Innovation in Global Power - Parsons Brinckerhoff

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Thermal – Achieving New Efficiencies, Reducing Carbon Emissions http://www.pbworld.com/news_events/publications/network/ Savings and Benefits NYPA’s Energy Services Program, established in 1990 to fund energy-efficiency improvements, finances energy conservation projects for schools and other government facilities in New York State so they have no up-front costs. The SUNY Brockport project benefited from NYPA assistance with capital costs and also grant assistance from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for the energy-efficiency improvements. The ECMs implemented provided an estimated annual savings of 2,132,328 kWh ($212,600 at the current rate of $0.0997/kWh) and 553,570 therm ($566,900 at the current rate of $1.024/therm). Currently, the NYSERDA Enhanced Commercial/Industrial Performance Program (C/IPP) incentive amounts to $180,000 based on the projects’ demand reduction of 650 kW and electricity consumption reduction of 1,175,000 kWh per year. Perhaps even more important is the significant energy savings to be realized by the measures our team introduced at SUNY’s Brockport campus—energy savings that will help New York State meet its conservation goals. Damee Choi is a senior mechanical engineer specializing in power systems and energy conservation design. She has been involved also in all phases of engineering design projects, from inception to construction. Damee has been with PB for more than eight years. Power Terminology: Units and Conversions Compiled by Cristian Ebau, Godalming, UK, 44 148 352 8932 ebauC@pbworld.com The following information is included to help readers who are not power specialists understand the units of measures and terminology used in some articles, particularly for expressing various forms of energy. Units A Ampere MPa Mega Pascal barg Bar gauge MVAr Mega Volt-Ampere reactive Btu British Thermal Unit MW Megawatt dyn Dyne MWe Megawatt electrical gn GWh Standard Gravity Gigawatt hour MWh N Megawatt hour Newton J Joule Nm 3 Normal cubic metre kp Kilopond psi Pound-force per square inch kV Kilovolts psig Pound-force per square inch gauge kVA Kilovolts-Ampere V Volt Mmscfd Million standard cubic feet per day (of gas) VAr W Volt-Ampere reactive Watt Btu. One Btu is approximately 1054-1060 joules, or 252-253 calories. Calorie. One calorie is the amount of heat (energy) required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by 1ºC (1 cal = 4.1868 J). Joule. One joule is the work done, or energy expended, by a force of one newton moving one metre along the direction of the force. In lay terms, one joule is the energy required to lift a small apple 1 m (3 feet) straight up (1 J=1 N·m=1 Kg·m 2·s –2 = 0.23885 cal). Kilowatt. The kilowatt (kW) is typically used to state the power output of engines and power consumption of tools machines. An electric heater with one heating element might use 1 kW. A typical automobile engine produces mechanical energy at a rate of 25 kW while cruising. Megawatt. The megawatt (MW) is used mainly to state the transfer or consumption of energy of, for example, large electricity motors, lightening strikes, and engineering hardware. A large residential or retail building may consume several megawatts in electricity power and heating energy. Megawatt electrical (MWe) and Megawatt thermal (MWt). Megawatt electrical (MWe) is the term used by engineers to distinguish the electricity output of a thermal power station versus the larger thermal output, which is described by megawatt thermal (MWt). For example, a nuclear power plant uses a fission reactor to generate 2109 MWt (heat), which creates steam to drive a turbine, which generates 648 MWe. The difference is heat lost. Ton (refrigeration). One ton of refrigeration = 12,000 BTU/hour, or 3526 W. Watt-hour (Wh). Watts multiplied by a period of time equals energy. If a 100 W light bulb is turned on for one hour, then the amount of energy used is 100 Wh, or 0.1 kWh (1 Wh = 3600 J). Cristian Ebau joined PB in April 2006. He worked as a planning technician in the Power Networks department until October 2007, when he joined the Energy & Utility Consulting department. Christian is currently under training as a power systems engineer. PB Network #68 / August 2008 20
GENERATION: Hydropower - New Technologies, New Considerations Does Hydro Have a Future? Hydropower has been around for centuries and hydro-electric power has been providing clean energy since electro-magnetic generators first became available. The U.S. Department of Energy (http://www1.eere.energy.gov) claims the first use of a hydro-electric supply in 1880 for “Michigan’s Grand Rapids Electric Light and Power Company, generating electricity by dynamo belted to a water turbine at the Wolverine Chair Factory.” Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org) claims, “The world’s first public electricity supply was provided in late 1881, when the streets of the Surrey town of Godalming in the UK were lit with electric light.” Coincidentally, I write this introduction from PB’s Westbrook Mills office in Godalming, which some say was the site used for the original hydro station. So is hydropower an outdated technology with nothing new to offer? Is it too big, too costly and too ugly? Is it a threat to indigenous peoples, river life, the rain forests, the ozone layer, apple pie, motherhood and life as we know it? Does it have a future? The critics of hydropower and dams more generally have used most, though probably not all, of the arguments above in recent years. As colleagues’ articles clearly show, PB is finding novel solutions to old problems and, with its work on relicensing of existing stations and licensing of the new developments in the USA, is bringing a broad range of skills and professionalism to issues of safety, environmental impact, stakeholder interests and techno-economic viability. It is particularly heartening to note the work on the Massena Grass River Project, where a new dam and power house will replace a 200-year-old weir and restore a lake-side aspect to the town. That the Tapoco Project, first licensed in 1955, may now continue to operate until 2045, is a significant achievement for PB’s team and a good indicator of the worth of hydropower as a long-term, cost-effective source of clean energy. The range of hydro work described by colleagues demonstrates that hydropower comes in many sizes and types, from mini-hydro applications to the massive and complex pumpedstorage schemes handled by our teams in Christchurch, New Zealand. Most definitely in the large and complex category is the study being handled by our hydro specialists in Boston for the Greenland aluminum smelter project, comprising three underground power houses, which together may require ten dams, three canals and seven tunnels. The articles that follow clearly show that hydro is not a “one-size-fits-all” technology, far less that it has “had its day.” PB is using an exceptional range of expertise to find modern solutions that address both the practical engineering problems posed by a project and the hearts and minds issues that are vital for project success. So does hydro have a future? With oil at $250 a barrel, the growing pressures to reduce global carbon emissions and an estimated 4000 to 6000 TWh/year worldwide of untapped energy from hydro, absolutely! John Wichall Engineering Manager, Godalming, UK 21 PB Network #68 / August 2008
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Innovation in Global Power - Parsons Brinckerhoff

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