
GAS / OIL – US
GAS / OIL – WORLD
CO2
NUCLEAR
BUSINESS
HOT TOPIC HOUR
§
“Fuel (including biomass) Impacts on SCR Catalysts” is Hot Topic on June 30,
2011
§
Upcoming Hot Topic Hours
For more information on the Utility Environmental
Upgrade Tracking System, click on:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/energy.html#42ei.
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Novel Renewable Energy Installations
Wind farms, solar PV, biomass plants, hydro installations and geothermal plants
are regular topics of articles in the McIlvaine Renewable Energy Update.
Some unusual installations are reported on there as well.
The first passenger ferry in the world, the Stena Jutlandica,
Gothenburg-Fredrikshaven, is being equipped with two wind turbines at the prow,
which will contribute by both supplying energy and reducing fuel consumption.
The project consists of two turbines that will be mounted on 4 meter high masts
on the prow of the ship. The two turbines will produce current for the ship's
electricity grid. Since they are to be placed on the prow, they will also
contribute to a reduction in the air resistance.
The two turbines will generate about 23,000 kWh per year, equivalent to the
domestic electricity consumption for four normal homes during one year. Among
other things, the electricity will be used to power the lighting on the
Jutlandica's car deck. The reduced air resistance at sea will result in a
reduction in fuel consumption of between 80 and 90 tonne per year.
Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA), operator of Detroit Metropolitan Airport
(DTW) and Willow Run Airport (YIP), has partnered with Michigan State University
(MSU) Extension Office to grow, harvest and process bioenergy crops on
airport-owned property. This strategic initiative—the first of its kind in the
Midwest—represents WCAA’s commitment to sustainable aviation in part through the
promotion and development of aviation biofuels.
The AgriEnergy Technology Demonstration project is supported by a $476,000 grant
awarded by the Michigan Energy Office of the Michigan Economic Development
Corporation.
Together, DTW and YIP airports have approximately 1,700 acres of property that
is potentially suitable for bioenergy cropping. As a participant in this
project, WCAA has leased to MSU Extension three acres of airport-owned land on
which biofuel crops have been planted and will soon be harvested, refined, and
tested. The crops planted include canola and oriental mustard seed. MSU
Extension will be responsible for the overall management of the project grant,
while WCAA will provide access to and use of acreage at its airports for a
portion of the project.
In addition to airport property, the grant also includes bioenergy sites on
other types of land not traditionally used for growing biofuel crops such as
vacant urban lots and highway right-of-ways.
To ensure the integrity of this project, a stakeholders group with a diverse
representation of the region and industry was formed and met in January to
promote the use of biodiesel and jet fuel as an alternative fuel for aircraft
and support equipment at DTW and YIP. In addition to staff from WCAA and MSU
Extension Office, members of this stakeholder group include representatives from
Delta Air Lines, Air Transport Association of America (ATA), Commercial Aviation
Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), UOP Honeywell, Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Wayne County EDGE Development Office, U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, Synergy Consulting, Michigan Department of
Transportation (MDOT), Michigan Energy Office, The Power Alternative/Start
Detroit (TPA), Genesee County Land Bank Authority, Mid Michigan Recycling, and
Shell ServisAir.
Once refined, biodiesel can be dropped in current fuel tank farms at the
airports without modification to the fuel system in any way. A processing plant
could be constructed on or near the airport. The locally grown biofuel crops can
then be harvested, transported to the refinery, and piped directly into the
onsite airport fuel tanks. Current accessibility to rail lines and expressways
also make it feasible to transport the product to other facilities.
“With airlines and ground support vehicles at DTW using more than one million
gallons of jet fuel each day, it is both prudent and practical for WCAA to
explore alternative means such as biofuels as a way to reduce the carbon
footprint on the environment,” said Rich Altman, Executive Director for
Washington, D.C.-based Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI),
who serves as a member of the stakeholders group.
In its June session, the Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo voted
unanimously to enter into an agreement with ZooShare Biogas Co-operative Inc. to
develop and operate a 500 kW scalable biogas plant. The project will be the
first co-operatively owned biogas plant in Canada and the first zoo-based biogas
plant of its kind in North America.
Under the proposed terms of the agreement ZooShare will be responsible for fully
funding, designing, developing, constructing and operating the plant on lands
leased from the Zoo. Food waste from a major grocery retailer and all of the
Zoo's manure, which is currently composted, will go to the proposed plant where
it will be processed into electricity, heat and fertilizer. The result of the
biogas production process will be a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by
approximately 10,000 tons CO2, equal to taking over 1,800 cars off
the road each year. The project represents an investment of $ 5.4
million, the majority of which will be raised from the community through the
issuance of Community Bonds.
Infineon Raceway, in partnership with Panasonic, has completed a major milestone
in energy conservation with the successful installation of 1,652 solar panels at
the famed Northern California raceway.
The high-efficiency solar panels, manufactured by Panasonic’s Sanyo division,
will cover 41-percent of the raceway’s energy usage. In a further move designed
to reduce energy consumption, Panasonic has also provided the raceway with a
low-energy LED video board, replacing the current installation on Highway 37.
To emphasize the importance of energy conservation, Infineon Raceway had the
solar panels installed so that they would be visible to the majority of fans
attending events at the facility. Panels have been placed above the Turn 10
Sound Wall, the Main Grandstand, the administration office and the Raceway Cafe,
as well as the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School building.
As part of its commitment to achieving a sustainable future, Infineon Raceway
has already introduced low/no carbon racing, boasts a comprehensive recycling
program and even uses 3,000 sheep to trim the grass around the track and
grounds.
The photovoltaic cells in Panasonic’s solar panels are manufactured in the
United States in Salem, Ore. The aggregate impact of the installed panels is
generation of 353 kilowatts of power. It is estimated that the installation will
save 34,000 barrels of oil over 30 years.
For more information on Renewable Energy Projects and Update, please
visit:
http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/Renewable_Energy_Projects_Brochure/renewable_energy_projects_brochure.htm.
--------------------
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Bob McIlvaine
President
847-784-0012 ext 112
rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com
www.mcilvainecompany.com
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191 Waukegan Road Suite 208 | Northfield | IL 60093
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