October 2014 - Power Air Quality Insights 178

The Chinese will add more MW of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) between 2014 and 2020 than exist in the U.S. By 2020, China will have 50 percent of all the FGD systems in the world. This prediction is contained in FGD Market and Strategies published by the McIlvaine Company. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

China FGD (MW)
Classification	2014	2020
Existing FGD	659,971	896,555
FGD Retirements	-1,000	-1,000
New Construction - FGD	42,500	25,500
Retrofits	13,004	11,316
Total New FGD	55,504	36,816

China plans to install FGD on new power plants and to retrofit older power plants presently without FGD. There are 96,000 MW of power plants targeted for the five year period. By 2010 nearly 900,000 MW of FGD systems will be installed.

Some of this new power plant capacity is to meet the rising energy needs of the country. Some of it will be to replace existing coal-fired boilers in residences, commercial buildings and industry. More than 600,000 small coal-fired boilers will be retired.

Most new FGD systems will produce wallboard quality gypsum using limestone reagents. Dry scrubbing using lime is becoming more popular in the arid areas where there is a water scarcity.

McIlvaine is recommending that Chinese utilities consider two stage limestone scrubbing systems in which the first stage creates hydrochloric acid. This acid can be used to leach gallium and other rare earths from the flyash along with alumina. Since China is spending billions on technologies to leach metals from flyash, it makes sense to use this one step scrubbing and leaching process.

EDF Renewable Energy and Microsoft Corporation Break Ground on the Pilot Hill Wind Project

EDF Renewable Energy and Microsoft Corporation recently celebrated the launch of the Pilot Hill Wind Project with a groundbreaking ceremony. Located 60 miles southwest of Chicago in Kankakee and Iroquois counties, the 175 megawatt (MW) wind project is expected to begin commercial operation early in 2015.

The project, consisting of GE 1.7 MW wind turbines, benefits from a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Microsoft. The PPA played a key role in advancing the project by providing the long-term revenue certainty needed to get Pilot Hill off of the ground and into construction.

With its close proximity to Chicago and one of the top ranking renewable energy training programs in the nation at Kankakee Community College, local officials hope Pilot Hill will prompt more investment in renewable energy in the area.

NV Energy has announced it is seeking proposals to secure up to 100 megawatts of additional renewable energy resources that provide the greatest economic benefit to the State of Nevada, that ensure the creation of new jobs, and that offer the best value to NV Energy customers.

Merrimack Energy Group will serve as the independent evaluator for the Request for Proposals (RFP), and Power Advocate will provide the response platform and related technology for the RFP process.

This 100-megawatt request for proposals is for renewable energy for NV Energy's operating company in Southern Nevada. Subsequent 100-megawatt RFPs will be issued in 2015 and 2016.

Panasonic and Coronal Group Complete Nine Solar Projects to Provide Clean, Renewable Energy to Southern California Edison Customers

Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company (Panasonic) and Coronal Group LLC (Coronal) announce the completion of nine solar projects in Tulare and Kings Counties in Central California. The projects provide 16.2 MW of energy to Southern California Edison’s grid to power approximately 14,500 homes annually.

Panasonic and Coronal acquired the California Renewable Energy Small Tariff projects from Macquarie Capital in 2013. A $50 million funding commitment by Ullico Inc., a labor-union owned insurance and investment company, also contributed to the acquisition and completion of the projects. The projects were built by Panasonic and ImMODO Energy Services Corporation.

Calpine to Receive California Energy Commission Grant to Study Flexibility Enhancements at the Geysers

Calpine Corporation, on behalf of its subsidiary Geysers Power Company LLC (The Geysers), announced that it has been selected by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to receive a $3 million grant for “Advancing Utility-Scale Clean Energy.” Calpine will match the grant award, which will fund a study to investigate how generation at The Geysers may be modified to enhance flexibility and address the greater demands imposed on the grid by intermittent renewables.

The Geysers is the world’s largest geothermal resource developed for electric generation and produces approximately 6 million megawatt hours of reliable, low-carbon energy annually accounting for more than 15 percent of the delivered renewable energy in California.

Local Officials and Industry Leaders Join Ameresco and Republic Services to Mark Completion of New Landfill Gas to Energy Projects

Ameresco, Inc., a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, joined with local California officials and energy industry leaders to commemorate the completion of its 4.3 megawatt (MWe) landfill gas-to-energy (LFGTE) project at the Forward Landfill in Manteca, CA and again at the Vasco Road Landfill in Livermore, CA to celebrate the completion of its 4.3 MWe LFGTE project. Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), local community, and Santa Clara Silicon Valley Power (SVP) participated with Republic Services and Ameresco.

Ameresco has designed/built over 170 MWe of biogas facilities across the United States. The company has partnered with both public and private enterprises to convert landfill gas from an environmental liability into an economic and environmental benefit while at the same time displacing fossil fuel normally used to produce this same amount of energy.

· Ameren plans to replace Two Coal-fired Power Plants with Gas and Renewables

· ANDRITZ to supply Equipment for Two Coal-fired Boilers at Sooner Power Plant in Oklahoma

· Hollysys Automation Technologies announces Contract for 2x800 MW Thermal Power Plant DCS Reconstruction Project

· FERC approves Consumers Energy purchase of Gas-fired Power Plant in Michigan

· GE J920 FleXtra selected for New 50 MW Gas-fired Power Plant in Colorado County, Texas

· 450 MW Combined Cycle Ashuganj Power Plant to become operational Next Year

· Ratchaburi Electricity and Rajburi Sugar Joint Venture to invest in 100 MW Gas-fired Power Plant in Thailand

· PSALM turns over Naga Coal-fired Power Plant to SPC Power (Philippines)

· Cenpower announces Financial close of Kpone IPP CCGT Power Plant in Ghana

· Precipitators can be improved to meet MATS and MACT - Hot Topic Conclusion Yesterday

On Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting on important energy and pollution control subjects. Power webinars are free for subscribers to either Power Plant Air Quality Decisions or Utility Tracking System. The cost is $300.00 for non-subscribers.

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

DATE	SUBJECT
October
16	Municipal Drinking Water *This webinar has been postponed for some weeks. In the meantime we encourage you to submit information to be posted on this free website.*	More Information
23	Dry Scrubbing
November
6	Coal-fired Power Plant NO_x Reduction Innovations
13	Power Plant Cooling
December
18	Boiler Feedwater Treatment