Wave energy hydropower developer Ocean Power Technologies Inc. has won a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of the next generation of OPT’s PowerBuoy ocean energy hydropower device.

The DOE grant will help fund the scale-up of the power output per PowerBuoy from the current level of 150kW to 500kW, wire services reported.

This is the second award to OPT by the DOE. Previously, OPT received $2 million to provide funding for the construction of a PB150 PowerBuoy to be deployed in connection with the company’s project at Reedsport, Oregon. The Reedsport project is a commercial U.S. wave energy farm off the Oregon coast.

OPT has chosen Oregon Iron Works to construct its first commercial wave energy PowerBuoy system in North America. Nine additional PowerBuoys will be constructed and installed under the second phase of the Reedsport project.

Issued to OPT under a competitive process, this latest award was made in support of innovative renewable water power technologies.

Ocean Power Technologies recently was awarded €2.2 million, [US $2.99 million] under the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for work on the WavePort project in Spain.

Ventower Industries has broken ground on its 115,000 ft2, state of the art, wind-tower manufacturing facility. Earlier this year, the company’s design, the Ventower, won an advanced-energy manufacturing tax credit under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The company was one of 12 to received support from Michigan’s congressional delegation. The company says it is a full service fabricator and supplier of industrial scale, wind turbine towers.

Focused on original equipment manufacturers, the company will provide wind towers to wind plants throughout the Great Lakes Region using readily accessible waterborne, rail, and truck transport options.

A nonprofit organization advocating for farmers and ranchers recently released a study analyzing available data and cost-benefit studies to assess the effects of legislation aimed at the changing climate and agricultural economies of Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. American Farmland Trust or AFT, Washington, D.C., sponsored the research to advance understanding of the economic implications for U.S. agriculture as Congress considers legislation that addresses the changing climate.

“Overall, the research suggests that while the legislation would challenge the agriculture sector in these states, there are improved revenues from higher crop prices, new bio-fuel markets, carbon-sequestration and offsets,” says study coauthor Brian Hurd, New Mexico State University. Coauthor George Frisvold, University of Arizona, adds that “only small changes are expected in regional land use as some farmers can benefit from reducing tillage and putting land into conservation reserve and grass.”

“It’s clear there will be a relative rise in energy and fertilizer costs. But we were surprised to learn that provisions in the legislation would likely limit fertilizer-cost increases to between 0.3 % and 2% by 2020, and that estimates from a variety of studies show energy-cost increases of 4% to 13% by 2020. Although modest increases, it’s always a factor for farmers who operate on thin profit margins,” adds coauthor Chris Goemans, Colorado State University. “However, in many cases, higher commodity prices estimated by many studies will contribute to farm revenues and could largely offset these projected cost increases.”

“The Rocky Mountain region is diverse and has unique agricultural characteristics,” says Anita Zurbrugg, Assistant Director of AFT’s Center for Agriculture in the Environment. “We wanted to learn how the agriculture sector might fare economically under various legislative proposals to limit greenhouse gasses, and to learn more about the potential for agriculture to earn new sources of income for providing carbon offsets or renewable energy.”

In western states, cattle and dairies are important segments of the agricultural economy. “Higher feed and energy prices will pose challenges,” Zurbrugg added. “Traditional ranchers, or those with significant feeding costs, could be the hardest hit?while dairies and concentrated feeding operations may be able to use methane digester technologies to generate income two ways: through carbon offsets and electricity generation.”

Zurbrugg notes that many producers perceive cost increases as more certain than revenue increases. “The study shows expected cost increases well within the range of recent energy-price variability. I think this may give farmers some measure of confidence that we’re looking at a timeframe that should give them time to adjust to the increases.”

The research team assessed eight existing studies and relevant reports to consider the implications of climate-change legislation, such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), on the region’s agricultural producers. The team also looked at potential land use changes and carbon offset potential. A copy of the study is available to download from farmland.org.     www.farmland.org .

Key findings of the analysis include:

• Energy costs are expected to rise from 4% to 13% by 2020 while fertilizer cost increases range only between 0.3% and 2% because of rebates to manufacturers of Energy Intensive Trade Exposed Entities (EITEs) and projected decreases in natural gas prices.
• Improved revenues are expected from higher crop prices, new bio-fuel crop markets, and opportunities to sequester carbon and gain-offset revenue.
• Higher commodity prices along with new production and revenue opportunities will generally benefit farmers, and possibly more than offset rising costs in this region. Resulting feed-price increases could adversely affect many livestock and dairy producers.
• Dairy producers and concentrated livestock-feeding operations may be able to generate additional income by capturing and converting methane to electricity, thus providing revenue through carbon-offset markets and electricity sales.
• Even in cases where cost increases are not offset, expected increases are within the range of recent energy-price variability.
• Preliminary findings suggest the possibility for increases in state-level, net farm income of 1.2% in Arizona, 2.9% in Colorado and 4.1 % in New Mexico in 2020, based on expected patterns of cost and price changes.
• Evidence suggests only small and limited changes in land use with some potential to sequester carbon from reduced tillage and conversion of cropland to grassland, as well as some limited capacity for reforestation by converting irrigated cropland to fruit and nut orchards.

“We believe it is important to have a well respected third-party like this team to review the studies and look at the various legislative and economic scenarios. Then we can better understand costs and opportunities and find good policy options,” says Zurbrugg.

“Farmers and ranchers have a great deal at stake in federal legislation,” says Jon Scholl, AFT President. “If no clean-energy bill passes, the EPA is mandated by the Supreme Court to enact regulations under the Clean Air Act, which will affect agriculture. They are implementing those regulations now. Regulations without opportunities only brings costs to producers.”

A portable mill can machine wind towers that now have diameters from 10 to 14 ft, and to a surface-flatness tolerance of 0.002 in. The Climax CM6000 mill can also create a 60 rms micro finish, exceeding the current requirements of the wind-power industry and in particular tower fabricator Hitachi Canadian Industries Ltd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Thanks to the modular design of the CM6000 from Climax Portable Machine Tools, Newberg, Oregon, when it is not machining out-of-spec flanges on the assembly line, it can stores in HIC’s fabrication shop until needed, reassembled within 60 min and moved into position by an overhead crane. Its in-situ machining eliminates the time and work required to build subassemblies at a machine shop for re-machining, and the cost of subcontracting with field service companies.

The hunt for the portable mill began when HCI found that work for a particular customer was a challenge because of its short delivery schedule and also, once its larger towers were assembled, the machine shop’s boring mills were not large enough to machine the whole tower to the tight specs required. It had two manufacturing shops including a large machine shop with stationary vertical-boring mills, where subassemblies could be built and towers turned to true-up out-of-spec flanges. But such machining requires hauling tubes from a fab shop to a machine shop, mounting tubes, do the work, and taking them back to the fab again.

As a result, the shop subcontracted the work to field-service companies that used portable machine tools to grind the towers outdoors at the plant. Although the subvendors could meet the precision specs, it was often costly and difficult to schedule them. As a cost-reduction measure, HCI decided to bring the machining in-house. When Chief Engineer Rob McEachern began to research his portable machine-tool options, he contacted Climax Portable Machine Tools.

McEachern and the Climax sales engineer discussed minimum and maximum capabilities of the machine he needed

A family of enclosure lights, including compact LED and fluorescent versions, come in versatile and easy-to-install packages. Panelite LED and Fluorescent Lights, from Pentair Technical Products, Anoka, Minn., are for quick installation in any enclosure. Their efficient design fits easily inside enclosures where space is often a premium. Terminal blocks at both ends of the lights’ housings allow for simple wiring and ganging several together.

The compact Panelite LED Enclosure Light has long-lasting LEDs that work for up to 50,000 hours. There are no bulbs to crack, break, or replace. They operate on 24 Vdc, making them an effective for low voltage and energy efficient applications. LEDs offer a 140° cone angle that casts a broad covering of neutral light within enclosures.

The light’s center section also rotates, letting users direct light to where needed. Also, LEDs perform well in harsh environments including cold and vibration. The enclosure lights are UL and CSA certified and available in 15, 18 and 28-in. lengths.

The units are simple to wire and operate. A plug-and-play terminal connection includes pre-wired sockets on both ends of the light allow ganging them in series and for Hoffman Enclosure’s line of easy-to-use cable accessories. What’s more, optional terminals snap into the connection sockets for other wiring methods. Terminals are provided in the kit with each light. The lights also include an on-off switch.

Power switching devices improve control and efficient use of electricity

Zurich, Switzerland, March 29, 2010 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has agreed to acquire the semiconductor business of Polovodiče a.s. in the Czech Republic. The additional production capacity for high-power semiconductors will help ABB to cope with the expected rising demand fueled by growth in renewable energy and efforts to improve energy efficiency.

Polovodiče a.s.has been making power semiconductors since the mid-1950s and had revenues in the low double-digit millions of US dollars, mostly from its power semiconductor activities. Together with the semiconductor assets, about 200 employees with strong technical capabilities will join ABB. The parties agreed not to disclose the value of the transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Power semiconductors are switching devices that control the flow of electrical power and convert electricity into the wave form and frequency needed.

They are at the heart of many leading ABB technologies such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems, variable speed drives and to connect renewable energy sources such as wind and solar to the electricity grid.

“Power semiconductors are central to the development of smarter electricity networks in which greater use of renewable energy is combined with better control of power flows for more reliability and efficiency,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “The business of Polovodiče a.s.will strengthen our market position as one of the leading producers of power semiconductors.”

ABB is already investing $150 million over three years to expand its semiconductor plant in Lenzburg, Switzerland. The acquisition will improve economies of scale at each facility and will increase flexibility of production and delivery.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 117,000 people.

AREVA’s Transmission and Distribution (T&D) division has been awarded a 60-million euro contract in India by state utility Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited.

AREVA will build an Extra High-Voltage substation at the Anpara “D” thermal power plant1 in the state of Uttar Pradesh (North of India).

The new substation will improve power transfer capacity and reliability from eastern Uttar Pradesh, the regional power generation hub, to the western part of the state where it is consumed massively.

The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2011.

Michel Augonnet, Executive Vice President of AREVA T&D’s Systems business said :

“The Extra High-Voltage segment is poised for rapid growth and our strong partnership with Indian state utilities puts AREVA T&D in a powerful position to capitalize on the emerging opportunities.”

1 The Anpara “D” thermal power plant, one of the biggest in India has an installed capacity of 1630MW

When A123Systems saw its shares jump more than 50 percent in a successful Nasdaq debut back in September, some industry insiders expected it would be the first of a bevy of big energy-storage headlines. Instead, energy storage seems to have fallen out of the limelight, getting nothing near as much hype as Bloom Energy, a fuel-cell company focused on electricity generation instead of energy storage, generated when it launched last month.

But a series of recent small announcements suggest that energy-storage technologies are quietly making progress toward commercialization nonetheless. “There seems to be a lot more buzz in the last few months, and what’s interesting is it’s not all on the automotive side,” said Sara Bradford, a principal consultant for global research firm Frost & Sullivan. While automobiles remain a key area for new energy-storage technologies, she’s seeing a “spillover effect” as research and investment spreads into other areas, including grid applications for utilities and nonautomotive transportation.

Some examples? In February, Valence Technology signed a $45 million deal to supply its lithium-ion battery systems for a new line of hybrid-electric yachts, sailboats and motorboats from Beneteau Group. And International Battery, another lithium-ion rechargeable battery manufacturer, announced it was selected to supply battery systems for an American Electric Power smart-grid demonstration project in Ohio.

The community energy storage part of the project, which is being developed by S&C Electric Company, is intended help stabilize the grid and provide backup power, potentially enabling plug-in electric vehicles and a higher percentage of intermittent renewable-energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

In January, battery maker GS Battery teamed up with screen-printed solar-cell manufacturer Suniva to develop solar-power systems with batteries that can store the energy for times of peak demand. And Ice Energy — which reduces peak electricity demand from air conditioners in the middle of the day by making ice at night, when demand is low and surplus electricity is available, and using it to help cool air conditioning refrigerant when temperatures are high — signed a deal to sell its devices to the 11 municipal utilities represented by the Southern California Public Power Authority.

While many of the announcements have represented only small steps — such as pilot projects or an entrance into niche markets — they show that a number of technologies are on the right track, and some are ready to go, she said. “Exciting things are happening that set the stage to really make [commercialization] happen short-term,” Bradford said. “These announcements are certainly steps in the right direction to get these technologies ready for electric vehicles and the grid.”

Electric vehicles and grid storage represent huge potential markets for new energy-storage technologies. As startups Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive work to advance electric sports cars, companies such as General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and Volkswagen are rushing to come out with plug-in hybrids. And as utilities work to meet state renewable-energy goals and add more solar and wind power to their portfolios, energy storage to help smooth out the intermittent power from those sources is becoming ever more critical.

Roadblocks Ahead

Of course, energy storage technologies have some big obstacles to overcome before they’ll be commercially viable for those applications, Bradford said. First of all, they’re too expensive, and companies are working to cut costs. Car battery systems also need high power density, as automakers want batteries to deliver a long electric range with as little size and weight as possible, and — given the high density — technology that ensures they that won’t catch fire. Safety also is a big issue for backup power batteries, especially those intended for homes, Bradford said.

And while both electric vehicle and clean-energy markets have been spurred by government initiatives and policies, both the auto industry and the energy industry are notoriously slow-moving. In general, companies with multiple applications will be more likely to have the foundation they need to survive the wait to the electric vehicle and grid markets, Bradford said. “Obviously, the Holy Grail is to be in the automotive or grid market for this technology, but the reality is there needs to be niche applications to build that momentum to those big fish,” she said.

Why are we seeing all this activity now? For one thing, Bradford thinks we may be seeing a delayed effect from the A123 IPO. “It didn’t happen right away — 2009 was a rocky year for the industry, with some setbacks in orders coming in and the economic downturn — but now I’m seeing some new interest,” she said. “Certainly I feel from the research that we’ve seen and the market movement that this [sector] may emerge more quickly than others when the economy recovers.”

The stimulus package also played a big role in raising interest in energy-storage technology, setting aside $2 billion in advanced battery manufacturing grants and up to $25 billion in loans for advanced vehicles, including related energy-storage technologies. Last year, Bradford said that the U.S. battery industry was “humming with revived confidence” as a result of the stimulus package.

Even though the loan guarantees have rolled out more slowly than expected, the government funding has clearly had an effect. For example, when A123 won a $249 million manufacturing grant from the U.S. Department of Energy a month before its initial public offering last year, it “was pretty clear [the grant] helped get investors excited about the company,” said Sheeraz Haji, president of the Cleantech Group. “Private capital is following public capital.” Venture-capital investment in energy storage grew 23 percent globally in 2009 to $472 million, according to the group.

With all the government and venture-capital attention, you can expect to see more energy-storage announcements coming soon. It remains to be seen whether the announcements will result in real products that can help spur electric vehicles and more renewable energy on the grid, but Bradford said that several companies are now finishing up their evaluation period — meaning that it should soon become clear whether their technologies are ready to address these markets or not.

One good sign is that a few companies are starting to see revenues, she said, pointing to Valence’s commercial deal. Bradford expects to see more energy-storage technologies to hit the market in the next 12 to 18 months.

Plainville, CT – That new twinkle in the eyes of switchgear end-users, consultants and specifiers-people with major concerns or oversight of mission-critical electrical loads-may be elation over the new AKD-20 Low-Voltage Switchgear from GE Consumer & Industrial’s Electrical Distribution business. It is GE’s answer to the widely held assumption held by many oil, gas and commercial construction professionals that greater arc-flash protection comes at the expense of selectivity.

Utilizing the new EntelliGuard G low voltage circuit breakers, available from 800A to 5000A with fault ratings up to 150kAIC, and the new EntelliGuard TU Trip Unit, AKD-20 Low-Voltage Switchgear enhances system reliability and arc flash protection, while reducing the equipment’s installation footprint.

‘GE’s ability to listen to customers and our commitment to innovation are at the heart of this breakthrough,’ says Marty Trivette, product manager, GE Consumer & Industrial. ‘Our AKD-20 Low-Voltage Switchgear optimizes arc-flash protection and selectivity. It’s not one or the other. You get both.’

Arc-Flash Protection: One Size Does Not Fit All

The AKD-20 Low-Voltage Switchgear includes an optimized footprint that uses smaller section sizes when possible: 22′, 30′ or 38′ widths. Since the breaker compartment doors have no ventilation openings, operators are protected from hot ionized gases vented by the breaker during an arc flash incident. AKD-20 Low-Voltage Switchgear integrates a superior bus system to offer different levels of protection, while insulated and isolated bus makes maintenance procedures touch friendly to reduce the risk of arc flash.

Optional safety shutters protect operators from accidental contact with live conductors when the breaker is withdrawn. Easy access to equipment compartments simplifies maintenance of the breaker cubicle and control circuit elements, as well as inspection of the bolted bus connections.

A true closed-door draw out construction is standard with all AKD-20 equipment. The breaker compartment doors remain stationary and closed while the breaker is racked out from the connect position, through test, to the disconnect position. Doors are secured with rugged one-quarter turn latches.

The EntelliGuard Breaker-Trip Unit System can reduce the risk of the arc flash hazard with the optional Reduced Energy Let-through (RELT) mode, with positive feedback included as standard. RELT is an alternate, or lower, Instantaneous Pick Up setting that causes the circuit breaker to operate and clear faster in the event of an incident during live maintenance. The faster breaker response and shorter clearing time reduces the incident energy and the system protects at HRC1 or 2 for available fault currents as high as 100kA.

Utilizing the industry’s most advanced Zone Selective Interlocking (ZSI) system-allowing multiple breakers to protect their zones instantaneously while maintaining full selectivity-the EntelliGuard® G Circuit Breaker with EntelliGuard TU Trip Unit provides short time, ground fault and instantaneous selectivity by creating the curve shape that best suits system needs. An Extended Range Instantaneous algorithm provides instantaneous protection simultaneously across the entire bandwidth for improved selectivity to 100,000A. The EntelliGuard TU trip unit can be used as a direct replacement for installed MicroVersaTrip (MVT) and Power+ , trip units on four previous generations of North American stored energy circuit breakers-Power Break I ,Power Break II, AKR and WavePro.

GE Low Voltage Switchgear AKD-20

Simple Maintenance

The EntelliGuard TU Trip Unit offers optional power, energy and reactive power metering, harmonics and waveform capture along with flexible serial communications via Modbus RTU or Profibus. Integrating directly into GE’s EnerVista Power Management System, flexible programmable inputs are useful for load shedding, ground fault alarm and trip indication. Set up is simple with a large, easy-to-see, blacklit LCD screen with battery backup.

Along with delivering optimal ZSI and RELT, the AKD-20 low-voltage switchgear, delivers additional arc-flash protection options:

• Remote racking device that allows the operator or electrician to move the breaker anywhere between the ‘disconnect’ and ‘connect’ positions from outside the arc flash boundary;
• Optional infrared (IR) scanning windows facilitate the use of IR camera for thermally scanning cable terminations; and
• An array of safety interlock and padlocking features are available to accommodate any type of lockout-tagout procedures.

The EntelliGuard G circuit breaker and EntelliGuard TU trip unit meets all applicable UL, ANSI, NEMA, IEC and CSA standards.

SOURCE: GE

HOUSTON, TX – Results of the first and only direct fish survival study performed on a hydrokinetic turbine show that the technology is extraordinarily fish friendly. The hydrokinetic power turbine utilized for the study was designed and manufactured by Hydro Green Energy, LLC, which also operates the unit at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lock and Dam No. 2 in Hastings, MN. The 82-page study results were filed on December 23 at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the federal agency that regulates the hydropower industry.

“The comprehensive study performed on our hydrokinetic turbine wholly confirms what we had modeled with a computer before the turbine was installed, as well as what we knew in our minds: our hydrokinetic turbine is an extremely environmentally friendly technology,” said Wayne F. Krouse, Chairman and CEO of Hydro Green Energy. “From the first day this project was envisioned, Hydro Green Energy committed itself to performing this study as a way to not only advance our technologies and projects, but to advance the global hydrokinetic power industry as a whole. While the study specifically validates our technology, it also validates our pre-installation computer modeling, which can be performed on other technologies with a high degree of confidence.”
The fish survival study was performed this summer at the only commercial, FERC-licensed hydrokinetic power plant in the United States. The Hastings project was approved by a 5-0 vote by FERC on December 13, 2008 and began operating in mid-2009. At the Hastings project, Normandeau Associates, a highly regarded consulting firm with 40 years of experience in providing ecological, environmental and natural resources management services, evaluated the direct effects to fish of the first of two hydrokinetic units.

Normandeau conducted the fish survival study using their “HI-Z Turb N’ Tag” methodology. Normandeau’s patented methodology has been utilized at nearly 50 conventional hydropower projects and by the Department of Energy, but never on a hydrokinetic turbine. This methodology uses a controlled experiment approach and produces comprehensive, statistically reliable and verifiable results on injury and survival of fish passed through a turbine, spillway or over falls.
To accomplish this task, Normandeau deployed 502 balloon and radio tagged fish of a variety of species and sizes. 402 fish swam through HGE’s hydrokinetic turbine, which rotates at 21 revolutions per minute (21 RPM), and 100 were allowed to swim freely in the river near the turbine.

Environmental scientists studied fish survival and injury rates of both groups after recapture of nearly all the tagged fish. Pre-installation computer modeling performed by Hydro Green Energy, which relied on models created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Energy, indicated a 97 percent fish survival rating for the turbine.

Only one fish out of the 402 that were introduced into the hydrokinetic unit showed evidence of direct physical harm (0.002%), and this was almost certainly due to the fact that the fish was outfitted with a balloon tag, causing it rise to the surface to interact with the hydrokinetic device in a manner that otherwise would never occur. The study also found that the hydrokinetic turbine cannot inflict any pressure related or grinding injuries on fish. Additionally, no signs of increased predation were witnessed downstream from the hydrokinetic unit, which is at times an issue with conventional hydropower facilities.

Underwater Turbine

Before being filed with FERC, the Hastings fish survival study was submitted for review and comment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. National Park Service, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Hydro Green Energy solely covered all costs associated with the extensive study. Despite having significant funding from Congressional appropriations and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for hydrokinetic technology and environmental research, the Department of Energy last year rejected an application from Hydro Green for funding assistance for the Hastings study.

“We strongly believe in educating all hydropower stakeholders by relying on sound, indisputable science and Normandeau’s exemplary staff provided us with an outstanding, comprehensive and thoroughly professional study. By disclosing the scientific data from the Hastings project, all stakeholders will better understand how this technology performs from an environmental standpoint and we’ve also bolstered our ability to rely more on modeling during project development,” said Krouse. “With everyone more educated about the environmental performance of hydrokinetic turbines, the industry will grow, future projects will be developed more quickly and cost effectively, and we’ll be able to bring more clean energy and new jobs to the United States of America. This, in turn, will ensure that new waterpower technologies can better contribute to achieving the energy, economic and environmental goals of the Obama administration.”

Hydro Green Energy, a privately held start-up company based in Houston, TX, closed its Series-A funding in April 2008 with a $2.6 million investment from the Quercus Trust, a highly regarded venture capital firm that invests in clean energy companies with intellectual property. The company holds U.S. Patent # 6,955,049, four foreign patents and has multiples of dozens of additional U.S. and foreign patents pending on the company’s technologies.
Hydro Green is presently developing waterpower projects in Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. The company’s existing project pipeline will result in the development of nearly 500 MW of clean, domestic, renewable energy that is eligible for a variety of clean energy incentives adopted at the federal and state levels.