February 26th, 2010 | Posted in
Solar | No Comments
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced conditional commitments for more than $1.37 billion in loan guarantees under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to BrightSource Energy to support the construction and start-up of three utility-scale CSP plants with a combined capacity of 400 MW. This would nearly double the existing generation capacity of CSP in the U.S.
The three-plant Ivanpah Solar Complex will be located on federally-owned land in the Mojave Desert in southeastern California, near the Nevada border, and will be the world's largest operational CSP complex, producing enough energy for about 140,000 California homes.
According to BrightSource estimates, the construction will employ approximately 1,000 people, whereas its operation will create 86 permanent jobs. The company's construction contractor has entered into project labor agreements with various trade unions for the construction of the project.
As for the loan guarantee, it is conditioned on financial and environmental requirements BrightSource must meet before closing on the loan — including local, state and federal regulatory approvals. The Bureau of Land Management will continue leading a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review with support from the Department of Energy.
BrightSource's technology uses thousands of heliostats, with each heliostat having two mirrors that track the sun in two dimensions, allowing the capture of a greater percentage of solar energy than some other solar thermal technologies.
The first plant is expected to begin construction in H2 2010 and come on line in 2012. Commercial operation for the second plant is slated for mid-2013 and the third later in 2013. Electricity from the project will be sold under long-term power purchase agreements with Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison Company (SCE).
[Via: DoE]
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February 25th, 2010 | Posted in
Wind | No Comments
REpower Systems and Akuo Energy (France) have signed an agreement under which REpower is to supply Akuo with 25 MM92 wind turbines, each with 2.05 MW of capacity. The wind turbines are to be installed at three wind farms – the Fontaine Macon, Sevigny Waleppe and the Saint-Germainmont, all located in the Champagne-Ardennes region of France. REpower has recently signed another supply deal also in Champagne-Ardennes, for 26 wind turbines.
Starting in June 2010, REpower will supply the first six units for the Fontaine Macon wind farm, which are expected to be commissioned as soon as August this year. During 2011, REpower will supply the rest of the units, nine for the Sevigny Waleppe wind farm, and another ten for the Saint-Germainmont wind farm. Construction on the two wind farms is scheduled for Q2 2011.
[source: REpower]
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February 25th, 2010 | Posted in
Geothermal | No Comments
Vulcan Power Company, a geothermal development company, has announced it has restarted drilling at the Patua geothermal well, located near Fernley, Nevada (USA).
The drilling project has been halted, but is now back in business, after the company received USD 108 million in equity investment from Denham Capital. The investment allowed the company to move on with the project, and over the next 24 months, Vulcan Power will work to complete Phase I of the Patua project. Once completed, it is expected Patua, the company's first geothermal project, will be capable of generating about 60 MW of power.
The focus within the project at the moment will be on geo-science activities, core hole drilling, and drilling of full-sized production wells, in order to evaluate the reservoir's full potential.
After these activities, the company will continue with construction, after obtaining the necessary permits and licenses. Commercial operation of the power plant is expected in Q1 2012. The entire power output of the Patua geothermal power plant will be sold through a 20-year PPA, which is currently being finalized in negotiations.
[source: Vulcan Power, image: Vulcan Power]
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February 25th, 2010 | Posted in
General Hydro Wind | Comments (3)
Iberdrola has announced a strategic investment plan involving some EUR 18 billion in total to be invested over the period of two years, from 2010 to 2012. Of the total amount, EUR 9 billion is planned for renewable energy, while the the other half of the investment funding is to be used for networks (EUR 6.3 billion) and generation and supply (EUR 2.7 billion).
Broken down according to markets, the US market will receive about EUR 7 billion (39%), the UK market about EUR 4.5 billion (25%), Spain EUR 4.3 billion (24%), while Latin America and other markets will get about EUR 2.2 billion (12%).
Along with investment plans, the company plans to diversify further internationally. Iberdrola sees the investment plan as means to face the future with optimism, while at the same time offering a "valid option for driving economic growth and recovery".
The company's current strategic areas of focus are strengthening its position in the Atlantic Area (US, UK, Brazil), creating foundations for future growth in these areas. For example, Iberdrola has been awarded a development zone as part of Round 3 offshore development in the UK, one of the biggest ones, which will bring about 7.2 GW of new capacity to the company's portfolio. In the US, the company is taking advantage of the formidable development climate created by the US government, with more than 23.5 GW of capacity lined up for development. Along with wind energy projects, Iberdrola is also involved in major hydropower development around the world. In Spain alone, about 1 GW of hydropower capacity will come online by 2012, and in Brazil the company is also developing 1 GW of hydropower capacity through a dozen power station projects.
[source: Iberdrola]
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February 24th, 2010 | Posted in
Geothermal | No Comments
Geodynamics and Origin Energy have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for exploration of geothermal potential in shallow geothermal resources in license areas that already exist for the joint venture, in Eromanoga Basin in South Australia.
The new MoU is a separate document from the already existing joint venture between the two companies, which has been referred to as Innamicka Joint Venture. This JV has now been renamed to Innamicka Deeps Joint Venture.
The new JV, dubbed Innamicka Shallows Joint Venture, is split right down the middle in terms of ownership. Origin Energy will assume the role of JV operator. The new project will focus on exploration at depths of about 3000 meters, where lower temperature reservoirs are expected to exist.
Both companies are hoping to achieve diversification in supplies of geothermal energy, providing investors with access to an extended geothermal portfolio.
[source: Geodynamics, image: Geodynamics]
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February 24th, 2010 | Posted in
Hydro | No Comments
Toshiba Internationa Corporation (ITC) has signed contracts for three 324 MW (MVA) hydropower generators to be delivered to Isagen, a Colombian power generation company. TOshiba is to work on the new contracts in partnership with Mitsui Plant Systems.
All three generators are to be installed at the Sogamoso hydrpower plant in the state of Santander, in Colombia. This will not be Toshiba's first generator supply contract in Colombia. The company has already supplied 35 generators to the country in the past, so there is no lack of experience and track record. Delivery of the generators is expected by January 2012, with the hydropower plant to be commissioned by the end of 2013.
Colombia has big energy development plans, which involve an increase in power generation capacity by about 3000 MW over the next decade, with more than 2400 MW expected to come from the country's abundant hydrpower resources.
[source: Toshiba Internation Corporation]
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February 24th, 2010 | Posted in
Geothermal | No Comments
Reservoir Capital has received permits for three geothermal exploration drilling projects in northern Serbia, at Kupusina, Adorijan and Vrbica locations. The licenses have been granted based on the results previously obtained during oil, gas and geothermal exploration of the Pannonian Basin.
The Kupusina location, some 26 square miles, has been historically known to contain limestone and sandstone aquifiers at depths from 57 meters on to almost 1400 meters. Temperatures are estimated at about 80 degrees Centrigrade for most of the deep aquifiers, but there is potential for temperatures reaching 160 degrees centigrade.
The Adorijan and Vrbica locations, each having about 22 square miles and 48 square miles in area, are actually close to each other, and are near the norther border of Serbia with Hungary. Some 24 holes were drilled in the 1970's and 1980's as part of the oil and gas exploration efforts, and show potential for geothermal energy at depths from 421 meters to about 1800 meters. Reservoir temperatures are estimated at more than 90 degrees centigrade, with potential to reach as high as 200 degrees for a few of the deeper holes.
The three new licenses for geothermal exploration, along with the recently granted Vranjska Banja license, now total four licenses that Reservoir Capital currently holds for geothermal drilling in Serbia.
[source: Reservoir Capital]
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February 23rd, 2010 | Posted in
Biomass | No Comments
Refill Energy Gasifier - turns biomass into synthetic gas.
ReFill Energy has acquired International Green N-ergy (IGN), a Utah based company involved in biomass conversion technologies. Along with the acquisition of IGN, ReFill Energy has also gotten its hands on the IGN's proprietary Downdraft Gasification Module, which the company fabricated for the purpose of achieving significant technological advantages. The patented technology allows for large volume production of biofuel, deriving from gasification of such biomass sources as sewer waste water, agricultural waste, coal and carcasses. The output is a combination of electricity, steam, ethanol, fuels, chemicals and hydrogen. According to the company, one ton of feedstock is equivalent to about 1 MWh of electricity, or about 100 gallons of usable fuels.
The produced gas, using IGN's technology, is mainly made up of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The Syn-Gas can be used in IGCC (integrated gasification combined cycle) processes and efficiently converted into electricity, or converted to fuels such as ethanol, gasoline, jet fuel or Diesel.
[source: ReFill Energy, image: ReFill Energy]
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February 23rd, 2010 | Posted in
Wind | No Comments
Map of areas with various wind speeds in Texas.
Two new wind farms will be developed in Texas by Energos (Spain), which will provide "greenfield" development capital, and Caprock Wind and Peak Wind. The agreements between the two companies were facilitated by Allegiance Capital.
Even though there is plenty of "leg work" to be done before the projects reach "construction ready" status, the plan is to have both plants operational by 2014. The wind farms are called Arranz Wind Caprock I and Arranz Wind Tuxedo I.
With the 600 MW wind farm to be developed by Shenyang, this is a total of 1000 MW of new wind power capacity lined up for development in Texas in the next couple of years.
[source: Allegiance Capital]
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February 23rd, 2010 | Posted in
Wind | No Comments
EDP Renewables North America has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for the sale of 115 MW of power generated from the first phase of the company's Pioneer Prairie wind farm, located in Mitchell and Howard counties in Iowa (USA). Generated power will be delivered to customers in the seven southeastern states in the region.
Pioneer Prairie wind farm is planned to have a total of 300 MW of capacity at some point, which will be enough to supply some 90,000 average US households.
EDP Renewables has another PPA lined up through its subsidiary Horizon Wind Energy, for 102.3 MW from the second phase of the same wind farm, to be sold to AmerenUE.
[source: EDP Renewables, image: EDP Renewables]
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