News

$4.9 Million Grant from California Energy Commission Awarded for Forest Biomass Gasification Plant in North Fork, CA

Submitted by aburr on Fri, 2015-04-17 15:10

Phoenix Energy's joint venture, North Fork Community Power's project was awarded a $4.9 million grant. The award will be used to construct one of the first forest-sourced biomass gasification plants, as well as research into the field of forest biomass utilization. The plant will utilize local forest biomass sustainably sourced from restoration and fuel reduction activities on local forest lands, including the Sierra National Forest.

SunEdison to Construct Three New Solar Power Plants in Utah Totaling 262 MW

Submitted by aburr on Fri, 2015-04-17 15:10

SunEdison signed agreements to construct and install three new utility-scale solar power plants in southern Utah with a total capacity of 262 MW. PacifiCorp will purchase the electricity through three 20-year PPA according to its obligation under the federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act. The three solar power plants are located in Iron County in southern Utah, and include the 63-MW Granite Mountain Solar West plant, the 100-MW Granite Mountain Solar East plant and the 99-MW Iron Springs Solar plant.

Duke Energy Completes Sale of its Non-Regulated Midwest Generation Business to Dynegy

Submitted by aburr on Fri, 2015-04-17 15:09

Duke Energy completed the sale of its non-regulated Midwest Commercial Generation Business to Dynegy for $2.8 billion in cash. The transaction includes ownership interests in 11 power plants and Duke Energy Retail Sales, the company's retail business in Ohio. The non-regulated Midwest generation business sold to Dynegy includes 11 merchant power plants in Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania with a capacity of approximately 6,100 MW. The company began the process to exit its non-regulated Midwest Commercial Generation Business in February 2014.

Williams Seeks FERC Approval for Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Expansion

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-04-01 12:34

Transco, a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams Partners, filed an application with FERC seeking authorization for its Atlantic Sunrise expansion project, which would transport about 1.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. Williams expects to place Atlantic Sunrise into service in the second half of 2017 as part of $4.8 billion in transmission projects planned to come online through 2017.

Waverly Labs and the Energy Production Infrastructure Center Quantify Digital Risks for Power Grids

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-04-01 12:33

Waverley Labs and the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) developed a risk management solution based upon a research and technology collaboration focused on modeling relationships between cyber-attacks and the electric and physical infrastructures associated with the power grid. During the past year, researchers in EPIC’s Duke Energy Smart Grid Laboratory working with Waverley Labs conducted a systematic analysis of risks and associated threats to power transmission systems to identify critical points of failure.

ABB and Samsung SDI Join Forces to Develop Microgrids Globally

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-04-01 12:32

ABB and Samsung SDI signed a memorandum of understanding to promote microgrid solutions globally. The two companies will establish a global commercial alliance to develop and market modular and scalable microgrid solutions, utilizing lithium-ion batteries for energy storage. ABB will provide technologies for electrification, control optimization, stabilization and consulting services. Samsung SDI will provide the batteries and the battery management system.

GE and Casa dos Ventos to Expand Wind Energy Production in Brazil

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-04-01 12:32

GE announced the construction of two service centers focused on the operation and maintenance of wind turbines in Brazil. The support centers will be staffed by GE technicians and engineers at wind farms operated by Casa dos Ventos and other clients at Chapada do Araripe (PI and PE) and in Garanhuns (PE). GE and Casa dos Ventos now have three wind farm clusters under construction. One of these is the Tianguá Cluster, in the state of Ceará, which has 77 GE 1.6-100 wind turbines, with delivery scheduled for the second half of 2015.

Toshiba to Participate in Large-scale Hydrogen Research Project in Scotland

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-03-25 14:27

Toshiba will participate in the Levenmouth Community Energy Project in Fife, Scotland, a 4-year project to investigate the potential of hydrogen as a future fuel. The project will run from 2015 to 2020 in a redevelopment area of the Methil Docks in Methil, Fife. Electricity generated by wind and solar power will be used to power a hydrogen producing water electrolysis system, and the hydrogen will be stored and used as a fuel source for hybrid commercial vehicles (HCV) powered by fuel cells and diesel engines.

PSEG Long Island Further Strengthens Electric Grid

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-03-25 14:27

PSEG Long Island embarked on a federally funded, three-year reliability and resiliency project to further strengthen the electric grid across Long Island and in the Rockaways. More than $729 million of federal recovery funds were secured for the Long Island Power Authority via an agreement last year between Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), under the FEMA 406 Mitigation Program.

PG&E Wins Right to Develop Two New Transmission Substations

Submitted by aburr on Wed, 2015-03-25 14:26

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) was selected by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to build, own and operate two new electric substations in California's Central Valley and South Bay. The new high voltage substation at Wheeler Ridge Junction will help improve electric service reliability in Bakersfield, especially in the hot summer months when demand for power is higher. The substation projects will need to undergo an approval process through the California Public Utilities Commission.