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Economics Support Energy Efficiency and Fuel Switching
August 10, 2011
The Good News: Why Climate Change Doesn't Matter | www.energypulse.net
When Natural Gas prices spiked to almost $14/MMBTU in 2008 – triggering electric utility rates increases – energy efficiency programs were implemented. Similarly, low Natural Gas prices reflect a growing trend toward Base Load Power Plants.
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June 17, 2011
Public acceptance: the energy sector's biggest headache | www.europeanenergyreview.eu
The Not In My Back Yard [NIMBY] syndrome has been prevalent for decades. My involvement with NIMBY started in the 1970’s when a Coal-Fired Power Plant was proposed to be located in Staten Island NY. Later NIMBY blocked the proposed Waste-to- Energy facility to be located at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
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Nuclear Power Plants are Not Dead but Limited by Economics Driven by Shale Gas
May 28, 2011
Nuclear Power is Dead - Parts 1 & 2 | www.energycentral.com
The media has created an anxiety regarding Nuclear Power Plants. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and “The China Syndrome” all contributed to putting a halt building new USA Nuclear Power Plants. The Fukishama incident, like the TVA Kingston Ash Spil and BP’s Gulf Oil Spill creates uncertainty regarding Coal Power Plants and Deep Oil Well Drilling – resulting in technically unjustified regulatory obstacles.
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CCS – No Technical Leader and what to do with captured CO2?
January 16, 2011
Study finds IGCC plus pre-combustion CCS best option for replacing coal plants | www.powergenworldwide.com
Expected completion of FutureGen 2.0 using Oxy-combustion (Mc Dermott B&W), based on the assumption that its implementation is less expensive, by 2015 conforms to expected target date of 2020 for CO2 removal and capture plus sequestration regulations. Other projects demonstrating CO2 Capture are Chilled Ammonia (Astom) and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (G.E.) should be on-line within this timeframe.
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Legal Decision approving Xcel cost recovery - bad precedent
December 30, 2010
SmartGrid City Slammed - Who will pay for cost overages? | www.energybiz.com
ALJ G. Harris Adams delivered a surprising verdict on whether Xcel Energy's subsidiary, Public Service Company of Colorado, could recover $44.5 million from statewide ratepayers for its SmartGridCity project in Boulder Colorado's Office of Consumer Counsel was the most generous in its take on the case. The OCC allowed that the CPCN should be granted, but cost recovery limited to $27.9 million, a figure defined by Xcel in the spring of 2009, before eventual costs nearly doubled from there..
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Using Carbon Dioxide Captured from Coal-Fired Power Plants
November 17, 2010
Carbon dioxide contamination possible even with sequestration | www.powergenworldwide.com
The Duke University contributes additional siting parameters restricting the already macro-geologically suitable regions for CO2 burial. From an engineering and cost-effective viewpoint, why bury the collected CO2; promote alternates approaches for its productive use.
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Private sector funding for CO2 Capture – but Sequestration is another story
October 4, 2010
CCS could win private funding, finds survey | www.powergenworldwide.com
Investment Banks ( Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Merril Lynch) . are now regulated by Federal Reserve Bank. The Fed is risk adverse; re-entering potential for ‘systemic risk’. Venture Capital firms and Hedge Funds, although capable of providing funding, are uncertain about the viability of unproven technology (i.e. limited performance and operating data). CO2 capture has been demonstrated for several years [e.g. Tampa Electric/Polk Station] whereas CO2 burial is in the developmental stage.
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Smaller units that reduce costs enhances Nuclear Industry Resurgence
September 26, 2010
New nuclear construction could be cut to 36 months | www.powergenworldwide.com
Nuclear power could generate 25 percent of the world’s electricity by 2050, according to a joint study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).
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Future of Coal Fired Power Plants
July 29, 2010
Obama Overhaul of Regulatory Reviews Now Seen as Unlikely | www.nytimes.com
Approximately 50% of USA energy derives from coal-fired power plants. EIA predicts that by 2030 coal’s contribution will be reduced to about 35%. Natural Gas and Nuclear have been touted as replacing coal for based loaded power plants. Their implementation includes obstacles such a volatile costs and disposal issues.
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Implications: UK’s funding CCS (Coal-Fired Power Plants)
March 21, 2010
UK launches "CCS economic zone" | www.powergenworldwide.com
UK’s funding of CCS technology confirms government commitment of coal while enhancing their recovery of North Sea Oil. E.ON or Scottish Power would realize operating experience with CCS technology. Which suppliers (e.g. B&W, Alstom, G.E.) would receive contracts to demonstrate their technology – providing selected vendor competitive advantage.
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onsite storage nuclear waste EU AND USA
February 21, 2010
Europe eyes underground nuclear waste repositories | www.france24.com
Both EU and USA suffer from lack of designated long-term storage for spend fuel rods i.e. highly radioactive waste. but question asked by GLG i.e. France ocean dumping nuclear waste - is not reflected by reference article "France, along with Britain, Japan and Russia, currently reprocess their nuclear waste and then hold it in an interim storage facility, before the "intended disposal in deep geological repositories," which is the final resting place for high-level radioactive waste," .
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RETROFIT OR CONVERT COAL FIRED POWER PLANTS
February 14, 2010
MULTIPOLLUTANT POWER PLANT BILL INTRODUCED | carper.senate.gov
Air Pollution control technology, commercially available, can be retrofitted to older coal-fired power plants. Cost, per plant, cost $100’s MM. Conversely some of these plants could be converted to burn to burn bio-mass e.g. First Energy RE Burger Station.
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Coal Combustion Residues - Economic and Engineering Considerations
December 23, 2009
EPA delays announcement on regulating coal ash | www.google.com
Classification of Coal ash or Coal Combustion Products [CCBs] as Hazardous Waste per Resource Conservation and Recovery Act [RCRA] Section C would impose an onerous liability on potential end-users [fly ash in road construction and FGD By-Product Gypsum in cement and wall-board]. Economic analyzes pegged the costs as high as $13 billion a year. On Oct. 16 another draft regulation was submitted to OMB – details and associated costs are yet to be made public..
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Burning Coal while Controlling Greenhouse Gas Emissions
October 4, 2009
The Energy Disconnect | www.energytribune.com
Scientific peer-review, media political biases & pragmatic business planning suggest accepting the concept that reducing Greenhouse Gases (CO2) specifically from coal power plants. Avoid debating unreliability of climatological models, CO2 regulation or argue costs of renewable energy Solar, Wind vs. coal, Electric Utilities & governmental agencies spendi research & development & demonstration monies to establish engineering knowledge to implement Carbon Capture and Sequestration [CCS].
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expands service base to own and operate with benefit of European self-financing.
September 19, 2009
Balfour buys Parsons Brinckerhoff | www.ft.com
Parsons Brinckerhoff [PB] is an old line Engineering Construction i.e. Engineering, Procurement and Construction [EPC] with strong roots in USA particularly Highways, Bridges and Rapid Transit (e.g. BART). Balfour’s acquisition provides PB will capability to expand its service base to include own and operate. Balfour should be able to facilitate European [e.g. UK] investing in public-private partnerships.
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July 5, 2009
E.P.A. Lists ‘High Hazard’ Coal Ash Dumps | www.nytimes.com
Capitalizing on the inherent physical-chemical properties of CCBs facilitated strengthening of dike walls to prevent failure – evidenced by TVA’s Kingston spill. USEPA’s ‘high hazard listing’ for such CCB ponds relate to their proximity to habitation – an engineering failure concern, similar to levee and earthern dams. From an environmental regulatory standpoint CCBs are deemed Solid Waste not a hazardous waste. Coal Combustion Byproducts [CCBs] are presently regulated as Solid Waste [Subtitle D] under the Resource Conservation Recovery Act [RCRA]. Such classification promotes beneficial use by enders-users i.e. mitigating excessive liability. Stringent regulation, as Subtitle C (Hazardous Waste), would impose a perceived liability upon end-users; greatly reducing beneficial use opportunities. Mandatory use of synthetic liners – would not have prevented dike wall failure and fails to consider inherent engineering characteristics of CCBs.
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Short Term trends do not reflect Power Plant Investments
May 27, 2009
Power usage down all over | www.energycentral.com
The Wood-McKenzie report just shows reduced electrical demand and sales over the last six months. Electric Utilities do may suffer short-term sales reduction but power plants, costing a upwards of one Billion Dollars, are not built for the short term market. Given the short-term outlook, electric utilities may suffer from reduced demand but lower sales revenues may be offset my lower cost of fuel e.g. coal prices have dropped 30-50%. Long term investors may find opportunity in lower prices for forward thinking electric utilities; those who balance a portfolio with based load coal and nuclear while investing in renewable such as solar, wind and bio-mass
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March 24, 2009
Stimulus Money Puts Clean Coal Projects on a Faster Track | www.nytimes.com
The USA has about 200 years of coal and at present coal provides 50 % of our Electrical Energy. Capture Capture and Sequestration [CCS] is demosntrated technology e.g. CO2 capture at TECO [IGCC at Polk Station] and CO2 has been injected into geological formations to facilitiate extracted oil [industrial practice for over twenty years]. Commerical offerring including performance gurarantees are available to chosed Electric Utilities who intend to build and/or retrofit coal fired power plants. Typically regulated electric utilies could pass the increased cost for CCS through their customer rate based.
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Using Captured CO2 – Resolving Carbon Capture and Sequestration’s Outstanding Issue
June 2, 2008
Quest for clean coal smolders | www.iht.com
Integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC), a commercially demonstrated technology for Carbon (CO2) capture is marketed as turnkey approach via Bechtel and General Electric’s long-term alliance. The recent alliance with Schlumberger addresses the outstanding question of what to do with captured CO2. The alliance of Bechtel, GE and Schlumberger offers Electric Utilities a turn-key option to address Green House Gas Issues Carbon Capture and Sequestration [Storage] – promoting coal-fired power plants.
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RAILROADS FORCED TO REDUCE COST OF TRANSPORTING LOW SULFUR COAL
May 23, 2008
Union Pacific must cut coal rates for KC utility | biz.yahoo.com
MANDATING TRANSPORT COST LOW SULFUR POWDER RIVE BASIN COAL SUGGESTS A TREND THAT COULD APPLY BEYOND MISSOURI AND TO OTHER STATES E.G. TEXAS Reducing transport cost of coal would provide economic impeturs for additional coal-fired units in Mid-West and South
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