The development of renewable energy is one of the hottest growth areas in the global energy industry today, spurred by anxiety over climate change, the desire to diversify energy supply, high oil prices, and government incentives that are keyed into these underlying concerns.
As we finalized the most recent Energy Market Perspective, we noted emerging trends driving the Black & Veatch view on future power plant capacity expansion in North America. The new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules governing emissions of sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, mercury, solid waste disposal and water use are attracting attention in the integrated resource planning process. Greenhouse gas regulations seem to have been pushed back, but should not be considered as out of the picture.
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Alaska’s North Slope, which holds over 35 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, has the potential to provide North America with a clean and reliable source of energy for years to come. Under the Alaska Pipeline Project, the state of Alaska has proposed the construction of a long-haul natural gas pipeline to bring [...]
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Solar thermal has a proven track record and a commercial operating history of more than 20 years. Solar thermal power plants can be found in the U.S. Southwest, along with a facility located in Florida. This technology also has a significant presence in Spain, North Africa, Mexico, India and the Middle East.
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The August deal to raise the U.S. debt limit is almost certain to result in significant cuts to federal energy and environment spending programs – and energy industry tax credits may also be at risk in the process.
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“Renewables cost too much – and so do clean fuels!”
You must have heard that line before. When the German government recently decided to close down the nukes and replace them with renewable resources, that’s what the local industrialists said. When state legislators in the United States ordered utilities to buy renewable energy, that’s what utility executives said.
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By the end of this year, 21 million new “smart” meters will be installed in the United States, as the country’s total reaches 58 million. Another 2,200 substations will be built globally, and countless automated reclosers, remote terminal units, advanced sensors and synchrophasors will be added. By 2015, the global market for distribution and transmission automation will total more than $100 billion.
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For several years, federal policymakers have sought to influence the mix of electric generation supply in their efforts to forge a comprehensive U.S. energy policy. Proposals for creating a national renewable portfolio standard (RPS) have more recently evolved into considerations of adopting a clean energy standard (CES). Objectives for adopting either a national RPS or CES include bringing consistency to the current patchwork of state programs, encouraging development of particular technologies, and decreasing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) that result from burning fossil fuels.
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Two Combined Cycle Power Plants in Thailand to Expand Two large power generation facilities in Thailand announced expansion plans, and combined, the projects represent an investment of approximately US$1 billion by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the owner of both facilities. The projects involve adding a new power block to the Chana Combined [...]
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Now on the cusp of commercial development, marine energy harnesses the natural movement of bodies of water.
Growing energy demand increases the need for reliable and renewable power sources. The marine energy sector is working toward commercially viable ways to harness the abundant renewable resource of waves and currents to help satisfy this demand.
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Imagine for a moment that you’re visiting relatives in a western U.S. city and during an afternoon of shopping, you’ve stopped for a cold beverage at a sidewalk café. As you’re relaxing in the sunshine, you admire the lovely palm trees—or are they really palm trees?
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Thin-film is now offering strong competition against the more established crystalline technology.
The solar photovoltaic (PV) industry has been steadily growing within the renewable energy sector since 2009, and its technology costs are decreasing.
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As a developing nation, South Africa is making great strides in generating more conventional electrical power for its growing population and expanding economy.
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Water is the leading renewable energy source used by electric utilities to generate power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Renewable sources, such as wind, solar and hydropower, make up about 11 percent of the United States energy grid, and hydropower is the most prominent, accounting for about 7 percent of the country’s electricity generation – and almost 75 percent of its installed renewable power capacity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
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The use of geothermal energy for heat dates to ancient Italy, when the Roman Empire tapped into the energy generated by volcanic action. Historically, geothermal energy has been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries.
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The growth of state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the United States and constantly changing oil prices worldwide in the past decade created significant interest and activity in biomass and other forms of renewable energy development. As the biomass industry progressed in recent years, however, four critical issues have emerged that need to be addressed.
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Distributed generation has the potential to make an impact on the use of renewables, but advocates will have to be satisfied that growth will be measured in very small increments.
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Renewable energy is a natural fit at water and wastewater treatment plants. Facilities across the globe are exploring solar, wind, biogas and hydro as ways to offset high electrical costs and even contribute to the power grid.
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Incentives have been tied to renewable energy since the first technologies began appearing in the 1970s and ’80s. Countries have taken many different roads toward promoting renewables, in order to lower costs, help mitigate risks by developers, or generate enough mass to decrease production costs. Now the expiration of many incentive programs is on the horizon, causing a new evaluation of what should be used – if anything – going forward.
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Waste management is changing. In the past, the focus was on disposal, but now in many countries, there is a growing recognition that waste should be viewed as a “resource opportunity.” This shift in perception is prompted by incentives to protect the environment, movements to encourage renewable energy generation, a decrease in landfill availability and a greater focus on resource efficiency.
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Underperforming wind farms are putting some owners at risk, but Black & Veatch is helping to combat this issue by devoting more research and data into the site selection process.
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Affordability: A Strong Component
of Today’s Renewables Dialogue
These past few months have been a great time to participate in conferences and to meet clients in order to gain additional perspective of the global marketplace. This is especially true for the renewables sector, as it is intensely intertwined with environmental regulations, incentives, technologies, market demands and pressing deadlines for implementation.