Become a PUF Member Organization

EPA and States Square Off Over Mercury

Submitted by meacott on Thu, 2015-04-02 16:09
In the current Supreme Court case known as State of Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michigan and 22 other states have sued the EPA over new regulations that were designed to further reduce the level of mercury, arsenic and acid gases emitted by power plants. That's almost 50 percent of the states that are feeling beleaguered by EPA's ever expanding power grab.

In the current Supreme Court case known as State of Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michigan and 22 other states have sued the EPA over new regulations that were designed to further reduce the level of mercury, arsenic and acid gases emitted by power plants. That's almost 50 percent of the states that are feeling beleaguered by EPA's ever expanding power grab. The current Supreme Court case is the first example of what many people are calling the EPA's waging of war on the states.

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.

Digest (April 2015)

PG&E asked state regulators for permission to build ~ 25,000 EV chargers across its service area in Northern and Central California - if approved, it would mark the largest deployment of EV charging stations in the country; Lockheed Martin and Dominion Resources have co-developed a new smart grid technology called VirtuGrid to enable remote detection of power outages for faster mapping and response; Panda Power Funds and Sunbury Generation LP will develop, finance, construct and operate a 1,000-MW gas-fired, combined-cycle power project in Pennsylvania; Siemens secured an order of 157 wind turbines in South Africa from Mainstream Renewable Power; PSE&G recently put two new landfill solar farms in service as part of its Solar 4 All program; Exelon Generation will add 195-MW of electric generation capacity at the Medway (Mass.) facility; ABB won a $35 million order for gas-insulated switchgear and shunt reactors from Belgian electricity transmission system operator Elia; Iberdrola USA agreed to acquire UIL Holdings and create a newly listed publicly traded company; Chesapeake Utilities agreed to merge Gatherco into Aspire Energy of Ohio, a wholly-owned subsidiary; and others...

Read Entire Article

Electrifying Your Customer

Customer Connection: Five steps to better relations with your most important client.

Utility customers are hungry for more information and to interact with their providers. But, first, utilities need to know what problems their customers want to solve.
Byline: 

Jenny Roehm

Read Entire Article

The Paradox of Inclining Block Rates

What goes up doesn’t always come down.

Two California-based utilities are studied to determined if inclining block rates can be used to promote energy efficiency.
Byline: 

Ahmad Faruqui, Ryan Hledik, and Wade Davis

Read Entire Article

Energy Storage: Out of the Lab and Onto the Grid

As deployments take hold, real-world challenges abound.

Energy storage has advanced rapidly, leaving the lab and entering a phase of deployment on the grid. Storage's advancements are a result of its promise as well as the tireless support of industry stakeholders who modeled, tested, evaluated and demonstrated the technology.
Byline: 

Richard Fioravanti

Read Entire Article