Publicate in strainatate-Resurse Regenerabile

Publicate in strainatate in domeniul
Resurselor Regenerabile

Gear oil failures in windmills
Mentenanta absolut necesara si in cazul centralelor eoliene

Here

Power Quality and Utilisation Guide - Distributed Generation and Renewables:
Islands powered solely by renewable energy
Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Wed, 2007-05-02 07:30.
Sites include Samso in Denmark, El Hierro in Spain, and Dongtan in China
In the midst of the discussion on how large the share of renewable energy in the energy mix could grow, three islands have taken a more radical course. They are aiming at nothing less than 100 per cent renewable energy. And no, these are not islands with one or two inhabitants, perhaps a lighthouse, and a few sheep. Samso has a population of 4,300 people. In El Hierro there are 10,500, and the city of Dongtan is planning for a population of 50,000 inhabitants.
Photovoltaic Installations
Submitted by Hans De Keulenaer on Tue, 2007-05-01 00:59.
By Ton Van der Wekken, KEMA

This application note gives an overview on PV-systems connected to the public grid.

Most people are familiar with the phenomenom solar energy in its quality of generating electrical power. Solar electricity may be applied in multiple tools serving a variety of functions. Well-known examples are the pocket calculators powered by a PV-cells and off-grid street lighting and emergency telephones along the highway powered by one or more PV-modules.

Solar energy became commonly known in the fifties and sixties of last century due to space programs of the Americans, Russians and to a lesser extent other European countries. Satelites and space capsules were installed with solar cells for power supply of its electrical systems. From that time the application of PV moved slowly from extraterrestrial use to terrestrial application. First and also most widespread applied are the off-grid domestic and non-domestic PV systems. Off-grid domestic PV-systems are installed in households and villages not connected to the utility grid. Usually, a means to store electricity is used, most commonly in combination with a lead-acid battery. Off-grid non-domestic PV serves a variety of applications such as water pumping, remote communications, safety and protection devices etc, at locations without the presence of public grid.

Following off-grid PV application, also as a result of the growing attention for renewable energy, from early eighties of last century a tendency could be observed to connect PV systems also to the public grid. Also the field of application moved from undeveloped and rural areas to well developed urban areas equipped with finely meshed public grid.
See also Webinar - Photovoltaic Installations (May 9)

40 MW solar power station under construction
Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Mon, 2007-04-23 07:30.
Containing 550,000 thin film PV modules
The approval for the Waldpolenz solar park was granted in February and meanwhile the construction work has started. Waldpolenz is a project of the juwi group, based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The new solar plant will be located on a former military air base near the communities of Brandis and Bennewitz, east of Leipzig (Saxony, former eastern Germany). Construction will be completed by the end of 2009.

The plant will have a capacity of 40 MW. This is to be compared with the largest PV plant currently in operation, which is the 11 MW solar plant of Serpa, Portugal, inaugurated this month (see former blog post).
RENREN - Unique experiences on RES put together
Submitted by Sergio Ferreira on Fri, 2007-04-20 13:28.

RENREN, The Renewable Energy Regions Network, was launched the 17th April 2007, according to a Euractiv article. This network includes the regions of Oberösterreich (Austria), Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), North Sweden and Wales (UK), as well as small European states Cyprus and Iceland. These regions were chosen for their distinctive experience on one of the following fields: wind, oceans, solar, biomass, geothermal or hydro energy.

The objective of the network is to facilitate the exchange of best practice and information between regional powers as well as to boost cooperation between private companies that are involved in the success of the projects developed in these regions.

European Commissioner for Energy Andris Piebalgs and the minister for agriculture, environment and rural areas of the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Christian von Bötticher, were present at the launching event stating that the dynamism and the good results of these regions were once again being rewarded. They demonstrated great support for the initiative and trust that it will grow and expand to other regions.
Grid integration of Renewable Energy Systems (RES)
Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Tue, 2007-04-17 07:30.
An Action Plan by GreenNet-Europe
In March, the EU Member States agreed that by 2020, 20 per cent of the energy consumption in the EU should come from Renewable Energy Systems (RES). But meeting this policy will require large-scale integration of RES electricity generation into the European grids. At the moment, there are still many technical and regulatory issues to be solved.

The GreenNet-Europe project has studied the various dimensions of large-scale grid integration of RES and written an Action Plan on the subject. It has formulated recommendations to policy makers for achieving such a large integration at a minimum cost to society. GreenNet-Europe is supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe programme of the European Commission.
The Power of the Oceans
Submitted by Hans De Keulenaer on Fri, 2007-04-13 16:49.

In cooperation with the European Ocean Energy Association, a new Leonardo ENERGY eBook on current ocean energy projects.

11 MW Photovoltaic power plant opened today in Portugal

Submitted by Sergio Ferreira on Wed, 2007-03-28 17:15.

The European Commission has drawn over a map of Europe the potential for electricity production using solar energy. The red spot – the biggest potential – lies over the south of Portugal, where the sun shines up to 3300 hours per year.

With 11 MW, the PV plant opened today in Portugal (Serpa) is the biggest in the world, comprising 52 000 PV panels that will transform solar energy into electricity for about 8000 persons. The project was developed by a group of companies (General Electric, PowerLight and Catavento) and will be followed by a new central just a few kilometres away with 62 MW.

Another company (Eurosolar) believes that, due to the huge potential, is more profitable to build smaller plants closer to the consumer. This company has a project to build 260 small stations in the south of Portugal in the coming years.

Europe's 20% ambitions

Submitted by Hans De Keulenaer on Wed, 2007-03-14 19:28.

Since the European Council meeting last week, we now have a 20% target by 2020, or actually 3 targets: 20% reduction in greenhouse gasses, 20% primary energy savings against baseline and a binding 20% target for renewables for the EU. However, it's the member states, not the EU who will build this renewable capacity. The 20% renewable target is a grand aggregate of national targets, using various technologies, none of which have been defined except for the clause that national targets can be differentiated.

An interactive solar map for Europe

Submitted by Hans De Keulenaer on Wed, 2007-03-14 16:29.

The European Commission's Joint Research Center in Ispra just published an interactive map of Europe (and Africa) showing the photovoltaics solar electricity potential. You can produce monthly and annual averages for specific locations and inclination angles.

A new era for geothermal energy?

Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Mon, 2007-03-12 08:30.

New techniques could make it abundantly available

Up to now, geothermal energy has only been harvested at places were local geology brings hot water and steam near the surface. An example is The Geysers in California, which has been operating for forty years and is still the largest geothermal project in the world (see former blog post).

New drilling techniques developed for oil and gas production could give the geothermal sector a new boost. Those techniques, such as the stimulation of wells, hydraulic fracturing, deep-well completion, and multiple horizontal laterals, allow engineers to create artificial geothermal reservoirs deep underground. This could make it possible to harvest geothermal energy virtually anywhere.

Saline Power

Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Fri, 2007-03-02 08:30.

Electricity from the difference in salt concentration

Blue energy is a special way of harnessing solar energy. The sun evaporates sea water, leaving the minerals behind in the sea. The evaporation creates clouds, which then fall back onto the earth as rain and snow, creating rivers of fresh water that flow back into the sea. The difference in the salt concentration between the river water and sea water can be used to generate electricity.

Wind power stored underground

Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Mon, 2007-02-26 08:30.

New compressed air storage plant announced in Iowa

In Iowa, USA, municipal utilities have announced plans to build a 269 megawatt plant for compressed air energy storage underground. The goal is to overcome the constant variations in the output of wind turbines. Construction of the plant will begin in 2009 and be completed by the end of 2011.

Electricity generated by wind farms at remote sites will be used for driving giant compressors at the storage site. The compressors will pump air into the ground, where it will be stored in porous rock formations. The air will be converted back into electricity by releasing the pressure and allowing the air to drive generator turbines.

The next generation of PV plants

Submitted by Bruno De Wachter on Thu, 2007-02-22 08:30.

Growing from 10 MW to more than 100 MW

Worldwide, various photovoltaic (PV) solar plants of five up to fifteen megawatts have come online recently or will be commissioned soon.

In the meantime, a new generation of PV plants capable of producing up to ten times more electricity are in the planning stage around the world.

The Chinese company Zhonghao New Energy Investment plans a 100 MW plant in Dunhuang City (China), to be commissioned in 2011
The Spanish company Acciona wants to build a 62 MW plant in Moura, Portugal, by 2010
SunEdison (Baltimore, USA) and SkyPower (Toronto, Canada) are planning a 50 MW plant in the Canadian province of Ontario by the end of 2009

Firm plans also exist for an 80 MW plant in Brandis, Germany, for a 100 MW plant in the Negev Desert, Israel, for a 116 MW plant in Beja, Portugal, and for a 300 MW plant in New Mexico, USA.

Introduction to heat pumps

Submitted by Hans De Keulenaer on Mon, 2006-07-10 21:46.

This minute lecture introduces heat pumps as a best practices for heating and cooling buildings. According to UIE, more widescale use of heat pumps could save 1,200 million tonne of greenhouse gas emissions per year on a global scale, and represents one of the largest potential savings that any single technology can offer(sursa:www.leonardo-energy.org).

Energy Information Administration - Official Energy Statistics from the US Government

Statistici anuale ale SUA privind productia energetica pe baza de: biomasa, energie geotermala, hidro, solara si eoliana, companii producatoare de echipamente specifice ...

US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Generalitati despre: biorafinare, biomasa, reziduuri forestiere, program in domeniul biomasei ...

American Wind Energy Association

Articole de interes in domeniu ...

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Informatii despre energia regenerabila (renewable): puterea biomasei(biocombustibili, bioproductii), puterea geotermala (folosire directa, productie de energie electrica, pompe de caldura), puterea solara (sisteme de concentrare a energiei solare, system voltaic, caldura termica), energia vantului. Resurse educationale ...

Les énergies renouvelable

Principii de functionare, impact asupra mediului, proiecte locale pentru productia de energie: eoliana, hidro, geotermala, fotovoltaica, termala ...

Large Scale Integration of Wind Energy into Power Systems
Carlos VEGANZONES, Sergio MARTÍNEZ, Francisco BLÁZQUEZ, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain
Wind generation peculiarities introduce new uncertainty factors in the operation of electric power systems. This paper tries to clarify this situation, remarking the main effects involved, reviewing the current state of wind generation technologies, and analyzing the solutions that can be applied. It is shown how the capabilities of most current technologies of variable speed wind turbine generation systems can make compatible a suitable operation of the power system with a high level of wind generation penetration.

Distributed Generation in Future Grids: Will "Energy Islands" Become a Reality?
Johan DRIESEN, Ronnie BELMANS, K.U.Leuven, ESAT-ELECTA, Belgium
In modern distribution grids, more distributed generation technologies emerge. The most far-going implementations are "energy islands" with a high degree of autonomy from the central grid. This paper considers different technological barriers that emerge with increasing penetration of such systems: power quality, control problems, safety issues, environmental aspects, the availability of primary energy resources and economic aspects.

Optimal placement and sizing of distributed generator units using genetic optimization algorithms
Edwin HAESEN, Marcelo ESPINOZA, Bert PLUYMERS, Ivan GOETHALS, Vu Van THONG, Johan DRIESEN, Ronnie BELMANS, Bart de MOOR
In this article the authors describe how genetic optimization algorithms can be used to find the optimal size and location of distributed generation units in a residential distribution grid. Power losses are minimized while the voltage profile is kept at an acceptable level. The method is applied on a system based on an existing grid topology with production and residential load data based on measurements. Different scenarios are chosen to run the algorithm. The obtained optimal location and size prove to depend strongly on the given conditions.