Public Power - January/February 2009 - (Page 33)

July, former Vice President Al Gore pared with what future costs could be if we and solar are to play a major role, we are warned that the nation’s “dangerous over- continue to see high commodity and fuel faced with storage issues that we haven’t reliance on carbon-based fuels” lies at the prices that have driven up costs for new managed to solve economically.” heart of three critical challenges: the eco- construction.” Moniz mentioned another issue: once nomic, environmental and national security From the perspective of the overall U.S. the best wind sites are developed, new crises. economy, there is probably enough money technology will be needed to make good The solution? “To end our reliance on to meet Gore’s challenge, said James. “The use of lower-quality wind resources. carbon-based fuel,” he said. question is whether the current utility inThere is more than enough renewable Gore issued a challenge: commit to pro- frastructure has the resources to produce energy to meet demand, said James. “But ducing 100 percent of energy this way.” And, how efficiently can we convert it to elecour electricity from re- “When you plug he asked, “What do you tricity?” That depends on three energy newable energy and do about the legacy is- conversion factors. One is capacity factor. truly clean, carbon- the numbers in, it sues of existing plants, He noted that recent data put wind’s cafree sources within 10 stranded transmission pacity factor at roughly 30 percent. doesn’t add up to years. lines and changes to ex- Another factor is insolation—the intensity “It’s the right chal- 10 years.” isting infrastructure? of incoming solar radiation—which translenge,” said Ernest That would entail con- lates to the intensity and heating rate of Moniz, professor of physics and engineer- siderable cost.” solar thermal’s working fluid. A third factor ing systems at the Massachusetts Institute There would be a cost to consumers, is PV conversion efficiency. “PV conversion of Technology and director of the MIT En- too. “If we specify a solution that increases efficiencies are on the order of 15 to 17 ergy Initiative. “It brings to the fore the the cost of electric power by a factor of percent. There is a lot of room for imidea that decarbonizing the electricity sec- five, it will not be affordprovement,” said tor is the greatest opportunity for low able,” said Jay Apt, James. If the con“If wind and solar carbon supply.” executive director of the version efficiency Gore said this goal is achievable, afford- Carnegie Mellon Electric- are to play a major were to reach 50 able and transformative. No one doubts ity Industry Center at percent, there that it is transformative. But is it achiev- Carnegie Mellon Univer- role, we are faced would be a draable? sity. matic change in the with storage “When you plug the numbers in, it doesProducing all of the economic desirabiln’t add up to 10 years,” said Moniz. Revis country’s electricity from issues that we ity of deploying James, director of the Electric Power Re- renewables and other carsolar PV. “But we search Institute’s Energy Technology bon-free sources also haven’t managed can’t put a time Assessment Center, agrees. If not for the poses a number of technoframe on when this to solve 10-year deadline, it is theoretically achiev- logical challenges. would happen.” able, James said. But the goal would be a One challenge is how to economically.” Finally, any new “big stretch” within a decade. deal with the intermitelectricity system And is Gore’s goal affordable? tency of renewables. must be as reliable Before compensating for transmission Intermittency can introduce voltage and as the current system, said James. “We costs, in good wind sites the levelized cost frequency problems, said James. “You can might need backup power, on a limited baof wind is “pretty competitive,” said Moniz. build a backup power plant, such as a natu- sis, to ensure system reliability and He added, “I would put nuclear in the mix ral gas turbine. We think there are more availability.” as low carbon. I’m assuming that the chal- optimal approaches, such as looking at Gore’s challenge would be quite differlenge is in the context compressed-air en- ent if interpreted to mean all new capacity of a serious carbon “If we specify a ergy storage must be carbon-free and is worked into the price, so the playing underground.” The existing capacity base, said Moniz. “The refield will be different solution that economics are not at- ality is that we have a large existing base from today.” Moniz tractive enough yet and it won’t go away overnight. That base is increases the cost called solar “the long for wide deployment producing power very cheaply.” Nuclear pole in the tent.” He of electric power but EPRI has identi- plants have operating costs of 2 cents per considers it credible fied sites and kilowatt-hour (kWh), and coal plants— that solar—PV and so- by a factor of five, developed a set of cri- even with a high carbon charge—would lar thermal—could teria for qualified probably be in the 6-7 cents/kWh range, he it will not be soon be in the 15 cents sites. said. per kilowatt-hour affordable.” “The basic chalIf the country were to generate all its range. “That sounds like lenge is to make energy from renewables, said James, a draa lot compared with amortized coal and energy storage cost-effective on a large matic expansion of the infrastructure for nuclear plants, but it’s not that much com- scale,” said James. Moniz agrees, “If wind those technologies would be required. 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Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - January/February 2009

Public Power - December 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Heat or Eat? Achieving Excellence in Nuclear Operations Training Grand Ambitions for Wind Power Visions of Green Carbon Trading Across The Pond Reliability Green Energy Customer Service DEED Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - January/February 2009

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