DOE to fund $50 million large-scale pilot fossil fuel projects
The DOE has made available a $50 million funding opportunity through the Office of Fossil Energy to design, construct and operate two large-scale pilots for transformational coal technologies that improve coal-powered systems' performance, efficiency, emission reduction and cost of electricity.
DOE has supported a range of potentially transformational coal technologies aimed at enabling step-change improvements in coal-powered systems. Some of these technologies are now ready to proceed to the large-scale pilot stage of development. Applicants to this new funding opportunity should have already demonstrated technical success at a small-scale pilot stage, and a 20-percent minimum cost share on total award values is required.
For more information, visit www.energy.gov or www.grants.gov.
Georgia Power seeks approval to complete Vogtle 3 and 4
Georgia Power has filed a recommendation to the Georgia Public Service Commission to complete construction of two reactors, Vogtle 3 and 4, based on a "comprehensive schedule, cost-to-complete and cancellation assessment" that preserves the benefits of carbon-free, baseload generation.
The plan to complete Vogtle 3 and 4 assumes settlement payments from Toshiba Corp., additional DOE loan guarantees and congressional action to extend production tax credits for new nuclear plants.
Vogtle 3 reached a milestone Aug. 16 with the placement of the first of two steam generators. The reactor is expected to reach commercial operation in 2021 and be joined by Vogtle 4 in 2022. The new units were among the first new nuclear construction projects in the U.S. in 30 years when construction began in 2013. The public service commission will now decide whether to approve the revised schedule and cost estimates and is expected to make its decision by February 2018.
For more information, visit www.nei.org or call (202) 739-8000.
CAISO deems renewables more expensive than natural gas
The California Independent System Operator's (CAISO's) study of renewable energy alternatives to the construction of a new natural gas plant has concluded substitutions would be workable but more expensive.
CAISO submitted three alternatives to state regulators: solar power, energy storage and energy use reduction. The three proposals would cost from $309 million-$1.1 billion. By contrast, NRG Energy's 262-megawatt Puente natural gas project would cost $299 million.
The California Energy Commission will make the final decision on whether to allow the gas plant's construction to move forward or proceed with renewable energy alternatives.
For more information, visit www.caiso.com or call (916) 351-4400.
NREL updates baseline data for electricity generation tech
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released the 2017 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB), updating a key source of reliable electricity generation technology cost and performance data used to support and inform electric sector analysis in the U.S. Now in its third year, the ATB documents technology-specific information on a broad spectrum of electricity generation technologies, including wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, biomass, coal, natural gas and nuclear.
The ATB synthesizes current and projected data from various sources into a highly accessible and widely referenced resource for energy analysts, providing three different levels of future technology cost and performance through 2050 to support analysis of future U.S. electric sector scenarios. The 2017 ATB is available in a new interactive website at www.atb.nrel.gov.
For more information, visit www. nrel.gov or call (202) 488-2200.
Natural gas-fired electricity conversion efficiency grows
In the past 10 years, annual average heat rates of natural gasfired electricity generators have decreased 7 percent as heat rates of coal-fired electricity generators remained stable, increasing only 1 percent. Heat rates are calculated based on the amount of energy used to generate a unit of electricity. Lower heat rates indicate more efficient generation, as less fuel is needed per kilowatt-hour.
One major factor in the improvement of the natural gas fleet's heat rate is changes in types of natural gas-fired electricity generators. Unlike coal, natural gas has two distinct types of electricity-generating technologies: combined cycle and simple cycle. Combinedcycle systems are significantly more efficient. The capacity of natural gas-fired units added since 2006 has been, on average, more efficient than the existing fleet, while the capacity retired since 2006 has been, on average, less efficient.
For more information, visit www.eia.gov or call (202) 586-8800.
