ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories are working to lower the cost of solar energy systems and improve efficiencies in a big way, thanks to a system of small particles.
Testing heats up at Sandia’s Solar Tower with high temperature falling particle receiver
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Parker Hannifin Selected by Alevo to Support North America's Largest Energy Storage Deployment
Parker's energy transfer systems will connect energy from Alevo's battery modules as part of large-scale 200 Megawatt energy transfer operation
Parker - Investors - RSS Content
Parker - Investors - RSS Content
NRG Home Solar Partners with Solar Decathlon Team from Stevens Institute of Technology
From NRG:
| NRG Home Solar Partners with Solar Decathlon Team from Stevens Institute of Technology |
“Sure House” design to reduce energy use and protect against natural disasters
Princeton, New Jersey – June 30, 2015 –NRG Home Solar, a division of NRG Energy, Inc. and one of the country’s leading residential solar companies, has joined forces with Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey to support the production of its U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon entry, the Sure House.
The Sure House will be a home designed to use 90% less energy than similar homes available on the market. It is powered by solar energy, and in the aftermath of a storm becomes a hub for emergency power to the neighborhood with uniquely designed branch power circuits that transfer to standby circuits in the event of a grid outage. The Sure House will also incorporate design details allowing it to withstand temporary flooding up to 6 feet, plus storm shutters that provide protection during extreme storms.
“The inspiring and progressive work these students are doing on the Sure House made it an easy decision to get involved in this competition,” said Kelcy Pegler Jr., President of NRG Home Solar. “Many employees at NRG Home Solar live and work in areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, so it’s fantastic to see the Stevens students tackle an incredible project that could better prepare us for the everchanging climate.”
The competition entry was inspired by the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, which directly impacted many students involved in the project. The Stevens team is designing the Sure House to optimize energy efficiency through use of solar and smart energy technologies. The home is also configured specifically to protect against flooding and natural disasters.
The Sure House is being developed by a team of 40 students - led by faculty - that includes undergraduates and graduates from a range of disciplines. NRG Home Solar is providing the photovoltaic solar panels to be used in the home’s solar array.
“The Sure House is a groundbreaking new direction in storm resilient coastal housing and we are thrilled to have NRG Home Solar’s support and dedication to help bring it to fruition,” said Michael Bruno, Feiler Chair Professor and Dean, School of Engineering and Science. “The dedicated students on this team are working incredibly hard to produce a winning design for the Solar Decathlon competition, a design that can also translate into a working home that will save lives.”
The Solar Decathlon will take place in October 8-18, 2015 in Irvine, California.
About NRG Home Solar
NRG Residential Solar Solutions LLC d/b/a Home Solar is one of the country’s leading solar companies specializing in the installation of residential solar. NRG Home Solar designs, installs and maintains solar systems that help smart homeowners bring their homes into the future with cleaner energy. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc. and has offices throughout the US. NRG Home Solar empowers its customers to control their own energy destiny through clean selfgeneration. For more information please visit www.nrghomesolar.com or follow us on Twitter @NRGHomeSolar.
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University®, is a premier, private research university situated in Hoboken, N.J. overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Founded in 1870, technological innovation has been the hallmark and legacy of Stevens’ education and research programs for more than 140 years. Within the university’s three schools and one college, more than 6,300 undergraduate and graduate students collaborate with more than 350 faculty members in an interdisciplinary, student-centric, entrepreneurial environment to advance the frontiers of science and leverage technology to confront global challenges. Stevens is home to three national research centers of excellence, as well as joint research programs focused on critical industries such as healthcare, energy, finance, defense, maritime security, STEM education and coastal sustainability. The university is consistently ranked among the nation’s elite for return on investment for students, career services programs and mid-career salaries of alumni. Stevens is in the midst of a 10-year strategic plan, The Future. Ours to Create., designed to further extend the Stevens legacy to create a forward-looking and far-reaching institution with global impact. |
Duke Energy offers energy-saving suggestions to avoid getting hot under the collar this summer - Duke Energy
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -
Hot weather can lead to higher energy bills as customers try and stay cool this summer. Duke Energy would like to offer some suggestions for managing these costs.
To help customers prepare, Duke Energy offers assistance programs, including:
Duke Energy offers energy-saving suggestions to avoid getting hot under the collar this summer - Duke Energy
GE Software Helps to Modernize Belgium’s Electricity and Gas Grids
From GE:
GE Software Helps to Modernize Belgium’s Electricity and Gas Grids
June 29, 2015
- GE Provides Eandis, Belgium’s Largest Distribution Operator, with PowerOn(TM) Advanced Distribution Management System
- GE Solution Helps Eandis Reduce Costs and Improve Quality of Supply
- Agreement Includes Seven Years of System Maintenance and Service
GHENT, BELGIUM—June 29, 2015—GE’s Digital Energy business (NYSE: GE) has announced that Eandis, the largest distribution operator in Belgium, has implemented and gone live with its PowerOn(TM) Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS). The software platform enables Eandis, which covers 80 percent of all grid connections in the Flemish region of Belgium, to improve the efficiency and operation of its gas and electric grids as well as its renewable energy integration capabilities.
In addition to providing its ADMS software, GE also will provide seven years of maintenance and service to Eandis’s new system. This project with Eandis marks the first implementation of GE’s ADMS solutions in Belgium.
With its existing SCADA platform at the end of its life and to improve reliability and reduce costs, Eandis decided to implement a modern ADMS platform. It turned to GE’s PowerOn ADMS, which integrates traditional utility distribution functions such as network management, outage management and regulatory reporting with emerging low-carbon technologies like embedded generation and energy storage—all in a single platform. The system is an evolution of GE’s proven technology platform for SCADA and advanced distribution management.
"When looking to upgrade our existing SCADA system, it was important for us to work with a company that understood what capabilities we were looking for,” said Wim Den Roover, director of network operation, Eandis. “With GE, it was clear that its smart grid ideology and our roadmap were aligned, and together, we developed a shared vision for the future smart grid.”
With the implementation of the new distribution management solution, flexibility was a key concern. Utility networks continue to evolve every day, often requiring updates to be made quickly and efficiently to ensure optimal operation. GE’s PowerOn ADMS accommodates overnight upgrades to improve the system while maintaining continuity in the utility control center. This flexible approach to adding new features simplifies the upgrade process, making it less time consuming and more cost-effective. In addition, this update method enables Eandis to continuously access new, advanced functionality tools moving forward and throughout its modernization strategy. Data quality and migration were other concerns for Eandis when deciding how to replace its SCADA platform.
“Many solutions available today seem to be geared toward transmission companies, not those on the distribution end. GE’s PowerOn ADMS, however, was clearly designed by people who have worked in distribution utilities. Its solution, and expertise in the industry, made our data migration process simple,” Den Roover continued.
PowerOn uses smart grid intelligence to help utilities integrate and optimize power generated from renewable sources such as wind turbines, solar arrays and biogas operations. With the implementation of GE’s grid modernization solution, Eandis is now better equipped to help meet the European Union’s goal of 20 percent carbon reduction by 2020, part of the 20/20/20 initiative.
“With our ADMS, Eandis will be able to provide a constantly evolving, evergreen distribution network that is capable of meeting changing requirements of the smart grid and the low-carbon economy in Belgium,” said Paul van Dijk, director for GE’s Digital Energy business in the Benelux region. “The ability to integrate renewables into the grid can lead to more reliable, efficient and cleaner energy. This, in turn, creates a more attractive environment for businesses and consumers, helping to spur economic development and improve lifestyles. Our advanced grid modernization solutions, like our ADMS, help make renewables doable for utilities around the globe.”
GE’s Digital Energy business is a global leader in transmission and distribution solutions that manage and move power from the power plant to the consumer. Its products and services increase the reliability of electrical power networks and critical equipment for utility, industrial and large commercial customers. From protecting and optimizing assets such as generators, transmission lines and motors, to delivering analytic tools to help manage the power grid, GE’s Digital Energy business delivers industry-leading technologies to solve the unique challenges of each customer. For more information, visithttp://www.gedigitalenergy.com/.
About Eandis
Eandis a Belgian Distribution System Operator (DSO) serving about 2.45 million electricity customers, including 15,000 medium voltage electricity customers, and 1.45 million natural gas customers in the Flanders area in Belgium.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com
GLOBAL CONSORTIUM TO DELIVER AUSTRALIA’S THIRD LARGEST WIND FARM, VALUED AT $450 MILLION
From GE:
GLOBAL CONSORTIUM TO DELIVER AUSTRALIA’S THIRD LARGEST WIND FARM, VALUED AT $450 MILLION
June 25, 2015
- First renewables project agreed following RET resolution
- RES, GE and Downer team with Partners Group and OPTrust
- Wind farm will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 123,000 homes
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – June 26, 2015 — Renewable Energy Systems (“RES”), together with GE (NYSE: GE) and Downer (ASX: DOW), today announced a major contract for the supply of 75 wind turbines to the 240MW Ararat Wind Farm in south-west Victoria. In what will be the third largest wind farm in Australia, the $450 million project will be financed by shareholders Partners Group, RES, OPTrust andGE.
This deal represents the first major contract to be signed following restored bipartisan support for the Renewable Energy Target (RET), mandating 33,000-gigawatt hours of producing capacity by 2020, and signals the return of investment to Australia’s renewable energy sector.
The project also benefits from a power purchase agreement with the Australian Capital Territory Government (ACT), guaranteeing the purchase of approximately 40 per cent of the energy produced at the site which was awarded under the ACT’s Wind Auction announcement in February 2015.
The Ararat wind farm will have a life span of 25 years and will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of around 123,000 homes per annum, or approximately 6 per cent of Victoria’s households. RES will manage the development, construction and commissioning of the project, and once complete, GE will provide ongoing operations and maintenance under a ten-year service agreement.
Geoff Culbert, President & CEO, GE Australia, New Zealand and PNG, said the recent agreement around the RET has been the driving force, creating certainty and enabling the equity partners to make firm decisions around long term investment opportunities in Australia.
“With certainty comes investment – that’s our experience overseas and that’s what we’ll see here in Australia now that the RET is fully resolved. I congratulate both the Coalition and the ALP on restoring the policy certainty needed to enable investment and job creation. This decision has immediately unlocked half a billion dollars of direct foreign investment into Australia,” said Culbert.
“The wind farm will have significant local impact. It will employ around 165 workers directly in the construction phase, another 120 indirectly, and is expected to inject at least $7 million - $8 million into the local economy around Ararat over two years. The project will also establish a local community fund which will inject over $2 million in support of good causes over its lifetime.”
Matt Rebbeck, Chief Operating Officer for Australia at RES, said that the project represents a major development for the Ararat region.
“After many years of work from a dedicated team, RES is proud to deliver the Ararat Wind Farm. It is a world class project and one of the largest in Australia. The project will provide significant benefits to the local community through the creation of jobs and funding initiatives to support good causes in the region.
“RES would like to thank the local community for its support throughout the project’s development. Also we would like to thank the ACT Government for its foresight in establishing innovative policies that are delivering low cost clean energy projects. The Ararat Wind Farm will also be partnering with ACT researchers and institutions on projects that will potentially have global applications and support the ACT as a positive place for renewable energy companies to invest plus a positive model for other states to follow in unlocking the potential of clean energy projects in Australia.”
Benjamin Haan, Managing Director and Head of Private Infrastructure, Asia-Pacific, Partners Group, said that the project will have a considerable impact on the future of renewable energy in Australia.
“The Ararat Wind Farm is a well-structured project with high-quality counterparties and a strong wind resource. The timing of our investment aligns with increased certainty around Australia's Renewable Energy Target, which will require a substantial build-out of renewables in the coming years. The wind farm will make a great contribution not only to the local community in Ararat, in the form of employment, education and investment, but also to the future of renewable energy in Australia."
Stan Kolenc, Managing Director, OPTrust said: “OPTrust has considerable interest and experience in the renewable energy sector, in Australia and abroad. And as a Canadian pension fund, we have dedicated staff in Australia because we believe the country, and region, provides compelling investment opportunities. We are excited to participate in this project, working alongside trusted partners, to expand renewable energy production in Australia.”
“We commend Parliament for reinforcing the regulatory stability that underpins this industry and look forward to starting construction.”
Construction of the Ararat Wind Farm is expected to span two years, with power delivered to the grid from April 2017.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com.
About Renewable Energy Systems Ltd.
RES (Renewable Energy Systems Ltd) is one of the world’s leading independent renewable energy companies. At the forefront of renewable energy development for over 30 years, RES has developed and/or built more than 9,000MW of renewable energy capacity worldwide. RES core activities are onshore wind, offshore wind and solar, and technologies that will be enablers to a low carbon future – Energy Storage, Demand Side Management and Transmission. RES is headquartered in the United Kingdom and operates across the globe, including from Sydney, Australia. For more information, visitwww.res-group.com and www.res-australia.com.
About Downer
Downer EDI Limited (Downer) is a leading provider of services to customers in markets including Transportation, Mining, Energy and Industrial Engineering, Utilities, Communications and Facilities. Downer employs about 20,000 people, mostly in Australia and New Zealand but also in the Asia-Pacific region, South America and Southern Africa.
About Partners Group
Partners Group is a global private markets investment management firm with over EUR 37 billion (over USD 45 billion) in investment programs under management in private equity, private real estate, private infrastructure and private debt. The firm manages a broad range of customized portfolios for an international clientele of institutional investors. Partners Group is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and has offices in San Francisco, Houston, New York, São Paulo, London, Guernsey, Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm employs over 750 people and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (symbol: PGHN) with a major ownership by its partners and employees.
Partners Group is a global private markets investment management firm with over EUR 37 billion (over USD 45 billion) in investment programs under management in private equity, private real estate, private infrastructure and private debt. The firm manages a broad range of customized portfolios for an international clientele of institutional investors. Partners Group is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland and has offices in San Francisco, Houston, New York, São Paulo, London, Guernsey, Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm employs over 750 people and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (symbol: PGHN) with a major ownership by its partners and employees.
About OPTrust
With assets of $17.5 billion, the OPSEU Pension Trust (OPTrust) invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan, a defined benefit plan with over 86,000 members and retirees. OPTrust was established to give plan members and the Government of Ontario an equal voice in the administration of the Plan and the investment of its assets, through joint trusteeship. OPTrust is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, five of whom are appointed by OPSEU and five by the Government of Ontario.
Farm Waste and Animal Fats Will Help Power a United Jet - The New York Times
Sometime this summer, a United Airlines flight will take off from Los Angeles International Airport bound for San Francisco using fuel generated from farm waste and oils derived from animal fats.
For passengers, little will be different — the engines will still roar, the seats in economy will still be cramped — but for the airlines and the biofuels industry, the flight will represent a long-awaited milestone: the first time a domestic airline operates regular passenger flights using an alternative jet fuel.
Farm Waste and Animal Fats Will Help Power a United Jet - The New York Times
For passengers, little will be different — the engines will still roar, the seats in economy will still be cramped — but for the airlines and the biofuels industry, the flight will represent a long-awaited milestone: the first time a domestic airline operates regular passenger flights using an alternative jet fuel.
Farm Waste and Animal Fats Will Help Power a United Jet - The New York Times
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