Renewable Energy Technology Overview

Renewable Energy Technology Overview

July 3, 2010

by: Ron Miller, P.E.

Copyright© 2010 Ronald L. Miller. Material can be shared or copied with attribution to the copyright holder. http://www.linkedin.com/in/ronmiller10

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Solar Energy


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Photovoltaic (PV)


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U.S. Solar Resources

Source: NREL


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Alamosa 8.2 MW PV Plant


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PV Data

• 1 megawatt (MW) per 10 acres

• Installed price $5M – 7M/ MW

• 1 MW of PV capacity produces 1,500-2,100 megawatt-hour (MWh) per year in energy

• 1 MW PV provide average annual energy for 200-280 Colorado homes


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Different PV Applications

• Fixed – stationary on rooftop or ground-mounted

• Single-axis tracking – tracks sun from east to west during day, more kWh than fixed

• Double-axis tracking – tracks sun from east to west daily and seasonally north/south, more kWh than single-axis

• Concentrating PV – lens on PV panel to intensify the sun’s brightness


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Double-axis tracking PV Single-axis tracking PV


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Market Factors

• Oversupply dynamic emerged in 2009 due to polysilicon production capacity increase and recession

• Industry consolidation over next few years

• Demand growth forecasted 38% for 2009, 59% in 2010 per Deutsche Bank


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Projected U.S. PV Installations

Tremendous growth in U.S. PV installations, with more projected through 2025


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PV Projected Price Decline2007-2025 (cents/kWh)


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PV Project Size Increasing

3 large Colorado PV projects - Denver International Airport 2 MW ground-mounted PV, August, 2008


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Top 10 Solar Utilities

Xcel Energy (Public Service) 5th place of solar utilities; strong California and Nevada presence

Source: Solar Electric Power Association


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Large Solar Utility Announcements

Source: Solar Electric Power Association


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Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Solar Thermal, or Solar Trough


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CSP Data

• 250 MW per 1,600 acres (1 MW per 6.5 acres)

• 250 MW with 3-hour storage per 2,000 acres

• Installed price $3.0M to $4.0M per MW

• 1 MW of CSP capacity produces 3,200 MWhper year in energy

• 1 MW CSP provide average annual energy for 425 Colorado homes


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CSP Process Flow

Similar to conventional generation plants, except solar provides heat to make steam for turbine generator

Source: NREL


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CSP Collector Components

Absorber pipe receives heat from parabolic reflector, heating synthetic oil to 700-800 degrees F.

Source: NREL


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CSP Collector Operation


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Solar Collector Operation

Synthetic oil is circulated through solar collector to make steam for turbine generator


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CSP Power Plant Components


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Andasol 1 & 2 - Spain


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Nevada Solar One

64 MW Trough plant built for Nevada Power in Boulder City, NV


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CSP Growth Projection

CSP growth projected to 43,000 MW by 2025; water rights for cooling water could be governing factor


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CSP Price Ranges 2007-2025

Total capital investment $53 billion


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CSP Players

• Flagsol (part of Solar Millennium)

• Solel Solar Systems

• Acciona Solar Power (was Solargenix)

• Sener / ACS Cobra

• Solucar R&D (part of Abengoa)

• IST Solucar (part of Abengoa)

• Ausra


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CSP Price Trends

• With full 30% ITC available, costs for “next” projects in SW US will be $130 -$150/MWh

• Costs in the $100 -$120/MWh are expected by the end of this decade for large scale projects

• R&D and other “efficiencies” will drop costs to below $100/MWh


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CSP Advantages / Trends

• Storage of energy (heat) addresses peak energy, growing faster than base demand

• Reduces need for expensive, under-utilized gas peaking plants

• Applicability in tandem with combined cycle combustion turbine operations

• Economies of scale driving unit cost down, as typical projects are 100 – 500 MW range


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CSP Advantages / Trends

• Technology advances in primary loop medium increasing temperature by 100 degrees F - higher energy production

• Demonstrated plant reliability beyond 20 years, lower Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) by about 1.5 cents/kWh

• CSP market in the SW US can grow to 1-

2 GW per year


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CSP Market for CSP in SW US

• Arizona: 2,000 MW

• Nevada: 1,500 MW

• New Mexico/West Texas: 1,000 + MW

• Colorado: 500 MW after 2010

Wind Energy


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Wind Turbines

How Do Wind Turbines Work?


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U.S. Wind Resources

Source: NREL


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Wind Energy Statistics

• U.S. passed Germany in 2008 as #1 wind producer in world at 25,170 MW

• U.S. wind power capacity surged by 39% in 2009, with 9,922 MW added, after record-breaking 2008 with 8,358 MW

• Achieved in two years what had previously taken 2 decades (the 10,000-MW mark reached in 2006)

• Current capacity of 35,159 MW


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Trends

• Wind power contributed 42% of all new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2008

• U.S. wind turbine manufacturing expanded; now >50% components made domestically

• Average turbine size continued to grow

• Developer consolidation continues


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Trends, cont’d.

• Project cost increases as a function of turbine prices, and turbine prices have increased dramatically

• Solutions to transmission barriers emerging, but constraints remain

• Installed project costs continued to rise in 2007/2008, after a long period of decline

• Policy efforts continued to affect the

amount and location of wind development


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Wind Energy Projections

• New starts in 2010 projected to slow

• Top states: Texas, Iowa, California, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois

• Upward pressure on wind power prices


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21,000 MW Wind Capacity Impact

• Generate >60 billion kWh in 2009

• Serve over 5.5 million American homes

• Eliminate burning of:

• 30.4 million short tons of coal (enough to fill two 1,000-mile-long coal trains)

• 91 million barrels of oil per year

• 560 billion cubic feet of natural gas (about 9% of the natural gas used for electricity generation)

Source: December 22, 2008 AWEA press release


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Growth In U.S. Wind Power Capacity


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U.S. Overtakes Germany in Wind Capacity in 2008


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U.S. Wind Capacity

Source: AWEA


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U.S. Wind Capacity By State


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Top 20 Wind Utilities


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Wind Turbine Manufacturer’s Share


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U.S. Wind Turbine Installations By Manufacturer


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U.S. Wind Manufacturing Facilities

Source: NREL


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Average Turbine Size Growing


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Wind Farm Size Declined Slightly


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Wind Industry Consolidating

Source: AWEA


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Wind PPA Energy Prices Increasing


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Wind Project Ownership

IPPs own majority of wind projects, but recent legislation allows IOU ownership, which is increasing


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Wind production decreases during peak power demand period; without demand, wind production may be curtailed

Geographic Diversity of Wind


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Biomass Energy


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Biomass Wood / Pellets To Energy


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Microgy’s Biomass to Methane Project, Stephenville, Texas

Source: Environmental Power website


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Biomass Issues / Concerns

• Increasing regulation of agricultural waste and environmental concerns for air/water

• Concentrated animal feeding operations face new costly regulations

• Increasing costs of MSW disposal

• A number of states are implementing a cap and trade system for greenhouse gases

• Federal legislation for more greenhouse standards increased in pace and scope


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Biomass Feedstocks

• Agricultural and forest residues

• Primary and secondary mill residues

• Municipal solid and urban wood waste

• Methane emissions from landfills, manure management, wastewater treatment plants

• Wood-processing residues

• Animal wastes


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Biomass Technologies

• Gasification

• Thermal

• Chemical

• Incineration

• Anaerobic digestion


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Biomass Products

• Electricity

• Heat

• Biogas

• Ethanol

• Biodiesel

• Hydrogen


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Biomass Energy Advantages

• Diversion of waste from landfills, saving transportation costs

• Relatively-high capacity factor (80-90%)

• Distributed generation near energy demand, reducing transmission losses (7-10%)

• Process agricultural wastes to eliminate production of greenhouse gas (GHG)

• Largely carbon-neutral


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Biomass Projects



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Biomass Process Overview



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Key Success Factors

• Biomass feedstocks in close proximity to generator

• Net metering for full retail rate relief

• Interconnection to grid for export

• State RPS requirements to include biomass to drive urgency

• High utilization rates

• Customer demand for combined heat and power (CHP)


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Hydro


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Hydro

• Hydro static reservoir release

• Hydro pumped storage


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Hydro Static Reservoir Release


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Hydro Static Release - How It Works


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Lower Granite Dam, Snake River


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Key Points

• Power generation depends on flow to reservoir (rate), pressure of water (head)

• Generation can be at odds with dam’s purpose of flood control and seasonal changes

• For highest price for energy produced, power needs to be at peak demand period for utility

• May not be dispatchable to utility


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Key Points, cont’d.

• Access to federal tax credits, accelerated depreciation incentives

• Helps to meet state renewable portfolio standards

Hydro Pumped Storage (HPS)


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Hydro Pumped Storage - How It Works


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Basic Principle

• Two reservoirs at different elevations and pipeline connecting two is required

• Energy produced when water released from upper to lower reservoir

• Daytime, higher-priced energy produced

• Energy consumed as water pumped back to the upper reservoir

• Night-time, lower-priced energy used


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Advantages

• Quick startup

• Provides demand for wind farm energy production during night-time/off-peak periods, allowing higher wind utilization

• Provides peak energy during periods of excessive demand on the grid system

• HPS not renewable, but enhances wind energy production during off-peak periods

• Dispatchable energy for utility


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HPS ProjectLudington, Michigan


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Questions and Answers


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Contact Information

Ron Miller, P.E.

303-723-5465

303-748-3441 cell

[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ronmiller10

“Drivers of the New Renewable Energy Transmission System” CLE Renewable Energy Transmission March 2010 conference available at link above


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Building A Wind Farm


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Renewable Energy Technology Overview

Technology

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