Archive for 'Sähkö'
Solar Costs Versus Nuclear
Posted on August 7, 2010, under Polttoaineet, Sekalaista, Sähkö, Uutiset.
A recent story about how solar power plants are now more cost effective to build than nuclear power plants in Carolina has created quite a bit of buzz especially amongst staunch advocates of renewable technology. Here’s how the New York Times framed the issue on July 26th.
Solar photovoltaic systems have long been painted as a clean way to generate electricity, but expensive compared with other alternatives to oil, like nuclear power. No longer. In a “historic crossover,” the costs of solar photovoltaic systems have declined to the point where they are lower than the rising projected costs of new nuclear plants, according to a paper published this month.
Such a report might lead one to believe that it is more cost effective in the long run to build a solar power plant instead of a nuclear plant. While that might be the case in some instances in most scenarios it probably won’t be the case. Over the long run, when measured in cost per unit of output, nuclear plants are still less costly to consumers than solar power plants. There are a few reasons why this is the case.
- The Cost of Land – Solar plants require about 5 to 10 acres per megawatt of capacity. So if you were to size a solar plant and try to make it equivalent in capacity terms to one nuclear generating unit you would need at least 5,000 acres. A nuclear plant could be built on a couple of hundred acres or less.
- Actual Output of Power – Over the lifetime of a solar plant it will output far less electricity than a similarly sized nuclear power plant. A really good photovoltaic solar plant will offer a capacity factor of 15%, which means that on average you would get 150 megawatts of output from a solar plant. Nuclear plants have improved their performance in recent years to over 85% capacity factor, which means on average you get about five times the power from nuclear than you do from solar.
- The Cost of Reliability – A solar power plant cannot replace a conventional power plant and still maintain or improve reliability of power delivery. This is due to the fact that you can’t really predict exactly how much output you will get from a solar plant at any given time. When electricity is at its peak demand for a day you may or may not have solar power available in order to help you meet that demand. So you still need other forms of more reliable supply to help meet that demand. Nuclear plants can replace other types of plants, particularly baseload coal plants, because there is a high level of certainty that the power from the plant will be available. So the cost of having to continue to use legacy generation assets must be considered.
- Environmental Costs – The cost to the environment is in favor of solar plants, but not nearly as much as the margin between solar and fossil fuel powered generating facilities. They will use minimum water when compared with nuclear plants. But nuclear plants output no harmful emissions. And since nuclear plants also eliminate the need for certain older types of generation the environmental costs of nuclear could be seen as comparable to solar.
As you can see there are a number of strong arguments in favor of nuclear economics, especially when you consider power output over the long run. The Energy Information Administration currently estimates the construction costs of nuclear (on a national basis) as lower than solar photovoltaic by about $2,500 per kilowatt of capacity. Where the EIA does give solar an advantage is in the operations and maintenance costs of the solar facilities by $80 per kilowatt. In order to truly take advantage of those cost differences solar facilities would need to be able to scale up to much larger sizes than we are seeing right now. The baselines used by EIA compare a 5 megawatt solar photovoltaic against a 1,350 megawatt nuclear unit.
It’s true that there are other costs and pitfalls to nuclear projects that help to shrink the economic gap with solar power. The cost of all the needed approvals and permits for nuclear facilities continues to rise. The risk that the plant won’t ever get built, and thus all the upfront costs are lost is real. After all, a new nuclear facility hasn’t been constructed in the U.S. in over 30 years. In the past nuclear projects have been plagued by mismanagement and cost overages. But those incidents occurred at a time when the burden on the cost was borne by electricity ratepayers. In the era of competitive markets the shareholders of the companies that construct nuclear power will bear the majority of the risk. It’s also important to note that large solar facilities come with their own risks. Large solar power plant proposals for the California desert have been met with fierce opposition.
So is solar power cheaper than nuclear power? Perhaps in some circumstances but for the most part the answer is no. It is worth noting that after publishing their story on the cost of nuclear compared to solar in North Carolina the New York Times added an editors note to their article that includes the following statement.
…the article failed to point out, as it should have, that the study was prepared for an environmental advocacy group, which, according to its Web site, is committed to ‘‘tackling the accelerating crisis posed by climate change — along with the various risks of nuclear power.’’ The article also failed to take account of other studies that have come to contrasting conclusions, or to include in the mix of authorities quoted any who elaborated on differing analyses of the economics of energy production.
The Times’ editorial update highlights the importance of considering the many inputs and outputs that result from the construction and operation of power facilities. It’s a complicated subject. The information that is not presented is just as important as what is included in a particular study or report. Draw your own conclusions on the topic but I think that we have a ways to go before solar can truly challenge nuclear as a more economic source of electric power.
© Clean Energy Digest - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.
Lähde: Clean Energy Digest
Increasing PV efficiency: R&D breakthrough
Posted on July 7, 2010, under Sekalaista, Sähkö.
American scientists capture lost energy
The solar energy falling onto the earth is incredibly abundant, but the majority gets lost anyway. So what is the big deal about improving the efficiency of solar cells? Well, for starters, highly efficient PV cells could create a complete sea change on the cost, material use, and the amount of land presently employed in harvesting the sun’s energy.
Today, the efficiency limit of photovoltaic cells is approximately 30 percent. For a long time, this was thought to be a physical border, as certain high-energy photons in sunlight exceed the band-gap energy in a PV cell. That energy, in the form of so-called ‘hot electrons’, is too high to be turned into usable electricity and is lost as heat in conventional solar cells.
Well, it seems we had better start referring to that physical border in the past tense. The ‘hot electrons’ could not be captured — until now.
Lähde: Leonardo ENERGY - Sustainable Energy Blog
Why a climate sceptic can go solar
Posted on June 8, 2010, under Sekalaista, Sähkö.
Reasons to adopt green energy
It has long been considered self-evident that green energy will cost more than conventional sources. Individuals opting for green energy do so because of their strong belief in the necessity of achieving a greener planet. Given the possible alternatives, this small price premium is not an issue. These people are truly early adopters, proud to anticipate major shifts in the energy market. Companies, on the other hand, are generally perceived to be investing in green energy to stress their public image of corporate responsibility and consider this added cost as part of doing business.
Beyond the green energy hype
Today, the green energy climate has changed. The period of big hype is over. Green energy is becoming increasingly mainstream. In addition, the worldwide economic crisis is forcing potential investors to think twice before spending their money. In the current economic climate, the assumption that paying more is acceptable is no longer obvious. One can regret this evolution, but the de-idealisation of the market also brings along certain advantages. The Jersey City Independent recently featured an article on the Szapala family. Adam Szapala calls himself ‘a climate change sceptic’ but has installed photovoltaic arrays on his rooftop. Sceptic or not, he has decided to take advantage of the ample New Jersey state financial incentives and the system of Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) to bring the payback time of his installation down to five years.
Lähde: Leonardo ENERGY - Sustainable Energy Blog
Sharpest CO2 emissions decline in the US ever
Posted on May 25, 2010, under Sekalaista, Sähkö.
Economic fluctuations are main influence
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the US decreased by 7% or 405 million metric tons in 2009. This is the largest absolute and percentage decline since the start of EIA’s recording of annual data in 1949.
Energy-related carbon emissions in the US reached their highest values between 2004 and 2007, when they stabilised around 6,000 million metric tons per year. Following the declines in 2008 (-3%) and 2009 (-7%), the emissions are now back at the 1995 level of approximately 5,400 million metric tons per year.
Is this a big success for America’s carbon emission reduction programmes? The answer is mostly no — but from a certain perspective, yes. The EIA report includes a comprehensive analysis on the causes of the emission decline, showing that the economic downturn played a primary role.
Lähde: Leonardo ENERGY - Sustainable Energy Blog
Desert Energy for Europe
Posted on April 20, 2010, under Sekalaista, Sähkö.
Transgreen is one step forward, but not the entire trip
At the end of March, the French press scored a remarkable scoop: the Transgreen project will be officially launched at the coming summit of the ‘Union pour la Méditerranée’ (UPM) scheduled for 25th May in Cairo. Other European newspapers from several countries subsequently reported the story, eliciting a heated debate. By looking at a few numbers, however, the project can be seen in a more modest perspective. Huge as it may seem, it is only a small step in the creation of a sustainable energy system for Europe. There is plenty of room left for other initiatives, such as Desertec.
Lähde: Leonardo ENERGY - Sustainable Energy Blog
CSP Training course - Lesson 2 : Linear Focus Technologies
Posted on March 9, 2010, under Sekalaista, Sähkö.
Lähde: Leonardo ENERGY - Sustainable Energy Blog
Sustainable Energy Blog
Posted on February 20, 2010, under Sekalaista, Sähkö.
Lähde: Leonardo ENERGY - Sustainable Energy Blog
Wind Turbine Stymied By Cold Weather
Posted on February 2, 2010, under Polttoaineet, Sekalaista, Sähkö, Uutiset.
This is sure to stir up some controversy about the reliability of renewable energy. The following video shows a news report from Minnesota about 12 wind turbines that won’t operate in cold weather due to an issue with the hydraulic fluid. The Minnesota State Municipal Power Association paid $300,000 for each of the turbines. What an amazing and tragic oversight. The news report indicates that there’s a plan to heat the fluid but that would likely require the use of electricity or fossil fuels thereby negating the benefits of the turbine.
There’s a very good lesson to be learned here. As excited as people are about bringing clean, renewable energy to their communities they should always perform due diligence when evaluating clean energy projects or vendors. In Minnesota you would need to have absolute assurance that a system exposed to the elements (which I would imagine could get extreme in Minnesota in the winter) will perform in all weather conditions.
© Clean Energy Digest - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.
Lähde: Clean Energy Digest
Bill Gates On Clean Energy
Posted on January 21, 2010, under Polttoaineet, Sekalaista, Sähkö, Uutiset.
Bill Gates has a new website called Gates Notes where you can find out more about Mr. Gates, his charitable foundation and his thoughts on a variety of topics. One of the posts on his site is a podcast series on energy. There are four audio files in the series in both Windows Media and MP3 format. I’m currently digesting the content right now. For the most part it sounds like a lot of common sense coming from a person (obviously very smart) who has done plenty of homework on the topics discussed. I’ve linked to the MP3 versions of the files below. Have a listen and see what you think.
© Clean Energy Digest - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.
Lähde: Clean Energy Digest
A Year Of Waiting
Posted on January 17, 2010, under Polttoaineet, Sekalaista, Sähkö, Uutiset.
As I survey the clean energy landscape at the beginning of the new year I think about the prospects for technological milestones and breakthroughs in 2010. We’re coming out of a year where billions of dollars have been either granted or loaned to companies in the name of the next generation of clean energy. You name it and it was probably funded, or at least approved for funding, in 2009. Wind projects, biofuels, battery technology, fuel efficient motor vehicles, energy efficiency, enhanced geothermal, grid-scale energy storage and smart grid are some of the key technology initiatives that were funded. So there’s a lot of hope that we’ll start to see the fruits of this funding in 2010. Don’t count on it though.
When I think about 2010 it seems to me that this will be a year of waiting in the clean energy space. That’s not to say that major projects such as wind and solar farms won’t be completed in 2010. Many projects will be completed but it won’t be the tipping point year for many of the newer and most promising technologies. The reasons for that would make sense to most anyone who knows a little bit about the clean energy space. Take the funding for example. Once the press releases are a day old the hard work on many of these projects begins. After all, you don’t get a check from the Department of Energy one day and start building batteries the next day. Matching funds to meet the government requirements need to be finalized. Planning needs to take place. People need to be hired. Contracts need to be negotiated and signed. Those are just a few things that typically take place before a project begins in earnest. It’s a lot of work and it takes time. The bigger the project, the longer the lead time. And there’s also the matter of projects or technologies that are underway but will not meet expectations.
What follows is a summary of some key clean energy technologies and how they are likely to fare in the current year.
Electric Vehicles - Both Nissan (the Leaf) and GM (the Chevy Volt) have promised to introduce their version of the electric automobile in 2010. The cars will be made available late in the year and in limited markets, primarily California. While there will be a lot of noise leading up to their respective launches most consumers won’t have access to buy one of these vehicles if they wanted to. Those that do live in the right markets probably won’t be able to afford the $30,000 – $40,000 price tag after Federal tax incentives. By the end of 2010 electric vehicles will still mostly be a curiosity. The ones that are on the road will definitely turn heads though.Wind Power - Most onshore development will take place in the Upper Midwest. Northeast onshore development will be slowed by issues related to cost and location related opposition. Simply put, there are a lot more open spaces in the Upper Midwest. Land is cheaper there and developers are less likely to run into opposition due to “pollution” of the skyline. Offshore development off of the Northeast coast and in the Great Lakes will continue to be planned, discussed and debated. Cape Wind in Massachusetts will probably get the green light to move ahead by the Secretary of the Interior but either way construction will not start before the end of the year.
Biofuels - Ethanol is on the shelf as a source of fuel for motor vehicles. Notice that you’re not hearing anything about flex fuel vehicles anymore. The chart below shows the trends for web searches on the term “flex fuel vehicle”. Batteries are the next great hope. You’ll be hearing a lot more about “advanced biofuels” such as cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel.
Enhanced Geothermal - We’re still a long way off from a major breakthrough in harvesting energy from the heat within the earth. Conventional geothermal energy is a available in a small portion of the country. Enhanced geothermal promises to bring the technology to many other areas of the country. Unfortunately recent endeavors to prove the technology have not ended well. AltaRock Energy (funded in part by the DOE and Google) shut down their California project in 2009 due to drilling problems. They’ll take another crack (no pun intended) at it in 2010 with a demonstration project in Oregon.
Smart Grid - By the end of the year more electric customers than ever will have advanced meters installed in their homes. That number will still represent a very small portion of total electric consumers as most of the meters will be located in areas of Texas, California and Colorado. Many more smart meter projects are in the works due to 2009 funding commitments from the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) but those projects require a certain amount of lead time before meters start getting installed. Electric utilities are also dealing with issues related to financing in an environment when demand is reduced due to the recession and customers are wary of any innovations that might increase their electric bill. PG&E’s problems with their smart meter customers in Northern California are a notable development that will probably influence other utilities to choose their roll out timelines carefully, perhaps alotting more time for customer outreach before installing new meters over a wide area.
There is going to be a lot of activity in 2010. There’s no doubt about that. I don’t think we’ll see a lot of results though. At least not as much as many would hope for. Progress will be made but it won’t be obvious to the average consumer. In the years that follow 2010 we’ll start to see more of the fruits of the hard work and investment taking place today
© Clean Energy Digest - visit Clean Energy Digest for more great content.
Lähde: Clean Energy Digest
