Energy Biz - March/April 2008 - (Page 50) Netherlands, India, or Bangladesh. Plants can be situated at sites where fresh water floats into the sea or at industries with salt waste water streams. It is anticipated that plants of 25 megawatts and greater could provide energy at a cost that is roughly equal to the cost of offshore wind. Larger plants may be able to achieve even lower costs, especially if a concentrated salt solution such as brine is available. KEMA is currently developing a plant composed of multiple modules with a total capacity of 250 kilowatts, to be initially located at a coastal test site. energy ISland harneSSeS offShore wInd energy scale storage can substitute for investment in the replacement or new development of peak production capacity. The integration of electricity storage within the power supply has numerous environmental benefits, particularly if storage is combined with windpowered generating capacity on a large scale. The first phase of an ongoing feasibility study recently concluded that the Energy Island is an attractive and technically feasible renewable energy option. In the next phase, KEMA will participate in a detailed location study to investigate technical capabilities, and economic and ecological viability. what tomorrow’S technologIeS mean for today’S utIlItIeS Another new concept, the Energy Island, is generating much interest in the Netherlands and Europe. Designed by KEMA, Lievense and the Das brothers, the concept incorporates pumped hydro storage in an inverse offshore pump accumulation station (IOPAC). hoW does this Work? When there is a surplus of wind energy on the Energy Island, the excess energy is used to pump sea water out of the interior ‘subsurface-lake’ into the surrounding sea. When there is a shortage of wind power, sea water is allowed to flow back into the interior ‘lake’ through commercially available generators to produce energy. The IOPAC is unique compared to conventional pumped hydro storage systems in that it would be stationed on an artificial island off the Dutch coast in the North Sea and composed of a ring of dikes surrounding a 50-meter deep reservoir. The island itself would be built from materials dredged to deepen the interior reservoir. KEMA analysis estimates that the proposed Energy Island storage system would have a maximum generation capacity of 1,500 megawatts, depending on the water level. The system also would have an annual storage capacity of more than 20 gigawatt hours – enough energy to offset 500 to 840 kilotons of CO2 emissions. KEMA will soon conduct further analysis of the costs and benefits of additional regulating reserve, download wind power, CO2 reduction, and environmental impacts. The combination of electricity storage and offshore wind energy provides synergies. Electricity storage is a well-established practice that offers considerable added value for the energy sector. Storage increases the technical reliability of the power supply, stabilizes the cost of electricity, and can help to hold down CO2 emissions. Investment in large- There are many commercially viable energy storage and renewable energy options available to utilities today. In addition, there are numerous exciting renewable energy solutions currently under development that may be commercially operational within the next decade. Today’s utilities are looking to develop comprehensive strategies to incorporate clean technologies, renewable energy and the efficient delivery and use of electricity. KEMA brings together a strong understanding of the best available clean technologies as well as the most promising emerging technologies to help utilities plan their future energy portfolios. This expertise is combined with extensive experience in electric power grid operations, renewable energy project development and grid integration, a deep understanding of the current state of energy infrastructure, comprehensive experience with integrated resource planning, and expertise in evolving regulatory policies. KEMA offers services and solutions that address the complex issues of developing renewable energy in a rapidly changing environment. For more inFormation about Kema’s renewable energy services, visit our website at www.Kema.com or call us at (781.273.5700). 50 E n E rgyB i z March/April 2008 ThOughT LE aDErshiP – sPOnsOrED By kEMa http://www.kema.com http://www.kema.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.