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POWER Engineering
New Solar Research Center Targets Rapid Utility-Scale ExpansionThe world needs more energy. A prominent American-made solar tracker company and an esteemed academic institution are teaming up to meet the moment.
Nextracker and the University of California Berkeley Engineering (UC Berkeley) have unveiled a strategic partnership aimed at advancing solar power plant technology by establishing the CALNEXT Center for Solar Energy Research. The center aims to advance solar tech by leveraging UC Berkeley’s renowned academic expertise and cutting-edge research facilities, prioritizing technologies to enhance power plant performance and operations to pave the way for rapid expansion of utility-scale solar.
The CALNEXT Center for Solar Energy Research will feature a leading-edge research program and will be home to a planned state-of-the-art solar test field. It also intends to integrate new solar technologies into UC Berkeley’s engineering and environmental science programs and curricula, providing students with hands-on learning experiences and access to industry-leading tools and real-world applications. UC Berkeley Engineering students will be able to tap into Nextracker’s established internship and mentoring programs and employment opportunities, fueling the workforce pipeline with skilled, industry-ready graduates.
Nextracker has contributed a $6.5 million gift to support the initiative, which is already soliciting and receiving research proposals from UC Berkeley Engineering faculty and graduate students.
“We are thrilled to partner with UC Berkeley to inaugurate the CALNEXT Center for Solar Energy Research,” said co-founder and CTO of Nextracker Alex Au, who will oversee CALNEXT operations and initiatives on behalf of his company. “Through our partnership with UC Berkeley Engineering, we are creating a powerful platform to continue to push the boundaries of solar technology, ensuring clean and affordable energy generation is available to all.”
“Nextracker shares UC Berkeley’s ethos of education, discovery, and innovation, and this center will provide our faculty and students with a world-class research experience,” added Tarek Zohdi, associate dean for research, UC Berkeley Engineering, and director of the CALNEXT center. “By fostering collaboration between academia and industry, we aim to drive significant advancements in solar power technologies.”
The CALNEXT Center for Solar Energy Research was realized through the shared vision of collaborators Tarek Zohdi, Francisco Borrelli, and Alex Au, who say they are committed to advancing sustainable, large-scale energy solutions and fostering future leaders in solar technology.
Last month, Nextracker delivered what it calls the industry’s first U.S.-manufactured solar trackers expected to achieve 100% domestic content value under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The first batch supplied SB Energy’s Pelican’s Jaw project, a 570 MW solar and 954 MWh storage endeavor currently under construction by SOLV Energy in Kern County, California.
Nextracker began investing in local manufacturing infrastructure in 2021 to establish a secure supply chain following disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together with its manufacturing partners, the company has now expanded or opened more than 25 U.S. factories with over 30 GW of annual capacity.
The company’s CEO Dan Shugar was a keynote speaker at the interconnection event GridTECH Connect Forum (now branded under DTECH Events) in Newport Beach, CA last year. He implored utilities to embrace established technologies that can help alleviate interconnection queues and unlock additional grid capacity, like grid-enhancing technologies, to expedite the deployment of clean energy resources including solar, wind, and battery storage. In 2023, Shugar appeared on the Factor This! podcast, where he discussed his journey from an engineer in the solar group at Pacific Gas & Electric in the late 1980s to leading PowerLight to a $335 million acquisition by SunPower.powerplant
Jan 15, 2025
POWER Engineering
Advanced Nuclear Could Be Built At New York’S Nine Mile Point SiteNew York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the creation of an Advanced Nuclear Master Plan as part of her State of the State.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and other state agencies will lead development on the plan. As part of this effort, NYSERDA has published a blueprint which considers feedback from public comments on a draft released in September 2024.
The state also plans to support Constellation Energy in pursuing federal planning grant funding to support the potential addition of at least one advanced nuclear reactor at the Nine Mile Point nuclear site in Oswego County.
“There may be additional capacity to host further reactors at New York’s existing nuclear sites,” the blueprint document notes. “This could offer significant advantages in terms of existing infrastructure (such as grid access), shared facilities, and local community support.”
In September 2024, NYSERDA issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gauge market interest in activities to develop advanced nuclear energy technologies in New York.
Currently, nuclear power produces more than 20% of New York’s energy.
Analysis from the Climate Action Council shows that New York State will need approximately 20 gigawatts of dispatchable clean power alongside solar and wind energy resources to fully decarbonize the electricity system by 2050. Several technologies are being considered to meet this need, including long-duration energy storage, hydrogen, alternative fuels, and advanced nuclear.powerplant
Jan 15, 2025
POWER Engineering
Ge Vernova Is Closer To Commercializing Its 100% Hydrogen-Fueled Dry Low Nox CombustorGE Vernova announced the completion of the validation test campaign for its Dry Low NOx (DLN) hydrogen combustion technology for B- and E-class gas turbines.
The test campaign, conducted at GE Vernova’s Global Technology Center in Greenville, South Carolina, demonstrated successful operation on natural gas and hydrogen blends and on 100% hydrogen with dry emissions below 25ppm NOx, the company said. GE Vernova currently plans to make the new DLN system available for new and existing B- and E- gas turbines as early as 2026.
“Developing a DLN combustion system able to burn 100% hydrogen safely and reliably is an engineering challenge,” said Jeremee Wetherby, Carbon Solutions leader, GE Vernova. “One of the ways hydrogen fuel differs from natural gas is that it burns much faster. Its flame speed is roughly eight times higher and presents risk of flashback. Through the test campaign, the GE Vernova team demonstrated very robust operation for the new DLN technology, without flash- back across a range of loads and fuel from pure natural gas to 100% hydrogen.”
While combustion dynamics or noise can be challenging with hydrogen operation, GE Vernova said the prototype performed “very well” in that category with relatively low levels, even when operating on pure hydrogen. The company added that test results seem to indicate that the technology can deliver higher availability and longer maintenance intervals comparable to current DLN combustors operating on natural gas.
A new micromixer-based fuel air pre-mixer is foundational to the prototype combustor capability. GE Vernova’s research on micromixer technology started in 2005 as part of collaboration with the US Department of Energy. Micromixer-based fuel premixers have been part of the product portfolio for over 7 years, notably on GE Vernova’s H Class gas turbine fleet. Recent research conducted at GE Vernova’s Advanced Research Center in NY and at the Global Technology Center in Greenville, SC focused on improving micromixer and axial fuel staging for hydrogen capability. This research culminated with the construction of a full size 6B DLN combustor prototype and testing in full scale conditions (pressure, flow, temperature) in the combustion test facility in Greenville, SC.
GE Vernova’s industrial gas turbines (B- and E-Class) have an installed base of approximately 2,800 units around the world powering industrial processes and operations around the clock. Hydrogen combustor options already exist today with ratings up to 100% hydrogen, however existing combustors use a diluent like water to manage emissions. GE Vernova argues the new H2 DLN combustor technology is expected to present several benefits versus the existing systems:
“Through successful tests GE Vernova validated this new 100% hydrogen capable combustion technology, aiming to provide our B- and E-class industrial gas turbines owners with the maximum flexible operability range on natural gas, hydrogen or blends of both without the use of diluent like water for emissions abatement,” said Wetherby.powerplant
Jan 15, 2025
POWER Engineering
Investors, Ipps See Opportunities In Natural Gas GenerationWith lucrative renewable tax credits and rising electricity demand forecasts, the U.S. power market remains highly desirable for international investors.
The latest action took place this week, when a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) agreed to make a $500 million minority investment in AlphaGen, one of the largest independent power portfolios in the U.S.
AlphaGen, led by former Vistra CEO Curt Morgan, was formed by ArcLight Capital Partners about a year ago. The 11 GW power portfolio includes 22 natural gas- and oil-fired plants in California and the Northeast.
The ADIA investment remains subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first half of 2025.
As Scott Wilmot of Enverus noted, large international companies are making significant investments to establish growth platforms and capitalize on the market trends mentioned above. This includes Repsol’s $700+ million acquisition of ConnectGen and Engie’s $1 billion purchase of Broad Reach Power in 2023.
“With these dynamics and the growing influence of artificial intelligence, we expect the U.S. to remain a key target for international investors,” said Wilmot, who is Vice President of Power & Renewables at Enverus.
International investor or otherwise, the mega trends of cheap, incentivized renewables and surging demand growth continue to drive investment and Merger & Acquisition (M&A) activity in the power generation market
More recently, Enverus is seeing increased interest in reliable gas generation capacity.
“Many independent power producers (IPPs) and private equity funds are looking to gain exposure to gas fired generation portfolios with the belief that growing power demand will improve their economics,” said Wilmot.
While Wilmot notes 2022-2023 was focused on renewables, more recent deals like TransAlta’s Heartland acquisition (Nov 2023), Capital Power’s $1.1 billion investment in California and Arizona assets (Nov 2023) and Quantum’s $3 billion dollar acquisition of Cogentrix (Aug 2024) highlight the growing interest in gas-fired assets.
Last week, Constellation announced the acquisition of Calpine in what becomes one of the biggest in the history of power generation. Constellation already owns and operates the largest fleet of nuclear plants in the United States. It now plans to bring aboard Calpine’s fleet of 78 energy facilities – including natural gas-fired, geothermal, solar and battery storage, representing around 27,000 MW of capacity.
Wilmot also said there has been a shift in policy to support new natural gas builds, such as the Texas Energy Fund. The program provides 3% interest loans to build or upgrade gas-fueled power plants — an idea lawmakers passed after the 2021 winter storm overwhelmed the state grid, triggering blackouts that left millions of Texans without electricity or heat for days in freezing conditions.powerplant
Jan 14, 2025
POWER Engineering
Idaho Utility Adding Biggest Battery In The State To Enhance ResiliencyIdaho Power Company has tapped Prevalon Energy to supply what is slated to be the state of Idaho’s largest battery energy storage system (BESS), a 200 MW/800 MWh project. The BESS would enhance grid resiliency as a net peak solution, helping the utility maintain reliable power during periods of high demand.
It is the second storage deal between the Mitsubishi Power Americas spinout and Idaho’s largest utility, following a similar arrangement for a 328 MWh BESS announced last May.
“This continued collaboration reflects the dedication and expertise of our exceptional team at Prevalon,” said Tom Cornell, Prevalon president and CEO. “We value our partnership with Idaho Power and are excited to further support their long-term goals with our advanced integrated battery energy storage solutions, ensuring a stable and reliable energy grid for their customers.”
Prevalon’s latest contract with Idaho Power includes a comprehensive long-term service agreement encompassing maintenance and remote monitoring. The four-hour battery storage project, set to be fully operational by 2026, will be powered by the Prevalon HD 511 system, which the company says offers industry-leading energy density with 5.11 MWh per 20-ft ISO enclosure and a compact footprint. The HD511 is a liquid-cooled AC system that houses battery enclosures, inverters, medium voltage transformers, and a “highly configurable,” US-made Energy Management System (EMS). Prevalon says that EMS meets IEC 62443-5-1 Level Two cybersecurity standards and incorporates robust safety protocols.
Idaho Power, which already boasts a pretty clean generation mix dominated by hydropower, plans to integrate more than 5,000 MW of energy from wind and solar projects over the next 20 years. Deploying resources like big batteries will help the utility store energy from those intermittent sources to meet that goal. Idaho Power intends to provide its customers with 100% clean energy by 2045.
Until this latest collaboration was announced, the largest known BESS planned for construction in Idaho was a 150 MW/600 MWh facility in Kuna, just outside the capital of Boise. Aypa Power inked a 20-year agreement with Idaho Power for that project in 2023 and secured a $323 million financing package for it last summer. Aypa Power hopes to bring the batteries online sometime this year.
Prevalon Energy, which spun out of Mitsubishi Power Americas less than a year ago, now boasts a pipeline of more than 30 projects, encompassing 4+ GWh of energy storage. In May 2024, the first of three Origis Energy solar + storage projects came online in Mississippi, marking a significant milestone for Prevalon, which supplied a 50 MW BESS for Golden Triangle II.
Originally published in Renewable Energy World.powerplant
Jan 14, 2025
POWER Engineering
“Speed And Scale”: Biden Signs Landmark Executive Order To Accelerate Ai, Clean Energy InfrastructureWith less than a week left in office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to accelerate and scale up AI deployments, notably large data centers and new clean power infrastructure.
Building AI infrastructure in the United States is important for national security and economic competitiveness, but building out the grid and generation to support it is time-consuming and costly.
“We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water,” reads the White House press release.
The order would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Defense (DOD) to lease federal sites where the private sector can build gigawatt-scale AI data centers “at speed and scale.”
The best sites would have accessibility to high-capacity transmission infrastructure, with minimal adverse effects on communities, the natural environment and commercial resources.
Developers selected to build at DOE and DOD sites would be required to bring online sufficient clean energy generation resources to match the full electricity needs of their data centers.
The White House said accountability measures for AI developers working on federal sites would require them to:
To support these buildout efforts, the Department of Interior would identify lands it manages that are suitable for clean energy that could support data centers on DOE and DOD sites, while enhancing permitting processes for geothermal projects. Agencies would prioritize staff to expedite permitting, and the DOD would conduct environmental analyses to streamline future site reviews.
Further, DOE would work to promote distributed energy resources, advance siting of clean generation resources at existing points of interconnection and support the safe and responsible deployment of nuclear energy.
The most notable obstacle to building new clean energy projects and large loads like data centers is building transmission.
To support AI infrastructure on federal sites, DOE plans to coordinate with developers to accelerate transmission development, including constructing and upgrading lines, collecting congestion data and improving planning.
Save the date for DTECH Data Centers and AI from May 27-29, 2025 in San Jose, CA! This new event brings utilities, data center operators and other stakeholders together to discuss the strategies necessary to navigate power constraints, project delays, and the increasing demand for sustainable, flexible solutions. Registration will open soon.
The DOD, DOE and Department of Commerce would back producers of critical grid components, explore equipment reserves and consider loan-guarantee programs.
Additionally, DOE would work with utilities to expedite interconnection through grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and operational improvements, while identifying underutilized interconnection points and approved but unbuilt clean energy projects.powerplant
Jan 14, 2025
POWER Engineering
Us Official Warns Puerto Rico Of Weak Power Generation As It Prepares For A Trump AdministrationBy DÁNICA COTO Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm warned Friday in Puerto Rico that the U.S. territory needs more power generation as it struggles to recover from a recent massive blackout.
It was Granholm’s last official visit to the island as many worry what kind of resources and funding Puerto Rico’s crumbling power grid might receive under President-elect Donald Trump, who chose a fossil fuels executive as his energy secretary.
Granholm noted that 232 outages have hit Puerto Rico since Hurricane Fiona pummeled the island in September 2022 because of insufficient generation.
She said that only about half of installed generation capacity is online even as the U.S. Department of Energy has invested millions of dollars in solar projects across the island, generating more than 1,200 megawatts of new renewable capacity.
While Granholm was considered an ally by former Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi, the island’s newly sworn in governor, Jenniffer González, snubbed the federal energy secretary and was not present during Friday’s press conference.
On Wednesday, González, who backs Trump, said Granholm would be visiting Puerto Rico “for her picture tour, so we are asking her, in black and white, that in addition to her photo tour, that she address the root problems. I am not going to fall for the photo game.”
González also appointed a so-called energy czar to review contracts of two private power companies that oversee the generation, transmission and distribution of power on the island as she criticized the U.S. government, saying it has not yet released $18 billion slated for the island’s power grid.
“The (Department of Energy) doesn’t control the funds related to the grid. That is FEMA’s prerogative,” Granholm said in a news conference Friday when asked about González’s comments.
Granholm noted that $6 billion in federal funds have been obligated to help rebuild the grid after Hurricane Maria razed it in September 2017 when it struck the island as a powerful Category 4 storm. She added that FEMA has approved 200 of more than 440 projects submitted to the agency to repair and strengthen the grid. Of those approved, 125 are under construction.
But despite the ongoing work to stabilize and strengthen the grid, outages remain constant.
On Dec. 31, a nearly island-wide blackout hit the U.S. territory of 3.2 million people as it prepared for New Year’s Eve. As of Friday, more than 1,200 customers remained without power, some because of improvements being made to the system.
Javier Rúa Jovet, public policy director for Puerto Rico’s Solar and Energy Storage Association, said in a phone interview that the U.S. Department of Energy has been a renewable energy ally under Granholm.But he worries about the future of the grid under the Trump administration.
“Solar needs a grid that is in good shape,” he said. “Puerto Rico’s grid reconstruction is basically fully predicated on the flow of FEMA dollars. … If it’s not actually invested in, it’s in peril, especially when you have a new administration coming in federally that will be looking for money everywhere to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.”
In November, Trump chose campaign donor and fossil fuel executive Chris Wright to serve as energy secretary. The nomination comes as Puerto Rico struggles to lessen its dependence on petroleum and embrace renewable energy on an island battered almost yearly by hurricanes and tropical storms.
Power plants that depend on fossil fuels provide 93% of energy in Puerto Rico. Another 23% is fueled by natural gas, 8% by coal and only 6% by renewables.
A 2019 public policy act calls for Puerto Rico to meet 40% of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2025, 60% by 2040 and 100% by 2050.
“Puerto Rico has a law,” Granholm said. “I am expecting that that law will be followed.”powerplant
Jan 13, 2025
POWER Engineering
Global Coal Demand Set To Remain At Record High Until 2027, Iea FindsGlobal coal demand is poised to hit a record 8.77 billion metric tons in 2024, with demand set to stay close to this level through 2027.
This is according to a report released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in December last year, Coal 2024, which shows global coal use has rebounded strongly after decreasing significantly during the pandemic.
The growth of global coal production, consumption, trade and use in coal-fired power generation in recent years was primarily caused by high gas prices in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, states the report.
More specifically, the rise in coal demand in 2024 resulted from increased electricity use in a number of countries, including China. This spike is due to several factors, including the electrification of transport and heating, rising demand for cooling and increasing consumption from emerging sectors such as data centers.
The electricity sector in China is particularly important to global coal markets, shows the report, with one out of every three metric tons of coal consumed worldwide burned at a power plant in the country.
However, the report highlights that China’s advancing nuclear sector and expanding renewables capacity should help limit increases in coal consumption through 2027.
The report states that while coal demand has already peaked in most advanced economies and will continue to decline, the pace of decline will depend largely on strong policy enactments and the availability of power sources, such as natural gas.
In some emerging economies such as India and Indonesia, coal demand is still rising as the increase in population and economic activity drives electricity use. In emerging economies, growth is mainly driven by coal demand from the power sector, although industrial use is also going up.
The report emphasizes several key uncertainties in its analysis, with many competing variables at play. Some of these key variables include how quickly coal use will decline in developed economies as they become more electrified, when coal use will peak in China, and when coal will be replaced in the industrial sector.
Also, weather patterns and weather-related variability in renewable generation could drive fluctuations in coal consumption in the short term.
“The rapid deployment of clean energy technologies is reshaping the global electricity sector, which accounts for two-thirds of the world’s coal use. As a result, our models show global demand for coal plateauing through 2027 even as electricity consumption rises sharply,” said IEA director of Energy Markets and Security, Keisuke Sadamori, in a statement.
“However, weather factors – particularly in China, the world’s largest coal consumer – will have a major impact on short-term trends for coal demand. The speed at which electricity demand grows will also be very important over the medium term.”
Originally published by Power Engineering International.powerplant
Jan 13, 2025
POWER Engineering
Constellation To Acquire Calpine For $16.4B In Massive Power Generation DealEditor’s Note: This is an update from a previous version of the story published January 9.
Two of the largest U.S. power generating companies are officially merging together.
Constellation Energy plans to acquire Calpine in a cash and stock transaction valued at an equity purchase price of approximately $16.4 billion. Constellation will assume approximately $12.7 billion of net debt from Calpine.
After accounting for cash that is expected to be generated by Calpine between signing and the expected closing date, as well as the value of tax attributes at Calpine, the net purchase price is $26.6 billion, the companies report.
Previous reports had valued the deal at approximately $30 billion, including debt.
The deal becomes one of the biggest in the history of power generation at a time when demand for electricity has exploded. Constellation already owns and operates the largest fleet of nuclear plants in the United States.
According to its website, Calpine has a fleet of 78 energy facilities – including natural gas-fired, geothermal, solar and battery storage, representing around 27,000 MW of capacity. Calpine holds a majority stake in “The Geysers,” a collection of 19 geothermal power plants outside Sonoma, California that is collectively the largest producer of geothermal power in North America, at 725 MW.
Calpine is also running carbon capture pilot projects at multiple gas-fired plants in the U.S. The Houston-based company went private in 2017 in a $17 billion deal.
Constellation sees the deal as a chance to expand its power generation portfolio in a time a record electricity demand growth. After years of flat demand, electricity load growth forecasts have exploded, largely driven by data centers, industry and electrification.
“By combining Constellation’s unmatched expertise in zero-emission nuclear energy with Calpine’s industry-leading, best-in-class, low-carbon natural gas and geothermal generation fleets, we will be able to offer the broadest array of energy products and services available in the industry,” said Constellation President and CEO Joe Dominguez.
The transaction is expected to close within 12 months of signing, subject to customary conditions.powerplant
Jan 10, 2025
POWER Engineering
Data Centers Are Flocking To Ohio. Here Comes The Transmission To Support ThemIf you build it, they will come.
Surely heeding the same whispers in the cornfields that directed Kevin Costner to build the Field of Dreams, electric utilities are proposing massive transmission projects to support the power demands of data centers, and investors want a piece of the action.
American Electric Power (AEP), which serves 11 states and owns the largest electricity transmission system in the country, announced an agreement this week for a strategic partnership between KKR and PSP Investments to acquire a 19.9% equity interest in AEP’s Ohio and Indiana & Michigan Transmission Companies (Transcos) for $2.82 billion. The Transcos are transmission-only, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulated utilities that build, own and operate transmission infrastructure. The 19.9% minority equity interest represents approximately 5% of AEP’s total transmission rate base.
AEP says the transaction will support its five-year, $54 billion capital growth plan, which includes investments in transmission, distribution, and generation projects.
“Executing on our five-year capital plan is critical to meeting growing energy demand and bolstering reliability for our customers. Electricity demand is anticipated to grow significantly in AEP’s footprint by the end of the decade,” explained Bill Fehrman, AEP president and chief executive officer. “Areas such as Ohio and Indiana are experiencing growth that has not been seen for decades. This transaction allows us to address a portion of our capital needs efficiently and at a very attractive valuation, benefiting our customers and supporting economic development in our states.”
The Transcos have tendrils in PJM territory (Ohio, northeast Indiana) and on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) grid (Michigan, the rest of Indiana). Both regions are grappling with reliability concerns amidst data center development, and the large power consumers fueling AI, storing your photos, and keeping TikTok tockin’ are popping up in some places you might not suspect.
Data center demand in the U.S. is growing exponentially. According to a recent study from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), data centers could consume up to 9% of U.S. electricity generation by 2030, more than double the current amount. McKinsey & Company projects demand will eclipse 35 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from 19 GW in 2023. According to commercial real estate firm JLL, demand is expected to increase at a 23% compound annual growth rate through then.
However, data center development is not evenly distributed across the United States. Instead, distinct pockets in several places across the country have emerged, usually lured by some combination of available capacity and friendly tax policy. 15 states accounted for an estimated 80% of the national data center load in 2023, with particularly high concentrations in Virginia, Texas, and California.
However, increasingly limited interconnection capacity and higher costs are driving some developers into less-constrained states like Arizona, Iowa, and Oregon. Although northern Virginia and its “Data Center Alley” continue to dominate the U.S. and global markets, another attractive destination on PJM’s grid has recently emerged: Ohio.
Ohio is home to at least 172 data centers, the fourth-most in the United States, trailing only the aforementioned Virginia, Texas, and California. Ohio has more than neighboring Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Indiana combined. Developers enjoy favorable tax policies, like Ohio’s data center sales tax exemption, a robust grid with cooperative utilities, and communities eager to diversify their economies.
Housing operations for hyperscalers like AWS, Google, and Meta, Ohio’s electric demands are increasing by 10 times the historic growth rate, according to AEP, which has signed agreements that will nearly double the load it serves in five years. Columbus Business First reports that AEP has stopped signing new service agreements because of capacity constraints and the utility has a queue of more than 50 customers, mostly data centers, wanting more than 30 GW of power.
It’s clear AEP has got some construction to do- and it doesn’t plan to do it alone.
In September 2024, Dominion Energy Virginia, AEP, and FirstEnergy Corp. jointly proposed 18 new regional electric transmission projects in PJM Interconnection territory to address “an unprecedented pace” of load growth blamed on the proliferation of data centers, the electrification of transportation and heating, and increased domestic manufacturing. The projects, proposed through PJM’s Regional Transmission Expansion Plan (RTEP) process, would cross the Dominion, Allegheny Power (part of First Energy’s footprint), and AEP zones. The proposals include several new 765-kV, 500-kV, and 345-kV transmission lines in Virginia, Ohio, and West Virginia.
“By leveraging the expertise and resources of three industry leaders whose transmission zones border one another, we’re better able to develop superior and more cost-effective solutions required to effectively resolve reliability issues across the PJM region,” detailed Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia. “These projects are more comprehensive and will be more effective than what each of our companies would be able to develop individually.”
One of them, the roughly 225-mile F8 Solution, consists of sub-projects that will cost nearly $2 billion (accounting for inflation) by when it is expected to be operational in June 2029.
PJM staff will use the proposals to develop a transmission plan to meet its pending needs, which, at the moment, are plentiful. Legacy generation sources are being retired in the region, as more renewables are added to the grid, changing PJM’s energy mix amidst staggering load growth. Ratepayers will start to see the effects this year on their bills, and will likely feel the impacts for many years to come, putting a serious damper on any ideas one might have about lighting a baseball field out in corn country- but at least we’ll have AI, right?
Originally published in POWERGRID International.powerplant
Jan 10, 2025POWER Engineering
Powergen Session Spotlight: A Hydrogen-Blending Solution In TexasAs energy demand surges in Texas, the challenge of balancing reliable power with ambitious emission reduction goals takes center stage. At POWERGEN International 2025, Kurt Lyell, Solar Program Manager at HDR, will unveil an innovative concept that could redefine carbon-neutral energy solutions.
“The most pressing challenge in the utility industry is balancing cost efficiency with environmental sustainability,” Lyell told Power Engineering. “As the sector transitions to cleaner energy, this balance is crucial for long-term viability and public support.”
In his session, part of the show’s Unlocking Hydrogens Power Potential track, Lyell will present a case study on a 400 MW natural gas peaking plant integrated with a green hydrogen facility in West Texas. This design envisions harnessing the state’s abundant solar and wind resources to produce green hydrogen, which would then be blended into existing natural gas pipelines.
Over a year, the energy from hydrogen would offset the plant’s natural gas consumption, achieving carbon neutrality without sacrificing operational efficiency.
Lyell’s presentation will explore the project’s economic feasibility, exploring the levelized cost of energy and potential pathways for large-scale hydrogen adoption.
He said attendees will understand the key challenges, including infrastructure adaptation and regulatory hurdles.
Lyell brings over two decades of experience in renewable energy development worldwide.
His session, A Hydrogen-Blending Solution in Texas, is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11, from 3 pm to 3:45 pm.
POWERGEN is February 11-13 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Register for the POWERGEN technical conference program here.powerplant
Jan 10, 2025POWER Engineering
Doe’S Billion Dollar Bet: The Largest-Ever Loan Supporting Long Duration Energy StorageFor years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has championed the potential of advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES), and now the feds are putting a whole bunch of money where their mouth is.
Toronto-based long-duration energy storage (LDES) developer and operator Hydrostor has reached a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.76 billion with the DOE’s Clean Energy Financing Program, the largest-ever loan offered to support an LDES technology. The commitment includes approximately $1.5 billion of principal and approximately $280 million of capitalized interest.
Once finalized, the loan guarantee will help fund the construction of the Willow Rock Energy Storage Center, a 500 MW/4 GWh A-CAES project in Rosamond, California, that promises to provide more than eight hours of backup power to California’s grid.
“We’re thrilled to reach this conditional commitment with the DOE, which is a huge vote of confidence in Hydrostor’s technology, and shows how important energy storage will be as we prioritize the reliability and resiliency of the grid for years to come,” said Curtis VanWalleghem, Hydrostor’s chief executive officer and cofounder.
Hydrostor’s Willow Rock Energy Storage Center, which has an astounding 50+ year life expectancy, will use renewable energy or excess power from the grid to heat compressed air and pump it into underground caverns filled with water. That will force the water above ground into a reservoir, and when the grid needs electricity, Hydrostor will let the water flow back into the chamber, pushing air back to the surface to drive turbines. One company executive has likened the system to an underground water piston.
Willow Rock is in an advanced stage of development and is currently under permitting review with the California Energy Commission (CEC). The project is anticipated to create 700 peak construction jobs and 40 full-time operations jobs. Construction is targeted for later this year and commissioning is slated for 2030. Once operational, it will be the largest compressed air energy storage project in the United States, but not the only one.
Believe it or not, we’ve had our eyes on CAES for decades, but for a long time, only two plants were up and running. One facility was constructed in Huntorf, Germany in 1979, another in Alabama in 1991, and none in the following 30+ years.
The 110 MW plant in McIntosh, in southwest Alabama, was established by PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, Baldwin EMC’s wholesale power supplier. It was built above a solution-mined salt cavern located 1,500 feet underground which provides 19.8 million cubic feet of compressed air storage. The plant uses off-peak electricity to pump air into the cavern. Then, during peak periods, the McIntosh Power Plant uses that compressed air combined with natural gas to generate and supply power. One full charge provides enough electricity to supply the demands of 11,000 homes for 26 hours. After more than 30 years of operation, Power South recently took a breather for maintenance work to repair, refurbish, and upgrade its turbo-expanders and other components.
After years of dormancy, there seems to be renewed interest in using compressed air as a long-duration storage solution. A study by Global Industry Analysts predicts that the global CAES market will be worth $10.3 billion by 2026. China is on the tip of the spear, recently commissioning the first CAES project in decades and working on others, with one or another being billed as the “world’s largest.”
Stateside, Duke Energy is partnering with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to study the cost and performance of deploying Hydrostor’s advanced compressed air energy storage technology at an existing coal site in North Carolina. Last year the New York Power Authority (NYPA) pre-qualified 79 private developers and investors including Hydrostor to collaborate with NYPA on developing renewable energy generating projects, including solar photovoltaic, wind, battery storage, green hydrogen, geothermal, and related transmission.
DOE’s $1.76 billion commitment to Hydrostor’s Willow Rock project is more than three times larger than any previous loan guarantee issued to an LDES technology.
The next largest was a $504.4 million loan guarantee to finance the Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) Delta project, which the DOE closed on in June 2022. The Delta, Utah endeavor has been billed as the largest clean hydrogen and energy storage facility. In September 2023, through its New Energies division, Chevron acquired a majority interest in ACES Delta, a joint venture between Mitsubishi Power Americas and Magnum Development. ACES plans to use electrolysis to convert renewable energy into hydrogen and will utilize solution-mined salt caverns for seasonal, dispatchable storage. The first project, designed to convert and store up to 100 metric tons per day of hydrogen, is under construction and is expected to enter commercial-scale operations in mid-2025 to support the Intermountain Power Project’s “IPP Renewed” initiative.
More recently, in December 2024, Eos Energy Enterprises locked in a $303.5 million loan guarantee from DOE’s Clean Energy Financing Program to expand its battery manufacturing plant in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.
Willow Rock will be Hydrostor’s first A-CAES project in the United States and its third utility-scale undertaking overall. It follows the 2 MW Goderich Energy Storage Centre, an operational demonstration facility in Ontario, and the Silver City Energy Storage Center, a 200 MW/1.6 GWh project under development in Australia.
In 2022, Hydrostor secured a $250 million investment from Goldman Sachs to support its project pipeline, which the company says now totals more than 7 GW globally. Hydrostor is actively pursuing projects in California, Nevada, Arizona, and New York, in addition to sales to utilities in the Southeast and Northwest of the U.S.; Australian states including New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, and Victoria; and Canadian provinces including Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland.
In an interview with UtilityDive, Hydrostor’s CEO VanWalleghem only two other long-duration energy storage technologies can currently find financing- lithium-ion batteries and pumped hydro. However, the DOE sees potential in a range of LDES tech, as it lays out in its Storage Innovations (SI) 2030 strategic initiative.
The objective of SI 2030 is to develop specific and quantifiable research, development, and deployment pathways to achieve the targets identified in the DOE’s LongDuration Storage Shot, which seeks to achieve 90% cost reductions for technologies that can provide 10 hours or longer of energy storage within the coming decade. Through SI 2030, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is aiming to understand, analyze, and enable the innovations required to unlock the potential for long-duration applications in the following technologies: lithium-ion batteries, lead-acid batteries, flow batteries, zinc batteries, sodium batteries, pumped storage hydropower, compressed air energy storage, thermal energy storage, supercapacitors, and hydrogen storage.
Originally published in Renewable Energy World.powerplant
Jan 09, 2025