October 7, 2008

Sandia manages new DOE renewable energy program

DOE to invest up to $24 million for breakthrough solar energy products

Sandia National Laboratories has been chosen as project manager of a new Department of Energy renewable energy program called Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS). The project will involve 12 industry teams from around the country. DOE will invest up to $24 million in FY08 and beyond on the project, depending on the availability of funds.

The program will provide critical research and development funding to develop less expensive, higher performing products to enhance the value of solar photovoltaics (PV) systems to homeowners, business owners, and the nation's electric utilities. These projects are part of President Bush's Solar America Initiative, which aims to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity by 2015.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to lead this large effort that promises to be an important component of our country's energy strategy for years to come," says Margie Tatro, director of Sandia's Fuel and Water Systems Center. "Increasing the use of alternative and clean energy technologies such as solar is critical to diversifying the nation's energy sources and reducing our dependence on foreign oil."

DOE and Sandia selected 12 industry teams to participate in the first slate of cost-shared collaborative contracts focusing on conceptual design of hardware components and market analysis: Apollo Solar, EMTEC, Enphase, General Electric, Nextek Power Systems, Petra Solar, Princeton Power, Premium Power, PV Powered, Smart Spark, Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida, and VPT Energy Inc.

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.

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Energy consumption is one of six factors incorporated into the tally of Forbes magazines's "Greenest States", closely linked to other "green" standards, including air quality and carbon dioxide emissions.

Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, summarized the situation in a recent presentation to Oak Ridge National Laboratory employees: "The South is the Gobi Desert of energy efficiency."

Energy Efficiency Potential Provides Greatest Savings

While bioenergy, nuclear and other expanding energy options are important, "the potential of energy efficiency is probably greater than any other resource." She views the confluence of record prices for oil and increasing anxiety over carbon emissions as a "perfect storm" that makes the attitude of both the market and the public ripe for fundamental change.

Recognizing these trends, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are developing an array of energy-efficient appliances, testing energy-saving building materials and refining a zero-energy home that literally will produce more energy than it consumes.

As world energy demand collides with the growing public desire for a carbon-constrained environment, ORNL increasingly is recognized as a source of expertise for cities, states and utilities looking to trim bulging energy waistlines. The Tennessee Valley Authority has joined state and local government as well as non-profit energy efficiency advocate groups in asking the Laboratory to provide input for policy, incentives and technologies to transform the desert of consumption into an oasis of energy efficiency.

Demonstrating a renewed commitment to energy efficiency, the TVA board recently named Joe Hoagland, former senior advisor to TVA President Tom Kilgore, to a newly created post of vice president for energy efficiency and demand response. Hoagland's first task is to determine how much energy savings TVA needs to achieve in order to meet growing energy demands over the next 20 years.

Times have clearly changed. "In order to meet the goals of low cost and reliability, energy efficiency and demand response are now tools as much as our assets that generate electricity," Hoagland says, adding that TVA's strategy also incorporates environmental concerns. "A megawatt not produced is a green megawatt.

"A megawatt not produced is a green megawatt."

When Hoagland came to his new post last fall, he was asked to determine what was needed to generate 1,200 megawatts of energy savings, or the equivalent of one large nuclear or coal-fired power plant, by 2013. "As we begin to understand the situation better, I'm not sure that is going to be enough. I expect that we will need to cut back more, much more," he says.

Meeting the challenge will require TVA to adopt a combination of tactics, including new technologies, rate restructuring, education and customer incentives to achieve the required savings. The agency has signed a memorandum of understanding with ORNL as a first step in what Hoagland envisions as a growing, and necessary, partnership with the Laboratory.

"ORNL has a broad expertise in energy efficient technologies to help us do things better," he says. Oak Ridge researchers have unique experience in

• designing zero-energy homes,
  
• creative construction techniques,
  
• new insulation technologies and
  
• a sophisticated set of energy efficiency standards.
  

If these initiatives prove successful, the potential impact is enormous. ORNL researchers believe that fully one-half of the South's anticipated increase in energy demand can be met through energy efficiency.

Read more about ORNL's Southern Energy Efficiency Initiatives

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles may have an unexpected value.

One car of tomorrow may not only get its energy from the grid but also may give "imaginary power" back to the grid. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle envisioned by the Department of Energy would be plugged at night into a home wall outlet, connecting the car to a local electrical distribution system that would recharge the battery. The next day the car would travel using a combination of stored electric energy and fuel. According to a vision of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers, the car's charger would supply the grid with "reactive power," or non-active power, to help regulate local utility voltage.

To convert the alternating current from the local electrical distribution system to the direct current needed by the car's battery, a rectifier, or charger, is required. Conversely, an inverter is needed to convert direct current to alternating current. The car would use alternating current to power the drive motor. The rectifier, or charger, could be located either in the car or at facilities designed specifically to recharge batteries of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles parked for extended periods at, say, apartment complexes, hotels and parking garages.

Inverters have several uses, including the ability to inject reactive power to the grid or absorb this imaginary power from the grid. This helps regulate the voltage on distribution and transmission systems. Inverters can prevent "micro-voltage collapses" that frequently occur in the western United States. Such sudden voltage dips can cause dimming of lights, computer crashes, damage to equipment and destruction of semiconductor wafers during manufacture.

Automobile Industry Optimizes Plug-in Hybrid Engine, Motor and Battery Operation

DOE researchers are working with the U.S. automobile industry to optimize plug-in hybrid engine, motor and battery performance for efficient vehicle operation. ORNL and University of Tennessee power electronics experts at the National Transportation Research Center are seeking to improve inverter design to make the device smaller, lighter and less expensive. ORNL is a member of the Plug-in Hybrid Development Consortium.

DOE also supports research on one way to reduce peak demands on the electric grid: deploy distributed energy resources—microturbines, fuel cells and photovoltaic panels—to provide electricity to both local buildings and the electric grid. The plug-in hybrid could be considered another distributed energy resource, but one that also stores energy.

Electric Grid for Distributed Energy System Benefits from Plug-In Vehicles

ORNL researchers led by Stan Hadley have found that the U.S. electric grid will operate more efficiently as more Americans charge the batteries in their plug-in hybrid vehicles after 10 p.m., when the electric load on the system has dropped to almost zero and the wholesale price for energy is least expensive. The researchers have analyzed the potential impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on electricity demand, supply, generation structure, prices and associated emission levels in 2020 and 2030 in 13 regions as specified by the North American Electric Reliability Council and DOE's Energy Information Administration.

Their study assumed that by 2020 a mixture of sedans and SUV plug-in hybrids would make up one-quarter of the cars sold. They performed calculations using the Oak Ridge Competitive Electricity Dispatch model, which was developed at ORNL over the past 12 years to evaluate a wide variety of critical electricity sector issues.

Solar panels would provide shade and electricity to recharge the batteries of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

The ORNL researchers ran seven scenarios for each region for 2020 and 2030. In each scenario they assumed these vehicles plugged in starting at either 5 p.m. (early evening) or at 10 p.m. (nighttime) and remained until fully charged.

"We concluded that most regions must build additional electrical generating capacity or rely on demand response to meet the added demands from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the early evening charging scenarios," Hadley says. "This need will be critical by 2030 when plug-in hybrids will likely have a larger share of the installed vehicle base and thus exert a greater demand on the electrical system."

Accommodating the peaks and valleys of electricity use is a major challenge for generators and transmission operators. Ideally, customers would reduce their consumption of electricity at peak load times in response to market prices or a utility's request. During hot summers, the demand for air conditioning between 2 and 6 p.m. can boost the peak load to the point that a utility must purchase power from another utility at a higher price. In sharp contrast, the grid on the same night may be so underutilized that energy is sometimes given away.

Smart Chargers for Distributed Energy System

Another potential advantage of wide usage of plug-in hybrids is that charging stations can help regulate local voltage. Researchers at ORNL's Distributed Energy Communications and Control laboratory plan to test this concept.

Smart chargers are needed to avoid negative impacts on the distribution system. For example, if several plug-in hybrid pickup trucks with 250-kilowatt batteries were recharged in 10 minutes on a feeder without a smart charger, the distribution system's reliability could be threatened. In one project, ORNL's Burak Ozpenici is examining possible rectifier designs that would perform rapid charging while providing reactive power compensation.

SOURCE: ORNL Distributed Power Update

On the roof of the largest research building along the courtyard of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's new east campus, perches a 700-watt solar system. The combination of concentrating solar modules and a turntable tracker makes the photovoltaic system more efficient and less costly than conventional systems. In each module 24 reflectors focus sunlight onto 72 single-crystal silicon solar cells. The four 175-watt modules concentrate sunlight up to three times its normal strength, reducing by two-thirds the number of expensive silicon cells required to produce the same amount of electricity.

Solar Tracker

An inexpensive solar tracker keeps the modules facing the sun throughout the day, theoretically increasing the energy output as much as 35% in some regions. ORNL purchased and installed the system in September 2007. 

Hybrid Solar Lighting

The rooms at the top of a nearby four-story research building are illuminated by hybrid solar lighting. In this technology pioneered by ORNL, sunlight is piped into rooms through optical fibers, and intelligent sensors adjust artificial light levels needed by occupants during cloudy days.

Sunlight Direct of Oak Ridge is commercializing this technology, which has entered the demonstration phase with installed systems at locations owned by Wal-Mart, Staples, Battelle and San Diego State University.

Thin-Film Solar Cells

ORNL materials researchers using the plasma arc lamp hope to demonstrate elimination of defects from multicrystalline and amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells, which are less efficient than single-crystal solar cells but less expensive to make. Measurements of these processed materials will be made at the new Center for Advanced Thin-film Solar Cells. (See Research Horizons: A Renewed Interest)

The Department of Energy, is a major driver behind ORNL's expanded research in solar energy. Craig Cornelius, acting program manager of Solar Energy Technologies in DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has indicated that greater funding for research to make solar materials more efficient and less expensive will be available to national laboratories.

ORNL, which boasts one of the world's leading materials research capabilities, proposes innovative basic technology research to help meet DOE solar materials challenges.

ORNL plans to install more photovoltaic panels, perhaps as solar walkways and solar roofs over parking lots, and possibly biomassfired boilers, to help achieve that goal.

Cornelius, who leads the Solar America Initiative as part of the President's Advanced Energy Initiative, has stated that DOE's goal is to make solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of electricity by 2015. DOE predicts that by 2015, solar energy will produce 15 gigawatts, enough to power 11.2 million American homes.

Read more about Solar Energy Research

Thin-film PV uses thin-film coating technologies, similar to those used for putting metallic and transparent coatings on plastics and glass for food processing, architectural glass, mirrors, eyewear, etc.

The three most common thin-film technologies are amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGS).

Of these, CIGS currently has demonstrated the highest laboratory efficiency at 19.5% (NREL, measured in earth conditions) with CdTe close behind. CIGS thin-film technologies can be placed on a wide variety of substrate materials making it possible to manufacture very lightweight, flexible solar cells on metals and plastics. To put it into perspective, the thickness of a flexible CIGS device is approximately the same as the thickness of a human hair, making it very flexible and lightweight

Read more about Thin-film PV technology at Ascent Solar

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (AST) is the most recent company created by ITN Energy Systems who established AST in 2005 to manufacturer state of the art, thin-film monolithically-integrated CIGS flexible photovoltaic modules.

Through close interaction with ‘early adopters‘ and established prime contractors in the space, near space and commercial and residential building markets, Ascent Solar plans to develop a solution that provides a system-level advantage over traditional technologies and other thin-film vendors. By combining its new manufacturing facility with over a decade’s worth of R&D in this area, the company moves closer to its long term vision: to lead the emergence and acceptance of thin-film photovoltaics in the space and near-space industries and provide affordable solutions for clean energy that makes Building Integrated PV products as pervasive on rooftops and siding as materials like plywood are today.

www.ascentsolar.com

Mar 25, 2008 -- The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) and Riverstone Holdings LLC  announced that they have committed up to $1 billion as part of a new joint venture to develop a global platform of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) projects.

Under terms of the agreement, AES, one of the world's largest global power companies, and Riverstone, a New York-based energy and power-focused private equity firm, will each provide up to $500 million of capital over five years to invest in PV solar projects around the world.

The jointly owned entity, to be called AES Solar, will seek to become a leading global developer, owner and operator of utility-scale solar installations that will be connected to the power grids that supply homes and businesses.

These installations, ranging from fewer than two to more than 50 megawatts in size, will consist of land-based solar PV panels that capture sunlight and convert it into electricity, feeding the power grid directly.

The business will follow the traditional independent power producer and wind business growth models by initially focusing on developments and projects in those countries offering the most attractive tariffs. As the costs of both PV panels and installation come down, AES Solar will look to expand into other countries with appropriate market incentives, with the goal of "grid parity" - being competitive with conventional fuels.

AES Renewable Energy Portfolio

"Renewable energy is an increasingly significant part of AES's overall portfolio and currently accounts for 20 percent of our global generation capacity," said Paul Hanrahan, AES President and Chief Executive Officer. "Solar is a natural extension of our business, much as wind generation has been, and we see tremendous opportunity for growth in this market. We look forward to partnering with Riverstone in this joint venture, to make solar power a viable energy source worldwide."

Ralph Alexander, a Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings, said, "Because of its scale, this joint venture has the potential to change the fundamental economics of solar power. We are excited about partnering with AES, which we recognize as a world-class partner. The timing is right for this project given the spread of renewable power standards around the world, high energy prices and the continued progress of the solar photovoltaics industry to improve performance and reduce costs. Together, these trends present a substantial opportunity to create value and meet the world's growing demand for clean energy."

The joint venture will be managed by a seven-member board of directors. Three directors each will be appointed by AES and Riverstone. Robert Hemphill will serve as President and CEO and the seventh member of the board. Mr. Hemphill joined AES in 1981 and has held a series of senior leadership positions, including serving as AES's Executive Vice President of Global Development. He also served as a member of the AES Board of Directors for seven years.

About AES

AES is one of the world's largest global power companies, with 2007 revenues of $13.6 billion. With operations in 28 countries on five continents, AES's generation and distribution facilities have the capacity to serve 100 million people worldwide. The company's 13 regulated utilities amass annual sales of over 78,000 GWh and our 121 generation facilities have the capacity to generate approximately 43,000 megawatts. AES has a global workforce of 28,000 people.

To learn more about AES, please visit www.aes.com  
 

About Riverstone Holdings LLC

Riverstone Holdings LLC is a New York-based energy and power focused private equity firm founded in 2000. Riverstone conducts buyout and growth capital investments in the midstream, upstream, power, oilfield services, and renewable sectors of the energy industry. To date, the firm has committed more than $8 billion to 47 investments across these five sectors, representing companies with nearly $70 billion of assets. For more information, visit www.riverstonellc.com.