German Renewable Targets Create Grid Challenges
Germany must build new power transmission lines if it wants to nearly double its renewable energy share by 2030 - a challenge given that grid expansion is already behind target, the head of the federal network regulator said on Tuesday."There is a simple correlation, the more volatile renewables there are, the more the grids will have to be expanded," said Jochen Homann, president of the Bundesnetzagentur, responsible for keeping the lights on in Europe's biggest economy.Germany aims to raise wind and solar power's energy share from a third now to 65 percent by 2030 to help
E.ON Workers to Stage Strikes Over Wages
About 10,000 workers at German energy group E.ON have been called on to stage strikes from Monday, Feb. 19, trade union IG BCE said in a statement on Friday, after a second round of wage talks ended without an agreement. Chemicals and mining workers union IG BCE is demanding a 5.5 percent pay rise for employees in the energy wage group, which includes E.ON's units PreussenElektra and Avacon as well as power network operator Tennet <IPO-TTH.AS>. Workers at networks unit Avacon will hold strikes on Feb.
Enel Bid Values Metroweb at 806 Mln Euros
Italy's biggest utility Enel made a formal offer on Thursday to buy fibre-optic company Metroweb, valuing it at 806 million euros ($903 million), three sources close to the matter said. A high-speed Internet network is central to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's reformist agenda. State-controlled Enel wants to run fibre optic cables along its power network and having a foothold in Metroweb would help its cause because of the broadband firm's know-how. Enel's plan…
ABB to Strengthen Power Network at Dubai International
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, will upgrade its SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system for the power network at Dubai International (DXB), the world's busiest international airport. The upgraded system includes replacement of the central computers and deployment of the latest version of ABB’s Network Manager software. This will connect to the existing field devices (remote terminal units, bay control units and main distribution…
ABB Strengthens Commitment to India’s economic development
ABB doubles workforce at its global engineering and operations center in Chennai and opens a new UPS production facility near Bangalore. ABB’s expansion of the Chennai center demonstrates its commitment to the country’s “Make in India” policy, aimed at strengthening its industrial base and fueling economic growth. The competency center, whose workforce will be doubled to 1,200 over the next two years, brings together professional engineering resources under one roof…
ABB to Cut Downtime for Ecuador’s Petroamazonas
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, is supplying an integrated intelligent energy management solution to Petroamazonas EP, Ecuador’s state-owned oil company, helping it gain up to an extra week of productivity annually by avoiding unexpected generator shutdowns. Petroamazonas EP is installing ABB’s Emax 2 air circuit breakers with integrated power management in four new facilities across Ecuador where diesel generators supply electricity for essential plant processes such as pumps and drills.
Predicting Clouds Will Make Solar Cheaper
An Australian-first solar energy project that uses Cloud Predictive Technology (CPT) to anticipate solar energy output has been launched in Karratha, WA, with $2.3 million in support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The project to supply 1MW of solar energy to the Karratha Airport is being led by renewable energy development company SunEdison Australia and promises to answer questions about how CPT can make solar generation cheaper and more efficient by reducing or eliminating storage requirements.
First Eco-efficient Gas Switchgear from ABB
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has achieved a significant breakthrough in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) technology by commissioning the world’s first high- and medium-voltage GIS bays with a new eco-efficient gas mixture as an alternative to the widely used greenhouse gas SF₆. A switchgear combines electrical switches, fuses or circuit breakers to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment in a power network. Switchgear is installed throughout the power value chain from generation through to transmission…
ABB Unveils Line Voltage Regulator
ABB today at the International Conference and Exhibition on Electricity Distribution (CIRED) in Lyon, France, formally launched its line voltage regulator (LVR) product family for distribution networks that will boost reliability as grids receive more electricity from renewable energy installations. Increasing amounts of energy from renewable resources, especially wind and solar, lead to more dynamic and intermittent power entering the mix. This can result in instability and frequent variation of voltage levels in the distribution network…
ABB wins UAE Order for Solar Power Grid Integration
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $55 million from Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), the leading power utility in United Arab Emirates (UAE), to build a substation that will integrate power from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. The order was awarded in the third quarter of 2014. The gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation will enhance transmission capacity, boost power supplies and strengthen the reliability of the grid.
Czech, Slovak Day-Ahead Prices Up On Wind Power Drop
Czech and Slovak day-ahead power rose on Monday due to falling wind levels in the region and narrowed the gap with Hungarian spot prices, which were still at a big premium due to power plant outages, traders said. On regional exchanges, Czech and Slovak electricity for Saturday climbed 11 percent to 40.95 euros ($51.97) per megawatt hour, while Hungarian day-ahead declined 12 percent to 50.12 euros. Hungarian prompt prices remained at a large premium due to limited exports and outages, which included a unit at the Matra coal-fired power plant, traders said.
Serbia's Power Grid to Invest $507.5m On Upgrade
Serbia's grid operator EMS plans to spend 400 million euros ($507.5 million) over the next six years to upgrade its ageing power network and build new links to nations in the European Union, an EMS official said on Monday. Serbia, which opened talks on EU membership this year, is the biggest market in the Western Balkan region and has become attractive as a place for potential power trading opportunities due to its eight borders. Development of the electricity market…
Cavernous Swiss Power Plant Undermined by Renewable Energy
Deep in a Swiss mountain, workers have blasted out a cathedral-sized hole for a power plant that will help keep Europe's lights on, but the profit outlook for the 1.9 billion Swiss franc ($2.1 billion) project has darkened since its construction began in 2008. The Nant de Drance plant, and others like it, is being undermined by cheap renewable solar and wind energy, which up-ends its business model of pumping water uphill at night when power prices are low and releasing it to make electricity when prices peak in the daytime - a process known as pumped storage.
Indian Coal Stocks Lowest Since 2012 Blackouts
State-run Coal India unable to meet rising demand; Fall in hydro power adding to grid problems. Half of India's thermal power stations have less than a week's supply of coal on hand, according to weekly data, the lowest level since mid-2012 when hundreds of millions of people were cut off in one of the world's worst blackouts. There was a sharp fall in power output on Thursday from a plant in the western state of Gujarat that left India more than 9,000 megawatts short of peak demand, according to two officials at the state grid operator.
Alstom Wins Multiple Power Contracts
French electrical engineering group Alstom has won contracts with a total value of 800 million euros to build high-voltage direct current power transmission lines in India, South Korea and Canada, the firm said. Half of this amount was booked in the first quarter of its April 2014-March 2015 fiscal year and the other half will be booked in the second quarter, the company said in a statement. In India, Alstom won the second phase of an 800 kiloVolt (kV) Ultra-High Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) line contract from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL)…
China State Grid Quietly Builds Mediterranean Power Network
The European Commission has long wanted the continent's power grids to work in unison for reasons of efficiency and supply security, so far to little avail, but a regional power network could soon be a reality, courtesy of State Grid Corporation of China. While Europe's utilities have met hostility to cross-border forays and been outbid by infrastructure funds, State Grid, the world's largest utility by revenues, with its deep pockets and reputation for hands-off management…
Chinese Bid for Italy Grids Raises Eyebrows
China's state power grid is one of two bidders for a large stake in Italy's energy grids, but such a link could create problems because the Chinese and Italians both aim to buy assets around Europe, sources with knowledge of the matter said. As part of a privatisation drive to cut public debt, Italian state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is trying to sell up to 49 percent of CDP Reti - the vehicle that controls gas grid Snam and soon power grid Terna. Sources…
Port of LA to Start Solar Power Project
The Port of Los Angeles will begin generating one megawatt of electricity via 71,500 square feet of solar panels on its World Cruise Center rooftop by the end of 2009. A $9m construction contract was recently approved by the Board of Harbor Commissioners for this first phase of a multi-year solar power generation initiative. Three additional phases are expected to occur in within five years, ultimately generating 10 megawatts of power through 1.16 million square feet of solar panels.
