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Future of Grid is DC?... Energy Islands for storage... ISO New England issues survey By Phillip Bane Aug 14, 2007 - 2:00:00 PM
Future of the Grid is DC Power? This brief but provocative article from the Economist proposes that a Europe-wide grid could be built using direct current (DC) as opposed to the today's alternating current (AC). AC was chosen originally because it loses less power over short distances and early distribution grids were small. DC proponents rely on the premise that future power will be generated long distances from where it is used. For example, solar power generated in the Sahara being used in North America. In that scenario, DC, which loses less power over long distances and can be built closer to the ground, would have an advantage over a grid using AC. QuickTake: The Smart Grid is not just about digitization of the grid. The Smart Grid is only going to happen with innovative thinking across the board, even if it means adopting ideas that have already been considered and discarded.
Energy island for large-scale electricity storage. KEMA publishes a brief report on a concept for large-scale electricity storage using a ‘fall lake’ in the North Sea off the Dutch coast. The ‘fall-lake’ concept is based upon the premise of pumping seawater from a preexisting structure when renewable power such as wind is available. When power is needed, the structure is refilled and the inrushing water powers a generator. Such large-scale storage is suitable in electricity markets with a relatively large amount of wind energy such as the Netherlands. QuickTake: Pumped storage is nothing new, but as with the previous item, it may be time to revisit old concepts and give them a new twist (in this case a location in the sea). The real question, of course, is the cost.
NE analysis highlights DR and grid investments. ISO New England has released the "New England Electricity Scenario Analysis," a report intended to help regional policymakers better understand the drivers for electricity costs, fuel diversity issues, and environmental impacts in New England. Although much of the report focuses on the choice of fuel and the impact on emissions, it also provides a favorable report on the use of demand-side resources and predicts the need for more investment in transmission and distribution. ISO NE's New England Electricity Scenario Analysis (PDF)
Encouraging results from Berkeley demand response study. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has issued “The Summer of 2006: A Milestone in the Ongoing Maturation of Demand Response.” In 2006, summer heat storms set new temperature and electrical peak demand records across the country. These extreme conditions prompted utilities, independent system operators (ISOs), and regional transmission organizations (RTOs) to call on their DR resources to maintain electrical system reliability and mitigate high prices. LBNL conducted ~30 in-depth interviews with participants (utilities, regulators, load aggregators, etc…) and analyzed data from actual DR usage during the summer 2006. QuickTake: Actual load response was 80% or more of enrolled DR resources and this is very encouraging for the future of DR.
Positive environmental assessment for PHEVs. A recently completed assessment conducted by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) focused on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and projected changes in power generation technology from 2010 through 2050. The report assumes that 2010 would be the first year PHEVs were available, with full penetration by 2050. It predicts that green house gas emissions could be reduced between 3.4B and 10.3B metric tons over this period cumulatively depending upon the level of penetration. For perspective, the Federal Energy Information Administration estimates that the US commercial and electrical sector emitted approximately 17.6B metric tons of green house gas emissions in 2005. QuickTake: PHEVs have great potential for improving grid efficiency, reducing smog and lowering consumer gas costs, a hat-trick in the making. Although many people believed this intuitively, this report backs them up with science and specifics.
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