May 2015 - Power Air Quality Insights 206

$1.6 Trillion Investment in New Coal-fired Power Plants over the Next Decade

Asian countries will rely on coal for new electricity generation over the next decade. Total investment in new coal–fired power plants will be $1.6 trillion dollars. More than 800,000 MW of new facilities will be placed into operation. By contrast, the U.S. will reduce its capacity from 280,000 MW to 230,000 MW. These are the latest forecasts in N043 Fossil and Nuclear Power Generation: World Analysis and Forecast published by The McIlvaine Company. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

The rationale used for the Asian coal-fired power plant construction is that there are greater health as well as economic benefits for this investment. Large new power plants emit only a fraction of the pollutants which an equivalent number of crude wood or coal burning stoves would emit. Electrification and health are linked in many ways. Renewables may be the optimum choice in the future but coal is the one source which is available and affordable.

The retirement of coal-fired power plants in the U.S. and Europe will be considerably less than the new power plant construction elsewhere. However, the total world air emissions from coal-fired power plants are likely to be reduced. Modern air pollution control equipment can reduce pollutants by 99 percent. Asian countries are retrofitting this technology on existing power plants as well as utilizing it on all new power plants.

China is leading the way. It has very stringent regulations for particulate, NO_x, SO_x and has even now regulated mercury emissions. China is also leading the research to extract rare earths from coal flyash. If flyash becomes the main source of rare earths, there will be very substantial reductions in energy costs associated with rare earth production.

There are many new routes for efficiency improvement at existing coal-fired power plants. Plants which most efficiently utilize waste steam for co-generation are twice as efficient as plants which do not co-generate. Great Rivers Energy has set the example in the U.S. Waste steam supplies the Blue Flint ethanol plant with all its energy needs.

Coal-fired power plants can be designed to be cleaner than wind or solar. A coal-fired power plant which cogenerates and uses oxy combustion and CO₂ sequestration would actually reduce greenhouse gases. Since all the flue gas is stored underground, there are no air emissions. The steam used for cogeneration eliminates the CO₂ which would have otherwise been created at the ethanol or other receiving facility. So there are no pollutants being discharged and there is a net greenhouse gas reduction.

Siemens Receives Major Order from Apex Clean Energy for 299 MW Wind Project in Oklahoma

Siemens has been awarded an order from Apex Clean Energy to supply, support installation and provide long-term service for 130 wind turbines for the Kay Wind project to be located in Kay County, OK, approximately two hours north of Oklahoma City. Installation of the wind turbines is scheduled to begin this year, with the start of operations expected for the fourth quarter of 2015. Upon completion of the project, Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power will acquire the wind facility from Apex Clean Energy, marking the company’s first wind project. Apex will continue to serve as asset manager of the project.

The 299-MW project is expected to create enough clean energy to power approximately 100,000 average U.S. homes annually. Power produced at the site will be purchased by Westar Energy and GRDA. The project will feature Siemens SWT-2.3-108 wind turbines, each with a power rating of 2.3 megawatts (MW) and 53 meter blades.

Cupertino Electric, Amec Foster Wheeler Build One of the Largest PV Solar Projects in the U.S.

The Energy Alternatives Division of Cupertino Electric, Inc. announced that it has reached a major installation milestone on Sempra U.S. Gas & Power and Consolidated Edison Development’s 250-megawatt (MW) AC Copper Mountain Solar 3 project located in Boulder City, NV. Working alongside international engineering and project management company Amec Foster Wheeler, Cupertino Electric has installed 1 million photovoltaic (PV) solar modules on the 1,400-acre, fixed tilt, ground-mount project that broke ground in early 2013.

Ameresco Awarded Large-Scale Renewable Energy Contract for 18 MW Solar Facility at Fort Detrick, MD

Ameresco, Inc., a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, announced that the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, in coordination with the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives (OEI) and the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Detrick, awarded a contract to Ameresco for a 18.6 megawatt (MW) direct current (15.0 MW alternating current) renewable energy solar facility to be located at the Fort Detrick Army installation in Frederick, MD.

Under the contract, Ameresco will build, own, operate and maintain the large-scale solar facility, and Fort Detrick will purchase the renewable electricity from Ameresco through a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). Fort Detrick will have the economic benefit of purchasing the renewable electricity at or below current and projected utility rates. All electricity from the solar facility will be consumed by Fort Detrick.

Ameresco will begin construction on the project this summer and the solar facility is planned to be operational by March 2016. More than 60,000 solar panels will be installed throughout 67 acres of Area B at Fort Detrick. Once operational, the facility is designed to serve 12 percent of Fort Detrick’s total annual electric load requirements and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 19,000 metric tons annually.

Azuri, Oasis Africa Resources and Ministry of Power Lead the Charge to Provide Off Grid Home Solar in Ghana

Azuri Technologies announced at the Solar & Off-Grid Renewables West Africa Event its partnership with energy company Oasis African Resources to bring affordable, pay-as-you-go solar power to 100,000 off-grid homes in Ghana in the next 2 years. The project is supported by the Ministry of Power, and aligns with the Government’s current efforts to bring reliable, renewable power to Ghana at scale.

The deployment plan will focus on cocoa farming regions, and be distributed in association with agricultural co-operatives and women-based organizations. The large-scale roll-out builds on previous pilot deployments in Ghana, which have proven the success of this solution for rural Ghanaians over the last 18 months.

Azuri Technologies’ home solar systems bring top class European design with high quality components to provide enough clean and reliable power for daily home lighting and mobile phone charging. The project will deploy Azuri’s flagship product Quad, and include 4 high quality LED lamps, mobile phone charging and a Radio/MP3 player. Crucially, instead of an upfront cost, the system can be purchased through a Pay-As-You-Go model. This model allows the customer to use the system while paying for it incrementally by the regular purchase of top-up credit, typically costing less than the lighting costs and phone charging fees being replaced.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is seeking bids for the design and construction of a utility-scale energy storage system that would be operational by the end of 2016.

With a request for proposals (RFP), TEP is seeking a project partner to build and own a 10 megawatt (MW) storage facility under a 10-year agreement. Such systems can be used to store energy generated by renewable resources for later use, making them increasingly important for managing the local electric system without compromising reliability.

Solar power plays an important part in TEP’s increasingly diverse generating portfolio. The company has plans to reduce its overall coal generation capacity by more than 30 percent over the next five years by increasing use of renewable power, energy efficiency and natural-gas generation. TEP has approximately 330 MW of total renewable generating capacity, enough to meet the electric needs of about 70,000 homes.

· Duke Energy to build fully Lined Coal Ash Landfills at Dan River and Sutton Plants

· Mitsubishi to conduct Feasibility Tests in Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar for Coal-fired Power Plant

· Nippon and Mitsubishi to develop 149 MW Coal and Biomass-fired Power Plant in Ishinomaki, Japan

· Fluor chosen as EPC Contractor for Dominion’s Greensville County Power Station

· General Contractor for Upgrade of Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant makes On-Site Visit

· Many Hot Gas Filter Issues and Options discussed by Experts this Week at AFS

· Thousands of Air Pollution Control Projects at Chinese Coal-fired Power Plants

· Prime Energia will establish a 400 MW Portfolio of Power Plants in Chile

Wet Calcium FGD “Hot Topic Hour” On May 14 will focus on issues and options

Power plants in developing countries need to take advantage of the FGD experience in the U.S., Japan, Europe and China. The McIlvaine Power Plant Air Quality Decisions is being provided free of charge to any power plant operator. The comprehensive information on FGD is easily found through decision guides including one on the Dry Scrubbing and another on Wet Calcium FGD. Each decision guide contains a route map and summary along with guide locators. The route map and summary on Wet Calcium FGD will be the focus of the discussion starting at 10 a.m. on the 14^th_.This initial meeting will be primarily to determine the issues and options. Those who have a vested interest in one option will want to be involved as this process moves forward. One or two power points can be submitted by a participant to cover specific options on any of the following:

The discussion will be a collaborative effort to create a better route map and summary.

1. Neutral niche experts who will provide insights on some aspect of the decisions (EPRI, VGB, consultants and utility veterans).

2. FGD system suppliers and others who can determine the important classifications, e.g. are spray tower, tray tower and sump scrubber, the three major design options? (We are arbitrarily calling the Chiyoda jet bubbling reactor and the Alstom design sump scrubbers). Andritz has introduced an improved scrubber design. How does this compare to the Riley/Babcock rod deck?

3. Component suppliers and system suppliers to provide options for nozzles, mist eliminators, fans, etc. Which oxidation blower design is most energy efficient? What is the best mixing approach? Where are 2205, C276, or ceramic tiles appropriate for vessels and ductwork?

4. Reagents and other consumables suppliers including treatment chemicals to enhance removal or prevent scaling.

For the complete Hot Topic schedule and registration information see below. The webinar on May 14 is free to power plant operators and McIlvaine subscribers. There is a charge for others. To register for the “Hot Topic Hour”, click on: http://home.mcilvainecompany.com/index.php/component/content/article?id=675

On Thursdays at 10 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
May 14, 2015	Wet Calcium FGD	More Information
May 21, 2015	Gas Turbine Intake Filters	More Information
May 28, 2015	No webinar but on-site interviews at Industrial Valve Summit in Bergamo, Italy
June 4, 2015	Power Plant Valves	More Information
June 11, 2015	SO3 Removal Options	More Information
June 18, 2015	Hot Gas Filtration	More Information
June 25, 2015	Mercury Removal Options	More Information