Category: BEP Blogs

Nevada Utility to Shut Out Coal, Embrace Renewables

Source: Meg Cichon, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com

New Hampshire, USA — Nevada’s major public utility NV Energy announced Wednesday that it plans to shutter its four coal plants in southern Nevada and increase its investment in renewable energy and natural gas. Three of its coal plants will be shut down by 2014, and the fourth is scheduled to close its doors by 2017. NV Energy is calling its proposal “NVision,” and included it as an amendment in Senate Bill 123.

The plan calls for 553 megawatts of coal to be replaced with 40 percent renewable energy, which will consist of solar, wind and geothermal, and 60 percent natural gas. According to the bill, NV Energy must own and operate at least 25 percent of its 600-MW renewable share and construct or acquire 1,000 MW of natural gas in the next five years, and 1,000 additional MW of natural gas in the 10 years – all of which is to be produced in Nevada. NVision is expected to create 4,700 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent operations and maintenance positions in the next 12 years.
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Nevada Deploys First U.S. Commercial, Grid-Connected Enhanced Geothermal System

As part of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy, the Energy Department today recognized the nation’s first commercial enhanced geothermal system (EGS) project to supply electricity to the grid. Based in Churchill County, Nevada, Ormat Technologies’ Desert Peak 2 EGS project has increased power output of its nearby operating geothermal field by nearly 38%—providing an additional 1.7 megawatts of power to the grid and validating this emerging clean energy technology.

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Developing Sustainable and Resilient Energy Systems

Developing Sustainable and Resilient Energy Systems

As the largest global consumer of energy, there is a critical need for the United States to identify and develop sustainable sources of energy and materials. A critical aspect of building sustainable energy systems is to also to ensure that they are resilient. Resilient energy systems are those that are designed to withstand perturbations, including those related to climatic, economic, technological, and social causes. As the number of worldwide natural disasters has increased dramatically in the past several decades, the need to develop such resilient energy systems has never been more evident. For example, the vulnerability of the energy infrastructure has been evidenced by the impact of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami on the energy supplies for those communities. Developing resilient and sustainable energy systems will be a critical issue for the next decade. In December 2012 the Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability convened a meeting of technical experts in private industry and representatives from government and academia to discuss sustainable and resilient energy systems. This meeting summary discusses some of themes that emerged from the speakers’ presentations and discussion at the meeting.

SolarCity Expands to Nevada

Source: Energy Manager Today.com by Linda Hardesty

SolarCity plans to open a new location in Nevada, and expects to create hundreds of jobs in the state in the next several years.

SolarCity says its expansion is due in large part to the efforts of Governor Brian Sandoval and the Nevada Office of Economic Development.

The new location will initially house new expansions of key administrative divisions, including portions of the company’s sales, asset management and customer care groups. SolarCity’s first solar projects in the state are also underway. The company is building more than 100 solar projects in Nevada housing communities in partnership with Shea Homes.
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A Significant Drop in Energy Use and Intensity for Manufacturing Sector

Source: Environmental Protection Online.com

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the total energy consumption in the manufacturing industry has decreased by 17 percent since 2002. Energy output for manufacturing decreased by 3 percent in the same amount of time.

Seeing such a large decline in energy use and intensity shows how the manufacturing sector is becoming more energy efficient, especially when fuel consumption of fuel has also declined for the industry.

Energy for manufacturing can be consumed as a fuel or as a feedstock (material input to a final product). Energy consumed as a fuel includes all energy used for heat and power. Energy used as feedstock is the use of energy sources for raw material input or for any purpose other than the production of heat or power.
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30 MW Solar Project Goes Up Near Las Vegas

Source: Energy Manager Today.com by Linda Hardesty

A new 30 MW AC/37.5 MW DC solar installation – the Spectrum Nevada Solar Project in Clark County, Nev. – will be owned by Southern Power Company and its partner Turner Renewable Energy.

Signal Energy is responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction activities associated with the 311-acre solar farm located just outside of Las Vegas. Signal Energy’s scope of work includes all engineering, civil infrastructure, mechanical assembly and electrical work, along with the associated substation and transmission line.

About 2,000 tracker rows with 130,000 photovoltaic solar modules will make up the solar array. The trackers have the ability to increase electricity production at the solar farm by more than 20 percent.
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4 Steps to Accomplish a Successful Energy Overhaul

Source: Energy Manager Today.com By Tom Hulsebosch & Jeff Smith

Accomplishing an energy overhaul for any business may initially seem daunting. An organizational energy transformation requires multiple skills to gather data, determine the goals and objectives, model the costs and benefits of potential solutions and, finally, select the energy projects that align with the overarching vision. Nonetheless, for large commercial, industrial, or institutional entities, the potential for lowering expenses, achieving sustainability objectives, and optimizing energy benefits warrants a methodical approach to link planned actions with the energy transformation goals.

According to a Japanese proverb, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” When it comes to energy planning, a master energy roadmap can be the bridge that connects an organization’s energy transformation objectives to optimal energy investments and sequence of activities.

Luckily, the right mix and sequencing of existing technologies, the use of utility advanced rates that offer low cost off-peak electricity, and business process improvements can profoundly help organizations deliver meaningful and cost-effective energy solutions. There are numerous new technologies on the market aimed at improving energy efficiency, many with associated state and/or federal incentives. The cost for on-site electricity generation has plummeted over the last several years, both for renewable technologies and technologies that take advantage of low natural gas prices. Electric utilities are offering advanced “smart” meters and pricing tariffs for customers to understand and save money by lowering their energy usage during peak times. The right mix of technologies and utility advanced rates allows businesses to manage their energy usage and onsite generation, which both optimizes their financial ROI and helps the environment. With a detailed energy roadmap and a group of committed stakeholders, any organization can accomplish their energy sustainability goals.

Here are four steps to a successful energy transformation:
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Solar Panel Makers Fail to Report Waste

Source: Environmental Leader.com

Solar panel makers are generating millions of pounds of polluted sludge and contaminated water, hazardous waste that is not always reported, an investigation from Associated Press found.

Solar hazardous waste has increased over the past five years alongside the industry’s growth. As of the close of 2012, there was more than 6.4 GW of solar electric capacity installed in the US alone.
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