UFTO NOTES 2004
15 Oct 2004 UFTO Note - Superconducting Fault Current
Limiter
07 Oct 2004 UFTO Update - Ultrapurification of Oil
13 Sep 2004 UFTO Note - True Plug&Play for
Energy Advances
26 Aug 2004 UFTO Update - Sag Line Mitigator is Ready
01 Jun 2004 UFTO Note - Openshark Coordinates Digging
Streets
05 May 2004 UFTO Note - EEStor Ultracapacitor and
Ultrabattery
05 Mar 2004 UFTO Note - DG Update
03 Feb 2004 UFTO Note - Calif Treasurer Proposes
Green Wave to Invest $1.5B in Cleantech
23 Jan 2004 UFTO Note - Plug Pulled on Regenesys
06 Jan 2004 UFTO Note - Gas-to-Liquid: Its Time Has
Come
==================
Subject:
UFTO Note - Superconducting Fault Current Limiter
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004
Australians quietly develop something completely different.
A "fault" in a transmission or distribution circuit is nasty business.
Circuit breakers open up, and that not only interrupts service to a lot
of customers, it can also put a surge on the system. Worse, most
fault clear themselves almost immediately, and then a decision has to
be made, either by a person or by the equipment, whether and when to
reclose the breaker. This is rough on the system, and the
breakers themselves are expensive and hard to maintain.
A Fault Current Limiter (FCL) is a subtler way of dealing with
momentary faults. It recognizes a sudden high current that's not
supposed to happen; it "inserts" a high impedance in the line
momentarily to block that current, and returns to normal once the
situation corrects itself. This is not an easy task,
however. Currently (no pun), FCLs are far from ideal. Air core
reactors using metallic copper conductors incur high operational
losses, have limited response time, and wear out easily. What's
more, the breakers usually trip anyhow.
It's long been recognized that FCLs are a great application for high
temperature superconductors (HTSC). In fact, it's seen as the
first and best application of HTSCs on the power system. The
basic idea is to put a superconducting element in the circuit in such a
way that if too high a current comes along, the element goes "normal"
or momentarily stops being a superconductor. This supplies the
temporary high impedance to limit the current, and once the current
drops, the superconductor goes back to being a superconductor and lets
the current can flow again. This happens almost instantaneously,
faster than a mechanical switch, and with "softer" transitions.
A SC FCL could thus detect abnormally high current transients in the
grid, e.g. from lightning strikes, in a fraction of a cycle, and
control the fault current so that system equipment can absorb it
safely, protecting valuable downstream infrastructure.
Superconductors go "normal" if the temperature gets too high, or if the
magnetic field gets too high. A SC FCL relies on the latter type
of "quenching". The base current passing through the device
produces a magnetic field below the level that would turn off the SC --
a fault current will increase the magnetic field enough to do the trick.
SC FCLs are the subject of intense R&D efforts worldwide. ABB
installed a prototype at a substation in Switzerland in 1997. The
DOE is funding a new $12M program
(http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/nex/nex111.html), and EPRI is
offering a major study
(http://www.epri.com/destinations/product.aspx?id=439&area=10&type=2).
A conference earlier this month presented the very latest on SC,
including power applications. Note the three FCL sessions.
Applied Superconductivity Conf, ASC 2004, Jacksonville, FL, October
3-8, 2004
http://www.ascinc.org/technicalprogram.asp
Essentially all these efforts to date are using the bulk property of
SC, and involve putting the entire load current through the SC itself,
as described above. This leads to designs that are highly complex
and which require a lot of SC material (i.e. very expensive wire or
tape - which is proving difficult to make in large quantities).
Moreover, none have progressed beyond the R&D stage and or early
field beta trials. (Note - in most designs, a shunt
actually supplies the impedance, not the quenched SC element, -- even
more complicated.)
Meanwhile, Down Under!
Meanwhile, a quiet development program in Australia has come up with a
novel approach which has already been successfully demonstrated, and
which is coming to North America. They developed their own SC
tape and SC coils (and manufacturing method), and they invented and
patented a 3-phase FCL that works in an entirely different way.
It is actually more of a "controller" than a limiter of fault current.
It is a HTSC-enabled saturated magnetic core inductor. The load
current passes through a copper coil on one side of a laminated-steel
core. A DC coil on the other side maintains the core in a fully
saturated state of magnetization. The number of copper turns are
set so that a fault current in the AC coil will drive the iron core out
of saturation (on the negative swing of the waveform). The coil then
presents a large current controlled reactance, clipping the fault
current at the design value.
All of this is explained in detail in a white paper presented in
2003, and which is available on request. Download 3.5
MB -- (password required)
http://www.ufto.com/clients-only/clientdocs/SC.FCL.Techcon2003.doc.
The design uses only a small amount of superconductor, simply to
maintain the core magnetization (the only reason you need SC for this
is that ordinary coils would be too big and lossy). More
important, it works; it's simple, robust, and versatile; and it will be
available in a year at a reasonable price point. Key advantages
include:
Superior Fault Condition Performance
- Very fast response time – protection functions activate in a
fraction of a cycle.
- Large dynamic range – accommodates overloads without
degradation and recovers instantly.
- Superior dynamic performance – suppresses initial transients
more fully with much shorter decay times.
- Self-triggering/self-governing – operates instantly because of
fundamental physical laws, no external sensing or controls required.
Low Cost
- Low operational cost – very little electrical losses in standby
mode.
- High durability – very low cycle fatigue - operates through
multiple operating cycles or fault events with little or no degradation.
Flexibility
- Expandable architecture – can be field or shop reconfigured to
meet future requirements or changing grid characteristics.
- Small footprint and flexible form factor – compact to fit
within space constraints and can be configured differently for local
requirements.
Positive Grid Impact
- Improved grid reliability – clips fault currents
completely without de-energizing the downstream grid.
- Transparency to the grid – no discernable impact during standby.
The technology has undergone substantial simulation, prototyping, and
testing. The company sees no significant technical barriers and
is on target to begin low-volume manufacturing and field installations
of three-phase commercial units within 12 months.
The Australian company was recently acquired as a subsidiary of SC
Power Systems, a US company, and operations have been moved to the
US. They've already engaged in substantive dialogue with
potential early customers and have validated the demand for its first
three-phase units (15KV, nominally 10KAmps/phase).
They've contracted with NEETRAC (see UFTO Note 17Jan02) to prepare test
procedures compatible with IEEE standards. NEETRAC member
utilities are lining up to be the hosts for utility field tests
scheduled for Q4, 2005. The company welcomes the opportunity to
explore application needs, and will be taking orders as early as 2005.
Contact:
Woody Gibson, 415-277-0179
gibson@scpowersystems.com
SC Power Systems, Inc.
San Francisco, CA
Website: www.superconductors.com.au
The company is also raising equity funding. They presented at the NREL
Industry Growth Forum, Oct. 18-20 in Orlando
http://www.cleanenergyforum.com/. A business plan is available
from the company.
==================
Subject:
UFTO Update - Ultrapurification of Oil
Date: Thu, 07 Oct 2004
You may recall seeing this before. UFTO has introduced it up a couple
of times in the past, the last time in an UFTO Note, 5 Mar 2001. The
company has a new name- ISOPur Fluid Technologies. It now has backing
from major VCs, new top management, and it's proving itself in the
marketplace. While a bit slower on the uptake compared with some other
industries, utilities are increasingly interested in the dramatic
O&M savings this technology can demonstrate, in a wide array of
applications.
The Technology
ISOPur Fluid Technologies has a unique patented technology, known as
Balanced Charge Agglomeration (BCA) that filters oil and other
non-conducting fluid to levels not achieved by conventional filtration.
Most oil filters found in automobiles, power plants, and the like can
remove particles as small as 3-10 microns. However, half of the mass of
debris and other contamination in the oil is in particles of 1 micron
or less. ISOPur splits the oil flow into two parallel paths, and uses
high voltage electrodes to ionize the contamination particles, half
positive and half negative, thus the "balanced charge." The two paths
are combined and the oppositely charged particles are attracted to each
other and "agglomerate" to form larger particles which can then be
removed by conventional filtration.
Not only is the oil made "cleaner than new", but the process actually
removes particles and varnish from the inner workings of machinery,
dramatically extending service intervals and equipment life.
Customer benefits in actual applications:
-- Reduced equipment downtime - scheduled and unscheduled, e.g. reduced
failures of hydraulic actuators in pulp and paper mills.
-- Reduced maintenance and repair costs, e.g. extended time between
overhauls for gas turbines.
-- Improved recycling of used oil, e.g. reprocessing and reuse of waste
vegetable oil in the production of bio-diesel fuel.
-- The cost of periodically replacing old fluids with new, e.g. reduced
frequency of changing oil in the cabs of windmills, thus reducing
transport of oil and waste oil to and from remote locations and in
structures hundreds of feet in the air.
-- Extended equipment life, e.g. near elimination of coking and reduced
wear in utility tap-changers.
The ISOPur technology can also reduce diesel fuel emissions such as
heavy metals, ash and other harmful particulate by removing these
elements at the fuel source before the fuel is combusted. The ISOPur
units also will remove bacteria from fuels, thereby preserving the
quality of fuels that are stored for extended periods.
Fortune 500 customers include Pfizer, Wheelabrator Corp., Eaton Corp,
and alliances are underway with others spanning a wide range of market
applications - from oil recycling to on-board vehicle systems to
commercial cooking equipment.
Utility Experience The company is ready for a push with the utility
industry. Initial experience is highly encouraging. A major southern US
utility has tested the process on its Frame 7 turbines. Another Frame 7
owner in Asia is reporting that ISOPur does much better in a direct
comparison with the nearest competitor (Kleen Tek). Several other
utilities are placing orders for a variety of applications, and a major
vendor of lube skids has entered into an OEM agreement. (Note that
ISOPur can be used to enhance the performance of existing filtration
systems.)
In Italy, ENEL ran tests in the lubricating oil treatment and control
for a feed turbo-pump. They report, "we can state that the ISOPUR MAG
600CE oil treatment machine was shown to be effective and suitable for
using in [this] machinery... Oil treatment ... was found to be more
effective than with the presently used traditional systems. The solid
particulate present in the oil was drastically reduced and constant
viscosity was thus maintained. No deterioration in additives present in
the oil was noted." (report is on the website).
The company website has a great deal of information about the
technology, economics, and the many applications, and success stories.
http://www.isopurfluid.com/
ISOPur Fluid Technologies, Inc. Rocky Hill, CT
Chris Sakorafos, V.P. of Marketing and Sales
860-571-8590 x231
csakorafos@isopurfluid.com
Robert P. Musselman, CEO
rmusselman@isopurfluid.com
PS: The company is in the midst of a late-stage round of
fundraising, and will be presenting at the Cleantech Venture Forum V in
Toronto, October 25-27. (contact the CEO).
http://www.cleantechventure.com/
==================
Subject:
UFTO Note - True Plug&Play for Energy Advances
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004
True Plug and Play for Energy Advances
We've been working with a startup company that's come up with plans for
a box that will streamline the installation and use of new energy
technology. They have designs, have applied for a patent, and are
already getting strong interest from residential developers as their
first market entry point. The company is seeking strategic partners and
capital. Here, in their own words, is the basic idea.
^^^^^^^^^
PPSI's Modular Energy and Services Appliance (MESA) is a revolutionary
device that finally launches the home or business into the modern power
age. Imagine a cabinet installed at the home or business that replaces
the electric meter and service entry panel with smart technology that
immediately reduces energy costs and enables further savings
opportunities, by providing for safe and easy operation and clean
installation of one or more of emerging energy technologies: solar
power, wind power, back-up battery, generator or fuel cell.
PPSI Overview
Many existing, new and emerging energy related technologies are
available or soon will be available for home and small business users.
All experts agree this already large market is going to experience
significant growth in the coming decade. Yet, while many consumers
desire these products for cost saving or other personal reasons, to
date "something" has been holding them back. The missing "something" is
a common integration platform to reduce the many risks faced by the
consumer. To address this need, PPSI has created the Modular Energy and
Services Appliance or MESA.
The MESA approach allows any desired energy related device to be
installed simply and easily in its expansion cabinet via PPSI's
proprietary interconnection and mounting technology.
Built-in devices:
Power conditioning (saves energy and money)
Peak Power usage monitoring
Expansion devices:
Backup Power
Solar/Wind integration
Batteries (Time Shifting of Power Usage)
Power Resale
Vehicle Refueling
The MESA significantly reduces consumer risks including:
1. Cost
2. Selection
3. Integration
4. Support
5. Obsolescence
Additionally the MESA provides a go-to-market platform for the makers
of energy related devices, which allows them to focus on their core
strengths and leave the marketing, sales, distribution and support
issues to PPSI.
The current situation is reminiscent of the early days of the personal
computer industry where the components existed but large numbers of
usable systems did not ship until Apple and IBM took up the integration
challenge to create a functional and easily accessible platform.
The initial MESA distributors are expected to be leading real estate
developers. Why?
- faster time to market
- more desirable homes
- regulation/permitting process favors alternative energy technologies
- current, strong need
Follow-on markets potentially include solar/wind installations,
utilities, home remodelers and business facility upgrades.
The PPSI MESA can accelerate the upcoming energy market growth and
control a large portion of the market due to its unique integration
capabilities and PPSI's focus on owning the space between the customers
and component manufacturers.
===
Jeff Adams
Peninsula Power Systems
650-654-4148
jbadams@penpsi.com
==================
Subject: UFTO
Update - Sag Line Mitigator is Ready
Date: Thurs, 26 Aug 2004
We've been following SLiM for a long time (see below), and it's a proud
moment now to see this program come to the point of actual
commercialization. Industry testing has been extensive and very
successful.
They are ready to take orders. Delivery in small quantities can
be fairly prompt, and they are in the process of raising funds to ramp
up production (investor inquiries welcome).
Here's the text from the new brochure, from the newly incorporated
company, Power Transmission Solutions, Inc. (PTS) (Until the
website is up, let me know if you'd like me to send you the pdf of the
brochure.)
----------
The Sagging Line Mitigator (SLiM) is a new class of transmission line
hardware that fixes the sagging problem of transmission lines at just
the right time. By using state-of-the-art materials and a proven and
patented concept, SLiM reacts to increasing conductor temperature by
decreasing the effective length of conductor in the span. The impact is
a decrease in line sag during the high temperature and/or high loading
conditions.
-- SLiM solves sag problems rather than just monitoring them
-- SLiM allows for increased power flow and avoids clearance
issues
-- SLiM is maintenance free
-- SLiM is fail-safe and practically indestructible
SLiM was originally developed by Material Integrity Solution, Inc.
(MIS), of Berkeley, CA with funding from California Energy Commission.
It has been extensively studied and tested by MIS, PG&E, Hydro
Quebec (IREQ) and Kinectrics. SLiM has been installed at San Diego
G&E since May of 2004 as part of a Tailored Collaboration
demonstration project with the EPRI on behalf of SDGE, PG&E, SCE,
PSNM, ConEd, BC Hydro, National Grid Transco (UK), Northeast Utilities,
and the California Energy Commission.
SLiM is distributed by Maurice Pincoffs. To order the device, to
determine how SLiM device can solve your specific sag problem, to
design optimum SLiM location(s) for your specific situation, or , just
for more information please contact:
Dariush Shirmohammadi (PTS) at 310.858.1174,
d.shir@PTranSolutions.com
or George Rose (Pincoffs) at 713.681.5461, glr@pincoffs.com
----------
Power Transmission Solutions, Inc.
Berkeley, CA 510-594-0302
http://www.PTranSolutions.com
---------
UFTO's long history with SLiM:
- Oct 2002: UFTO Note - Short Subjects
- Mar 2000: UFTO Note - Sag Line Mitigator -UPDATE
- Jun 1999: UFTO Note - T Line Sag Mitigator Gets Funding; Partner
Wanted
- Mar 1999: UFTO Note - Sagging Line Mitigator
==================
Subject: UFTO Note -
Openshark Coordinates Digging Streets
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2004
You may share my pet peeve -- the waste and inconvenience, not to
mention bumpy roads, when a street is cut open within months after
being freshly repaved, because municipalities and numerous utilities
have no way to coordinate projects.
A new product offers to solve that problem which enables such
coordination, and thus saves capital budgets, saves time, reduces
costs, and improves relationships--especially with customers.
A pilot project is underway in southern California. It is currently up
and running in one city and has plans to be expanded to two larger
cities in California. A pilot is also planned for a larger suburban
city in the eastern US, for later this year. All of the public and
private utilities that serve these cities are involved in the
respective pilots.
(The following is straight from the company's website and other
materials--addressing "you" the utility):
Openshark LF provides a standardized information exchange
platform for utilities and municipalities. LF prompts you to view below
ground construction as a single process across utilities and
municipalities rather than a series of separate processes conducted by
a number of different organizations. LF is a collaborative solution and
gives you the visibility, velocity and innovation you need to a foster
interaction, communication, process alignment and cost savings. LF
allows you to share your construction plans and planning documentation
with your peers in a secure environment. You ‘upload’ your files in
their native format. Openshark applications will seamlessly translate
this information into a ‘platform independent’ format – or the original
file can be shared with any authorized participant. LF provides you a
cost efficient methodology to collaborate with other utility service
providers and municipalities in your service territory.
Coordinating Construction Projects in the Public Right of Way
Openshark LF is a complete solution for managing the construction
coordination interface between utilities and municipalities. It is a
“Best-of-Class” solution that applies a consensus built, ANSI standard,
project planning process to utility construction coordination. This
internet-based tool provides a sophisticated document management system
that enables you to securely share documents and allows your
collaborators to view these documents in their internet browser (such
as Explorer or Communicator) regardless of the original format of the
file. Openshark LF automates the construction planning process,
effortlessly interconnecting regional infrastructure management
stakeholders. This new interconnectivity provides you advanced notice
of ‘foreign’ construction, enabling you to either mitigate the impact
of these activities on your infrastructure, or to relocate your
infrastructure - often at a cost savings.
Right from the start, Openshark LF allows you to:
Identify construction partnership opportunities that can reduce
belowground infrastructure construction costs by up to 50%;
Employ ANSI standard project management methodology to improve
construction planning business processes – mitigating the risk inherent
in interdependent projects;
Document compliance with the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 by
adopting best practices in construction coordination;
Generate advanced notification of project opportunities to other
regional infrastructure management stakeholders and, keep these
subscribed stakeholders up -to-date with automated notification of
changes in your current projects;
Dramatically reduce expenses associated with construction coordination
– meeting attendance and travel. And, improve the content and
operational benefits of the coordination meeting that your employees
decide to attend.
Improve communication and increase security. Openshark LF’s access
control and password protection ensures that documents will only be
read by those that are intended to see them.
Enjoy greater efficiency. You will save time for every planning,
engineering and construction team member in your organization, as well
as leverage your team resources and put them to their best use.
Reduce delays and delay-related costs.
By streamlining and automating communications within and between
organizations, Openshark LF reduces the delays normally associated with
coordinating construction projects. From notification to engineering
drawings, from proposed routes to project schedules, Openshark LF gets
the right information to the right people at the right time. The
result: more lead time, the ability to implement the most cost
effective options, the ability to form cost-saving partnerships,
concurrent engineering, faster project completion and reduced project
costs.
An Ideal Document Management Solution
Openshark’s online document management features offer a fast and
powerful way to mobilize cross-organizational project teams. Whether
you're working in the same town or in different regions, with Openshark
LF you can setup and begin collaborating and sharing documents on new
projects within minutes.
Mitigate the risk of a networked project.
Openshark LF's built-in project management process, which is based on
an ANSI standard, provide you with comprehensive set of communication
features – overcoming the single largest threat to project success –
poor communication. Project plans, documents, broadcasted or targeted
communication can be routed to all team members, with automatic
notification to those who need to respond quickly.
Establish best practices across the entire project team.
It's not easy to get team members, who may be distributed across
different organizations and in different locations, to cooperate. But
Openshark LF provides a ready-to-use solution for managing networked
and collaborative planning processes that lets you standardize on
industry best practices across your entire team. When everyone follows
the same rules about the distribution of information, you increase
productivity and reduce project management costs.
Get all users up and running fast
Openshark LF offers a comfortable and familiar interface through a web
browser for easy access anywhere, anytime. The result: users can be up
and running with a minimum amount of training. Implementation
consulting ensures rapid adoption across the entire network of
organizations and a rapid recovery of your investment in business
process management. Openshark Software is deployed as fully a managed
web service and has been designed from the ground up using industry
standards, and incorporates robust technology from Microsoft.
-------
Openshark LF was developed at a company doing email software, so the
utility business will spin off at some point. They want to do
more pilots, and eventually will be looking for capital and/or an
appropriate firm to acquire them.
http://www.openshark.net/
Contact:
Robert Meade
San Jose, CA
408-392-0979
x107
meade@openshark.com
PS- Ever alert to new opportunities, I met Bob at my daughter's sailing
club-- he is a fellow parent supporter. You never know where new
things will turn up.
==================
Subject:
UFTO Note - EEStor Ultracapacitor and Ultrabattery
Subject: UFTO Note - EEStor Ultracapacitor and Ultrabattery
Date: Wed, 05 May 2004
There have been so many breakthrough battery claims, but here's one
that might deserve a careful look. The specs are impressive, and the
entire manufacturing process has been thought through using processes
and equipment already proven in a large-scale commercial operations.
The founders bring a wealth of experience as senior technology managers
in large companies and startups. The company has maintained a very low
profile for several years, and I first talked to them in early 2003.
The claim is for systems at 1/2 the cost of lead-acid (per kwh), and
1/10 the weight. Specifically, they quote a product which at 400 pounds
will deliver 52 kwh. Discharge (and charge) rates are at "electronic"
speed, and would be limited only by the sizing of the drive circuits
and external systems. Thus power ratings can be as high as needed.
Selling price would be $3200 at modest production rates, and eventually
down to $2100 in high volume.
Here are some specs the company is claiming:
present longterm
Energy density, Wh/L
606 1513
Specific energy, Wh/kg
273 682
Price,
$/kWh
61 40
The company intends to pursue a licensing model, after building their
own assembly line to prove out the technology and seed the market.
The technology is basically a parallel plate capacitor with barium
titanate as the dielectric. With it's extremely high permittivity,
barium titanate has a long history in capacitors, but one known for
high leakage, voltage breakdown and temperature sensitivity. EEStor has
confronted these drawbacks head on, and has measurements on prototypes
to support their claims.
The product is a ceramic-based unit fabricated with integrated-circuit
techniques. The design is based on proprietary technology and there is
a patent pending for the production process. There are no corrosive,
hazardous, or explosive materials used in manufacturing this product,
making this a totally green technology. Also, since it is ceramic, it
can be fully charged and discharged using ultrahigh currents and at
electronic speeds repeatedly with no degradation to the original
specifications. Samples have been rapid-cycled over 1 million times,
with no change of any kind. Operating temperature is -40 to +85 deg C.
Until now, electrostatic capacitors have not been considered for energy
storage applications because of their low energy density
characteristics. Capacitors applied to storage are based upon
electrochemical and electrolytic capacitor technologies, which possess
higher energy densities. EEStor's development proposition changes that
premise by eliminating the inherent weaknesses of electrostatic
technology for storage applications.
A number of major companies have said they would issue a purchase order
quickly if specs are met.
The company is currently seeking equity investment of $3.5 million. A
business plan is available.
Contact Richard D. Weir, President and CEO
EEStor, Inc. Cedar Park, TX
512-258-5669 dick_weir@eestor.us
==================
Subject:
UFTO
Note - DG Update
Subject: UFTO Note - DG Update
Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2004
Has DG (distributed generation) gone quiet, or mainstream, or
both? Meanwhile, the DOE program has not done well in the
proposed budget. Congressional earmarks are taking up so much
money that DOE is forced to cancel some ongoing DG applications
projects.
Here are some developments and updates.
- DUIT Facility Up and Running
- CADER Meeting Jan. 2004
- IEEE 1547 Interconnection Standards
- PG&E DG Interconnection program
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Distributed Utility Integration Test Facility
The Distributed Utility Integration Test (DUIT) is the first
full-scale, integration test of commercial-grade, utility grid
interactive Distributed Energy Resources (DER) in the U.S. DUIT
addresses a key technical issue: electrical implications of operating
multiple, diverse DERs at high penetration levels within a utility
distribution system. DUIT’s test plan is intended to focus on
grid interaction, integration and aggregation issues, not on DER
technology itself.
After an exhaustive study of program goals and alternative sites, DOE
selected the facilities at PG&E's Modular Generation Test Facility
in San Ramon, CA as the home of the new DUIT Facility. Pre
existing buildings, labs and professional staff helped make the choice,
along with the adjacent test substation and high-current yard.
The site held an official opening ceremony in August 2003.
The facility offers a realistic yet controlled laboratory environment,
enabling testing of normal and abnormal operational conditions
without interfering with a customer’s electric service. DG equipment at
the site is commercially available and all on loan to the project from
the vendors: Inverters, rotating machinery, and generation and
storage devices. DUIT provides a full-scale multi-megawatt
implementation, testing and demonstration of distributed generation
technologies in a realistic utility installation.
Utilities may want to take note that DUIT will be confirming and
testing to the newly passed IEEE 1547 Interconnection standard, which
is expected to be adopted by a large number of state regulators and
legislators. Similarly, for California, DUIT will be testing to
the Rule 21 document.
To inquire about prospective DUIT project participation, technical
specifications, test plans, project plans or the DUIT white paper,
contact the DUIT Project Team. Reports will be issued by CEC and
other sponsors beginning this Summer, and information will be available
on the DUIT website:
http://www.dua1.com/DUIT
Contact:
Susan Horgan, DUIT Project Leader
Distributed Utility Associates
925-447-0625
susan@dua1.com
For the complete history:
"DUIT: Distributed Utility Integration Test", NREL/SR-560-34389, August
2003 (250 pages)
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/34389.pdf
^^^^^^^^^^^^
CADER (California Alliance for Distributed Energy Resources)
The 2004 DG conference in San Diego on January 26-28, 2004 had 202
attendees.
http://www.cader.org/2004Conference/Conference2004.html
Presentations are posted on CADER’s website at www.cader.org or
go directly to:
http://www.cader.org/2004Conference/2004Presentations/Presentations.html
The draft DG-DER Cost and Benefit Primer was developed as a first step
to support the discussions at the "Costs and Benefits of DER" session
at the Conference on January 26-28, 2004. Comments about the document
can be provided via the CADER member list-server to reach all members.
http://www.cader.org/2004Conference/Papers.html
^^^^^^^^^^^^
IEEE 1547 Update
As you know, "IEEE 1547 Standard for Interconnecting Distributed
Resources with Electric Power Systems" was approved by the IEEE
Standards Board in June 2003. It was approved as an American National
Standard in October 2003. (available for purchase from
IEEE: http://standards.ieee.org
SCC21 develops and coordinates new IEEE standards and maintains
existing standards developed under past SCC21 projects. These include
the original 1547, along with the four spinoff efforts.
> P1547.1 Conformance Test Procedures for Equipment Interconnecting
Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems (EPS) (draft
standard)
> P1547.2 Draft Application Guide for the IEEE 1547 Standard
> P1547.3 Monitoring, Information Exchange, and Control of
Distributed Resources Interconnected with EPS (draft guide)
> P1547.4 Design, Operation, and Integration of Distributed Resource
Island Systems with EPS (draft guide)
#1 and 2 have drafts out to their working groups for review. #1
expects to be ready for ballot early in 2005.
#3 has just completed a draft.
#4 has just been approved as a new initiative, and will be organized
over the coming summer.
Complete information is available at:
http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/scc21/wg.html
The next meeting of the IEEE 1547 series working groups will be April
20-22, 2004 in San Francisco. The P1547.1, P1547.2, and P1547.3 working
groups will meet concurrently 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Working groups
will be meeting separately - no plenary session is planned.
Details at:
http://grouper.ieee.org/groups/scc21/1547.1/1547.1_archives.html
^^^^^^^^^^^^
PG&E DG Interconnection program
PG&E held a Distributed Generation (DG) Workshop last December 10.
The free event provided PG&E customers and the DG community with
practical information on how to navigate the various Electric Rule 21
application and interconnection review processes - from initial
application through to permission to parallel with PG&E's electric
distribution system. The focus of the workshop was to communicate
PG&E's internal DG processes and interconnection technical
requirements to the DG community. (For details on California's Rule 21,
see:
http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/interconnection/california_requirements.html)
PG&E has set up an entire cross-company team to deal with all
aspects of DG interconnection in a coordinated way. They appear
to be very committed to low hassle, low cost, minimum time for DG
projects. A great deal of information about PG&E's program,
(including the 117 page powerpoint from the workshop) is available at:
http://www.pge.com/gen
Jerry Jackson, Team Leader
415-973-3655 GRJ4@pge.com
PS- Jerry's office generously offers to send a hard copy on request of
the nearly 2 inch thick binder that was handed out at the workshop.
---------CALIFORNIA RULE 21 -------
CPUC:
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/industry/electric/distributed+generation/index.htm
CEC: http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/index.html
After passing Rule 21 in Dec 2000, California PUC established, and the
CEC coordinated, a working group of all DG stakeholders. Electric Rule
21 Working Group meetings have been held about once a month since mid
2001. The purpose is to establish procedures and work through
issues to simplify and expedite interconnection projects. (Agenda
and minutes are at:
http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/interconnection/work_group.html)
California Interconnection Guidebook
Publication # 500-03-083F
PDF file, 94 pages, 1.1 megabytes) online November 13, 2003.
http://www.energy.ca.gov/distgen/interconnection/guide_book.html
The Guidebook is intended to help a person or project team interconnect
one or more electricity generators to the local electric utility grid
in California under California Rule 21. Rule 21 applies only to the
three electric utilities in California that are under jurisdiction of
the California PUC: PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E. The Guidebook is
written as an aid to interconnection in these utility areas. It may
also be useful for interconnection in some municipal utility areas with
interconnection rules resembling Rule 21, principally Riverside, SMUD,
and the LADWP.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Recommended: DG Monitor, a free email newsletter from
Resource Dynamics Corp. Archive and subscription at:
http://www.distributed-generation.com/
==================
Subject: UFTO
Note - Calif Treasurer Proposes Green Wave to Invest $1.5B in Cleantech
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2004
For over a year, California Treasurer Phil Angelides has been meeting
with bankers, VCs, and environmental, business and labor leaders, and
now he's announced a major proposition to California's two giant
pension funds, CALPERS and CALSTRS, which have $163 B and $113 B
respectively (#1 and #3 in the nation).
Flanked by several key players in energy and clean tech, he held a
press conference at NanoSolar here in Palo Alto Tuesday morning, which
it was my privilege to attend.
The "Green Wave Initiative" includes among other provisions the
commitment by the pension funds of $1.5 billion to be invested in new
clean technologies and environmentally responsible companies. The
goal is to gain long term financial returns while reducing risks --
risks to pensioners' financial security posed by corporate
environmental liabilities, and risks of environmental damage, energy
security, and climate change. Equally, the opportunities in clean
tech are expanding rapidly and represent one of the next big growth
arenas.
There are four main parts to the proposal:
1. Investor Activism
California has been a leader in investor activism, demanding
transparency, disclosure and accountability from the management and
boards of the hundreds of major companies that pension funds are
invested in. With recent corporate scandals, this has become all
the more significant. Companies that cut corners are careless
with environmental responsibilities are just as likely to disappoint
investors as those who cook their books, and companies that don't plan
ahead could get hit with future compliance costs big enough to hurt
their share prices. CalPERS and CalSTRS will now demand that
corporations also provide meaningful and robust reporting of their
environmental practices, risks and potential liabilities.
2. Private Equity Investments
The funds already have sizable venture capital and private equity
investments (though a small percentage of the total portfolio). This
would be extended by investing $500 million into investments that
nurture "clean" technologies. A similar initiative in biotech was
begun 2 years ago, and now cleantech is a new growth industry offering
returns along with jobs and economic growth, while addressing critical
environmental issues.
3. Public Equity Investments
The funds would invest $1 B of their stock portfolios with
environmentally screened funds, particularly those whose managers have
outperformed non-screened counterparts. This should not only
reduce risk and increase returns, but also help send the message to
corporations.
4. Real Estate Audit
The two funds together own nearly 160 million square feet of office and
industrial space, part of a $16 B invested in real estate across the US
and in 22 countries. The proposal is that a comprehensive audit
be done of the energy efficiency and green practices in these
buildings, towards the goal of using "best practices" that reduce long
term costs and boost property values.
Angelides has asked CalPERS and CalSTRS to put these initiatives on
their agendas for this Spring and Summer.
In supporting remarks, Bob Epstein of Environmental Entrepreneurs
(www.e2.org) observed that the next big growth area isn't always clear
to everyone. In 1984, when he was raising money to start Sybase,
there was a lot of doubt that enterprise software would be big.
He and many others are convinced that cleantech is now clearly on the
launch pad.
http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/news/greenwave.htm
The Treasurer’s website has additional information on today’s
announcement, including the full press release, fact sheets on the four
facets of the Green Wave initiative, and the Treasurer’s Nov'03 U.N.
speech at CERES’ Institutional Investor Summit on Climate Risk.
==================
Subject: UFTO Note
- Plug Pulled on Regenesys
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004
Utilipoint's Issue Alert on Jan 22 did a nice job of reviewing several
developments in energy storage (I highly recommend getting on the
distribution list for these daily missives):
"Energy Storage Shows Promise"
http://www.utilipoint.com/issuealert/article.asp?id=1985
There are nice plugs for Active Power and Beacon flywheels
(though Pentadyne is really the one to watch, I think).
Curiously, Beacon is focusing not on very short duration, but instead
is going after the lead acid battery applications.
The big news was the stopping of all work on the big TVA Regenesys
project, and the curtailment of the work on its sister project at
Little Barford in the UK.
The Regenesys flow battery works by storing or releasing electrical
energy by means of a reversible electrochemical reaction between two
salt solutions—the electrolytes. The electrolytes are pumped through
hundreds of individual cells, which are separated by a membrane. The
electrolytes are stored in 700,000-gallon tanks; the concentrated
solutions are sodium bromide and sodium polysulphide. (Many
references are available on the technology.)
The history of the business is a bit complicated. Originally
begun under National Power in the UK, the program was placed (in around
1999) into a subsidiary company, by the name of Innogy. Later,
National Power was split up into International Power and a domestic
utility business. The domestic utility portion took the name
Innogy, meaning that the technology subsidiary had to be renamed Innogy
Technology Ventures Limited before a further renaming as
Regenesys. Recall that Regenesys was being prepared for an IPO,
which was suspended when tech stocks dropped in 2001. It
was the utility business, Innogy, which was subsequently acquired
by the German giant, RWE in 2002. RWE was rounding out its
British invasion, having previously bought Thames Water, a major water
supply company, and some smaller energy services companies. The
technology development subsidiary, Regenesys, was simply an incidental
piece that came with the deal.
Note that Regenesys is the only flow battery technology effort that had
decided to focus entirely on very large utility scale applications
("pumped hydro in a box"), e.g., at 10-20 MW. Actually, it only
really makes sense at this kind of size. (The other flow battery
developers have been targetting much smaller projects, in the 1 kW to 1
MW range). Prior to the RWE acquisition, Regenesys
had acquired Electrosynthesis, a small electrochemical consulting
company in Buffalo NY to boost its resources, and laid plans for a
serious assault on the North American market. Meanwhile, work
continued on the first commercial 120 Mwh demo at the Little Barford
power plant in the UK.
At TVA, the $25 million facility was just about complete, but TVA
needed the electrochemical modules, when RWE decided it wasn't prepared
to continue funding development, leaving the program with nowhere to
go. TVA made a very quiet announcement in December, but because
of other news around the holiday season it wasn't picked up by the US
press til mid January. (See for example,
http://reviewappeal.midsouthnews.com/news.ez?viewStory=17207)
TVA is exploring ways to move forward, including other possible uses of
the site.
The general view is that the technology is viable but RWE estimates the
technology has another 5 years of work ahead before it's truly
commercial. Because the Barford project had slipped far behind as
well, RWE simply doesn't want to continue putting cash in that
long; there are other business priorities for RWE.
The future is up for grabs. Regenesys may just be put on the
shelf, or be sold off. Meanwhile, a major report on flow batteries is
in the works by Escovale, in the UK. “Flow Batteries: Technologies,
Applications and Markets” is being prepared by a team that includes
Anthony Price, who was marketing manager for the Regenesys program
prior to becoming an industry consultant. I have more information on
this report.
Anthony would be a good starting point to delve into the implications
and opportunities represented by this latest development.
Anthony.price@swanbarton.com 011-44-1666-840-041
http://www.swanbarton.com/
Other contacts:
Mark Kuntz, Regenesys Ltd, Chicago (thru June) 630-562-1271
Joe Hoagland, TVA, 256-386-2108, jjhoagland@tva.gov
==================
==================
Subject: UFTO
Note - Gas-to-Liquid: Its Time Has Come
Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2004
As outlined in an UFTO Note last year (17 May), Gas-to-Liquid
(GTL) technology has been around for nearly a century. Known as
the Fischer-Tropsch process (FT), it converts gas into a liquid fuel in
the form of a refined crude or even a final product such as (clean)
diesel. Until recently, conventional wisdom has been correct: use
of GTL has been limited by high capital and operating costs.
[ In the FT process, synthesis gas (or syngas, H+CO) is reacted in the
presence of an iron or cobalt catalyst. End products are determined by
the length of the hydrocarbon chain which, in turn, is determined by
catalyst selectivity and reaction conditions. Possible end products
include kerosene, naphtha, methanol, dimethyl ether, alcohols, waxes,
synthetic diesel and gasoline, with water or carbon dioxide produced as
a byproduct. Natural gas or coal can be the raw feedstock. ]
Several drivers, however, have combined to change that situation
entirely:
- Dwindling world oil reserves and high exploration costs
- Impending limits worldwide on sulfur content in diesel fuel
- Vast quantities of "stranded gas" identified
- Technology advances, thanks to substantial programs by the oil
majors
Very recently, these same oil companies have announced multibillion
dollar GTL projects. Last October, Shell announced a $5 billion
plant in Qatar, and estimated production costs at less than $4 per
barrel. As the NY Times reported (Oct 16), Exxon Mobil is also
building a plant in Qatar, at a cost of $10 billion, and the South
African company Sasol is constructing a 34,000-barrel-a-day GTL plant
in Qatar that is expected to come online in 2005. Together with
ChevronTexaco, Sasol is negotiating with the government to build
another 120,000-barrel-a-day GTL plant. Conocophillips announced
its own $5B plant to be built in Qatar. (Seems Qatar is the place
to be!) BP's commercial pilot plant in Alaska is operational.
The petroleum industry has found more than 5,000 trillion cubic feet
(tcf) of natural gas in remote locations, an energy equivalent of 500
billion barrels of crude oil. Most of this resource is abandoned in
place because of the prohibitive cost of transportation infrastructure.
A new company, World GTL, Inc. was founded in 2000 by industry
veterans. Their plan is to acquire ownership rights (in some cases
production rights) to certain stranded gas fields at deeply discounted
prices, and capitalize on opportunities that now exist to convert these
"stranded" natural gas fields into synthetic petroleum products.
Why don't the majors do this themselves? They do hold on to larger
fields and may eventually develop them as LNG sources (or increasingly,
with GTL), but they have no interest in smaller fields, e.g. under 3
tcf. This leaves a huge opportunity for players like World GTL.
In fact, majors have already said they'd license their GTL technology
and help with plant financing. (There is an analogy to the independent
oil company movement over the last 20 years in the US. The majors
decided that shallow water drilling in the Gulf was not going to work
with their overhead costs and targeted IRRs, so they left the area to
small independents who have done very well indeed.)
Turning Stranded Gas into Proven Oil Reserves
World GTL has come up with an interesting strategy. Once the
development is done on a project (i.e. secure gas rights, do site plan,
license technology, do preliminary engineering, arrange financing,
sales agreements, etc.) previously stranded gas reserves with little to
no value will essentially have been converted to "in the ground"
gasoline and diesel inventories which can be easily monetized in the
international oil market.
World oil companies are struggling to rebuild and expand their proven
reserves which have dropped to dangerously low levels. Reserves
can be borrowed against, and this critically important for these
companies, not only to be able to invest in the development of those
resources, but as a contribution to their balance sheet. The majors are
spending an average of more than $5 per BOE (barrel of oil equivalent)
just to find bookable reserves today (and that's not even counting the
"fully developed" cost to produce). Every dry hole drilled adds to the
problem.
World GTL estimates that ten cents will cover development costs needed
to get a BOE to "bookability", and there is a long list of buyers who
will jump at the chance to buy these BOE's for $1. (Actually better
than BOE, because it's zero sulfur fuel.)
Thus venture returns are possible even before the plant is built.
Once it is built, the fully developed cost of production is less than
$5 per barrel of finished product, and refinery demand for sulfur free
blending stock is already booming. New EPA regulations
drastically limit sulfur content of diesel fuel beginning in
2006. Other regions are doing likewise, and refiners have very
limited means to comply, especially in light of the lessening supply of
lighter crude oil.
The company is currently raising $40 M to take their program to the
next level and build two small commercial GTL plants. A great
deal of information is available, including a collection of recent
articles in the business press.
website: http://www.world-gtl.com/
Contact: David Loring,
President, World GTL Inc., New York, NY
212-858-7636 davidloring@World-GTL.com
[Where the majors have all gone into Qatar with projects that won't
produce anything until at least 2006, World GTL has projects ready to
go to relocate and retrofit existing (idle) methanol plants using a
unique process with a World GTL patent application filed. This
unique process can put these facilities into GTL production with
positive cash flows within 12-18 months. The engineering study for the
relocation and retrofitting has been completed and there are guarantees
involved. Significant project finance assistance is available
from certain US government agencies for these specific projects.]