CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008 - (Page 6)

❯❯ PURE POWER // SUMMER 2008 6 industry roundup Berkeley Lab examines state-renewables portfolio standards policies A growing number of states is supporting renewable electricity through the creation of renewables portfolio standards (RPS). A report released by the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides a comprehensive overview of the early experiences with these state-level RPS policies. “State RPS policies require utilities to buy a certain amount of renewable energy, and these programs have emerged as one of the most important drivers of renewable energy deployment in the U.S.,” said Ryan Wiser, of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD), who was one of two primary authors for this report. “But, as the popularity and importance of these RPS have increased, so too has the need to keep up with the design, early experience, and projected impacts of these programs. Our report is designed to meet that need.” Collectively, the RPS policies that are in place today in 25 states and Washington, D.C., apply to nearly 50% of total U.S. electricity load. In addition, four new states joined the RPS roster in 2007. “Many of these policies have been established recently and each is designed differently,” said Galen Barbose, the report’s other primary author and also a member of Berkeley Lab’s EETD. “As a result, the experience has been decidedly mixed.” Some of the key ﬁndings of the study include: More than 50% of non-hydro renewable capacity additions in the U.S. from 1998 through 2007 occurred in states with RPS policies, and 93% of these additions came from wind power. Existing state RPS policies, if fully achieved, requires roughly 60 GW of new renewable capacity by 2025, equivalent to 15% of projected electricity demand growth. Solar set-asides in state RPS policies are becoming more common, and these policies have supported more than 165 MW of new solar capacity so far; a total of roughly 6,700 MW of solar capacity would be needed by 2025 to fully meet these set-asides. The early-year renewable energy purchase targets in the majority of state RPS policies have been fully or almost-fully achieved, with overall average compliance at 94% in 2006. Some states have struggled to meet early-year RPS targets, and many states have been reluctant to penalize non-compliance. Renewable energy certiﬁcate (REC) tracking systems continue to expand, and all but four states allow unbundled RECs to count towards RPS compliance. The cost of RPS policies varies by state, but in most states, these programs have, so far, increased electricity rates by 1% or less; in several states, the renewable electricity required by RPS policies appears competitive with fossil generation. MATERIALS RESEARCH FOR THE POWER INDUSTRY The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced earlier this year that it has teamed with French power company EDF and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to create the international Materials Aging Institute, a collaborative research facility that will examine the critical link between materials science and power plant component performance and degradation. The Institute’s mission is to explain and anticipate the aging of materials in existing power production facilities, to improve knowledge of hightemperature materials behavior in future power plants, and to maintain expertise and skills on materials science. Its research will provide the technical foundation that supports the continued safe, efﬁcient, and cost-effective operations of power plants worldwide and support the construction of new plants built to the highest industry and technical standards. Research will encompass materials issues at nuclear, fossil, and hydroelectric generating facilities. “The founding of the Materials Aging Institute reﬂects both the global nature of the electric power industry and the common challenges facing power plants around the world,” said Chris Larsen, vice president of EPRI’s nuclear sector. “By teaming with research organizations, such as EDF and TEPCO, we will be working with recognized experts in materials science and technology, ensuring that research and development efforts focus on critical issues with widespread industry impact.” With an initial budget of $13.1 million, the Institute has selected nine projects to establish the research and development program for 2008. Among the areas that will be analyzed are equipment corrosion, component and material degradation due to irradiation, non-metallic material performance (e.g., polymers), and concrete aging. The Materials Aging Institute will be based at EDF’s facilities in Les Renardières, France. EDF is investing $22.3 million to erect a new building to house the Institute and is purchasing modern laboratory equipment, including three electron microscopes and powerful numerical simulation tools. The Institute will initially be staffed by members of EDF, EPRI, TEPCO, utility organizations, national laboratories and universities. To address global concerns regarding the medium- to long-term availability of a capable workforce for the electric power industry, the Institute will include a formal training program for young engineers. www.purepowermagazine.com http://www.purepowermagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008

CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008 Contents In the News Industry Roundup Risk Assessments for COPS Grounding Requires More Power Systems to Protect Healthcare Important Changes Coming in NFPA 70E A Look at Arc-Resistant Switchgear Agencies and Associations New Products Ad Index

CSE Pure Power - Summer 2008

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