One problem perhaps more than any other has proven a drag on the long-term prospects for wind power: how do you turn on the lights when the wind isn't blowing?
A New Jersey company said it has joined with Michael Nakhamkin, one of the top thinkers in energy storage, to develop new ways to trap wind-generated power in underground reservoirs.
Mr. Nakhamkin has helped develop technology to pull excess energy off the power grid – usually at night when usage has waned – to run compressors that pump air into sealed, underground caverns that once held oil, salt or natural gas.
During periods of higher demand, the air is released and heated to run air expansion turbines. The heating process uses about 100 megawatts of power from natural gas and 200 megawatts of power from the compressed air.
The announcement comes just as a drilling boom for natural gas heats up nationwide. Natural gas has supporters in both the private sector and in Washington because it releases fewer of the greenhouse gases that can lead to global warming and because it has been found domestically in massive quantities.
While this still involves fossil fuels, Mr. Nakhamkin said emissions, compared with traditional turbine systems, are far lower.
“This technology significantly reduces fuel oil and natural gas consumption,” he said.
In urban areas where underground storage isn't feasible, or where bedrock makes drilling expensive, ground-level pipes can be used to store the air, though capacity is diminished.
“We really think this is a game-changer for the renewables industry,” said Roy Daniel, chief executive officer of Energy Storage and Power LLC, a joint venture between PSEG Energy Holdings and Mr. Nakhamkin.
PSEG Energy Holdings is investing about $20-million (US) in the project, and plans to market and license the technology.
“We're pretty bullish on the market right now,” Mr. Daniel said.
Compressed air in a cave about a third the size of the New York Giants' football stadium – roughly 21,500,000 cubic square feet – would be enough to power a 300-megawatt turbine for 8 hours, Mr. Daniel said.
That load could power about 200,000 homes – a small city – for about 8 hours, said John A. Stratton, an electrical power systems professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
“That's a healthy load,” he said. “It's going to get us through the peak of the day by using excess energy at night.”
While the process isn't totally efficient – energy is lost while being transferred – it “makes wind a very different kind of energy than it is today,” Mr. Stratton said.
Seattle City Light Energy Efficiency Programs help 93,000 residents cut bills with rebates, home energy audits, weatherization, conservation workshops, and sustainability tools, reducing electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions across Seattle communities.
Key Points
They are utility programs that lower electricity use and bills via rebates, energy audits, and weatherization services.
✅ Rebates for ENERGY STAR appliances and efficient HVAC upgrades
✅ Free audits with tailored recommendations and savings roadmaps
✅ Weatherization aid for low-income households and renters
In a noteworthy achievement for both residents and the environment, Seattle City Light has successfully helped more than 93,000 customers reduce their electricity bills through various energy efficiency programs. This initiative not only alleviates financial burdens for many households, amid concerns about pandemic-era shut-offs that heightened energy insecurity, but also aligns with the city’s commitment to sustainability and responsible energy use.
The Drive for Energy Efficiency
Seattle City Light, the city’s publicly owned electric utility, has been at the forefront of promoting energy efficiency among its customers. Recognizing that energy costs can strain household budgets, the utility has developed a range of programs and tracks emerging utility rate designs to help residents lower their energy consumption and, consequently, their bills.
One of the main aspects of this initiative is the emphasis on education and awareness. By providing customers with tools and resources to understand their energy usage, City Light empowers residents to make informed choices that can lead to substantial savings and prepare for power outage events as well.
Key Programs and Services
Seattle City Light offers a variety of programs aimed at reducing energy consumption. Among the most popular are:
Energy Efficiency Rebates: Customers can receive rebates for purchasing energy-efficient appliances, such as refrigerators, washing machines, and HVAC systems. These appliances are designed to consume less electricity than traditional models, resulting in lower energy bills over time.
Home Energy Audits: Free energy audits are available for residential customers. During these audits, trained professionals assess homes for energy efficiency and provide recommendations on improvements. This personalized service allows homeowners to understand specific changes that can lead to savings.
Weatherization Assistance: This program is particularly beneficial for low-income households. By improving insulation, sealing air leaks, and enhancing overall energy efficiency, residents can maintain comfortable indoor temperatures without over-relying on heating and cooling systems.
Community Workshops: Seattle City Light conducts workshops that educate residents about energy conservation strategies. These sessions cover topics such as smart energy use, seasonal tips for reducing consumption, and the benefits of renewable energy sources, highlighting examples of clean energy engagement in other cities.
The Impact on Households
The impact of these initiatives is profound. By assisting over 93,000 customers in lowering their electricity bills, Seattle City Light not only provides immediate financial relief but also encourages a long-term commitment to energy conservation. This collective effort has resulted in significant reductions in overall energy consumption, contributing to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions—a critical step in the fight against climate change.
Additionally, the programs have been particularly beneficial for low-income households. By targeting these communities, Seattle City Light ensures that the benefits of energy efficiency reach those who need them the most, promoting equity-focused regulation and access to essential resources.
Looking Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities
While the success of these initiatives is commendable, challenges remain. Fluctuating energy prices can still pose difficulties for many households, especially those on fixed incomes, as some utilities explore minimum charges for low-usage customers in their rate structures. Seattle City Light recognizes the need for ongoing support and resources to help residents navigate these financial challenges.
The utility is committed to expanding its programs to reach even more customers in the future. This includes enhancing outreach efforts to ensure that residents are aware of the available resources, even as debates like utility revenue in a free-electricity future shape planning, and potentially forming partnerships with local organizations to broaden the impact of its initiatives.
Clorox Enel 70 MW VPPA accelerates renewable energy, sourcing Texas solar from the Roadrunner project to support 100% renewable electricity, Scope 2 reductions, and grid decarbonization through a virtual power purchase agreement starting in 2021.
Key Points
A 12-year virtual power purchase agreement for 70 MW of Texas solar to advance Clorox's 100% renewable electricity goal.
✅ 12-year contract supporting 100% renewable electricity by 2021
✅ Supplies 70 MW from Enel's Roadrunner solar project in Texas
✅ Cuts Scope 2 emissions via grid-delivered virtual PPA
The Clorox Company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Enel Green Power North America announced today the signing of a 12-year, 70 megawatt (MW) virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for the purchase of renewable energy, aligned with carbon-free electricity investments across the power sector beginning in 2021. Representing about half of Clorox's 100% renewable electricity goal in its operations in the U.S. and Canada, this agreement is expected to help Clorox accelerate achieving its goal in 2021, four years ahead of the company's original plan.
"Climate change and rising greenhouse gas emissions pose a real threat to the health of our planet and ultimately the long-term well-being of people globally. That's why we've taken action for more than 10 years to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of our operations," said Benno Dorer, chair and CEO, The Clorox Company. "Our agreement with Enel helps to expand U.S. renewable energy infrastructure, reflecting our view that companies like Clorox play an important role in addressing global climate change, as landmark policies like the U.S. climate deal further accelerate the transition. We believe this agreement will significantly contribute toward Clorox achieving our goal of 100% renewable electricity in our operations in the U.S. and Canada in 2021, four years earlier than originally planned. Our commitment to climate stewardship is an important pillar of our new IGNITE strategy and part of our overall efforts to drive Good Growth – growth that's profitable, sustainable and responsible."
The 70MW VPPA between Clorox and Enel Green Power North America for the purchase of renewable energy delivered to the electricity grid is for the second phase of Enel's Roadrunner solar project to be built in Texas, and complement global clean energy collaborations such as Canada-Germany hydrogen cooperation announced recently. Roadrunner is a 497-direct current megawatt (MWdc) solar project that is being built in two phases. The first phase, currently under construction, comprises around 252 MWdc and is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, while the remaining 245 MWdc of capacity is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. Once fully operational, the solar plant could generate up to 1.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually, while avoiding an estimated 800,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator[i], this VPPA is estimated to avoid approximately 140,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year. This is equivalent to the annual impact that 165,000 acres of U.S. forest can have in removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and illustrates why cleaning up Canada's electricity is central to emissions reductions in the power sector, or the carbon impact of the electricity needed to power more than 24,000 U.S. homes annually.
"We are proud to support Clorox on their path towards 100% renewable electricity in its operations in the U.S. and Canada by helping them achieve about half their goal through this agreement," said Georgios Papadimitriou, head of Enel Green Power North America. "This agreement with Clorox reinforces the continued significance of renewable energy as a fundamental part of any company's sustainability strategy."
Schneider Electric Energy & Sustainability Services advised Clorox on this power purchase agreement and, amid heightened investor attention exemplified by the Duke Energy climate report, supported the company in its project selection, analysis, negotiations and deal execution.
Clorox Commits to Scope 1, 2 and 3 Science-Based Targets
For more than 10 years, Clorox has consistently achieved its goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its operations. Clorox is focused on setting emissions reduction targets in line with climate science. As a participant in the Science Based Targets Initiative, Clorox has committed to setting and achieving science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets in its operations (Scopes 1 and 2) and across its value chain (Scope 3), and consistent with national pathways such as Canada's net-zero 2050 target pursued by policymakers. The targets are considered "science-based" if they are in line with what the latest climate science says is necessary to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement – a global environmental accord to address climate change and its negative impacts.
Clorox's climate stewardship goals are part of its new integrated corporate strategy called IGNITE, which includes several other environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals and reflects lessons from Canada's electricity progress in scaling clean power. More comprehensive information about Clorox's IGNITE ESG goals can be found here. Information on Clorox's 2020 ESG strategy can be found in its fiscal year 2019 annual report.
N.B. Power Crypto Mining Moratorium underscores electricity demand risks from bitcoin mining, straining the energy grid and industrial load capacity in New Brunswick, as a cabinet order prioritizes grid reliability, utility planning, and allocation.
Key Points
Official pause on new large-scale crypto mining to protect N.B. Power grid capacity, stability, and reliable supply.
✅ Cabinet order halts new large-scale crypto load requests
✅ Review targets grid reliability, planning, and capacity
✅ Non-crypto industrial customers exempt from prolonged pause
N.B. Power says a freeze on servicing new, large-scale industrial customers in the province remains in place over concerns that the cryptocurrency sector's heavy electricity use could be more than the utility can handle.
The Higgs government quietly endorsed the moratorium in a cabinet order in March 2022 and ordered a review of how the sector might affect the reliable electricity supply and broader electricity future planning in the province.
The cabinet order, filed with the Energy and Utilities Board, said N.B. Power had "policy, technical and operational concerns about [its] capacity to service the anticipated additional load demand" from energy-intensive customers such as crypto mines.
It said the utility had received "several new large-scale, short-notice service requests" to supply electricity to crypto mining companies that could put "significant pressure" on the existing electricity supply.
The order, signed by Premier Blaine Higgs, said non-crypto companies shouldn't be subject to the pause for any longer than required for the review, amid shifts in regional plans like the Atlantic Loop that are altering timelines. Ws.
The freeze was ordered months after Taal Distributed Information Technologies Inc. announced plans to establish a 50-megawatt bitcoin mining operation and transaction processing facility in Grand Falls.
A town official said this week that the deal never went ahead.
24 hours a day The Taal facility would have joined a 70-megawatt bitcoin mine in Grand Falls operated by Hive Blockchain Technologies.
Hive's Bitcoin mine comprises four large warehouses containing thousands of computers running 24 hours a day to earn cryptocurrency units.
The combined annual electricity consumption of the two mines would exceed what could be produced by the small modular nuclear reactor being designed by ARC Clean Energy Canada of Saint John, even as Nova Scotia advances efforts to harness the Bay of Fundy's powerful tides for clean power.
Put another way, the two mines would gobble up more than three months' electricity from N.B. Power's coal-fired Belledune generating station under current operations.
ITER Nuclear Fusion advances tokamak magnetic confinement, heating deuterium-tritium plasma with superconducting magnets, targeting net energy gain, tritium breeding, and steam-turbine power, while complementing laser inertial confinement milestones for grid-scale electricity and 2025 startup goals.
Key Points
ITER Nuclear Fusion is a tokamak project confining D-T plasma with magnets to achieve net energy gain and clean power.
✅ Tokamak magnetic confinement with high-temp superconducting coils
✅ Deuterium-tritium fuel cycle with on-site tritium breeding
✅ Targets net energy gain and grid-scale, low-carbon electricity
It sounds like the stuff of dreams: a virtually limitless source of energy that doesn’t produce greenhouse gases or radioactive waste. That’s the promise of nuclear fusion, often described as the holy grail of clean energy by proponents, which for decades has been nothing more than a fantasy due to insurmountable technical challenges. But things are heating up in what has turned into a race to create what amounts to an artificial sun here on Earth, one that can provide power for our kettles, cars and light bulbs.
Today’s nuclear power plants create electricity through nuclear fission, in which atoms are split, with next-gen nuclear power exploring smaller, cheaper, safer designs that remain distinct from fusion. Nuclear fusion however, involves combining atomic nuclei to release energy. It’s the same reaction that’s taking place at the Sun’s core. But overcoming the natural repulsion between atomic nuclei and maintaining the right conditions for fusion to occur isn’t straightforward. And doing so in a way that produces more energy than the reaction consumes has been beyond the grasp of the finest minds in physics for decades.
But perhaps not for much longer. Some major technical challenges have been overcome in the past few years and governments around the world have been pouring money into fusion power research as part of a broader green industrial revolution under way in several regions. There are also over 20 private ventures in the UK, US, Europe, China and Australia vying to be the first to make fusion energy production a reality.
“People are saying, ‘If it really is the ultimate solution, let’s find out whether it works or not,’” says Dr Tim Luce, head of science and operation at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), being built in southeast France. ITER is the biggest throw of the fusion dice yet.
Its $22bn (£15.9bn) build cost is being met by the governments of two-thirds of the world’s population, including the EU, the US, China and Russia, at a time when Europe is losing nuclear power and needs energy, and when it’s fired up in 2025 it’ll be the world’s largest fusion reactor. If it works, ITER will transform fusion power from being the stuff of dreams into a viable energy source.
Constructing a nuclear fusion reactor ITER will be a tokamak reactor – thought to be the best hope for fusion power. Inside a tokamak, a gas, often a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, is subjected to intense heat and pressure, forcing electrons out of the atoms. This creates a plasma – a superheated, ionised gas – that has to be contained by intense magnetic fields.
The containment is vital, as no material on Earth could withstand the intense heat (100,000,000°C and above) that the plasma has to reach so that fusion can begin. It’s close to 10 times the heat at the Sun’s core, and temperatures like that are needed in a tokamak because the gravitational pressure within the Sun can’t be recreated.
When atomic nuclei do start to fuse, vast amounts of energy are released. While the experimental reactors currently in operation release that energy as heat, in a fusion reactor power plant, the heat would be used to produce steam that would drive turbines to generate electricity, even as some envision nuclear beyond electricity for industrial heat and fuels.
Tokamaks aren’t the only fusion reactors being tried. Another type of reactor uses lasers to heat and compress a hydrogen fuel to initiate fusion. In August 2021, one such device at the National Ignition Facility, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, generated 1.35 megajoules of energy. This record-breaking figure brings fusion power a step closer to net energy gain, but most hopes are still pinned on tokamak reactors rather than lasers.
In June 2021, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor maintained a plasma for 101 seconds at 120,000,000°C. Before that, the record was 20 seconds. Ultimately, a fusion reactor would need to sustain the plasma indefinitely – or at least for eight-hour ‘pulses’ during periods of peak electricity demand.
A real game-changer for tokamaks has been the magnets used to produce the magnetic field. “We know how to make magnets that generate a very high magnetic field from copper or other kinds of metal, but you would pay a fortune for the electricity. It wouldn’t be a net energy gain from the plant,” says Luce.
One route for nuclear fusion is to use atoms of deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen. They fuse under incredible heat and pressure, and the resulting products release energy as heat
The solution is to use high-temperature, superconducting magnets made from superconducting wire, or ‘tape’, that has no electrical resistance. These magnets can create intense magnetic fields and don’t lose energy as heat.
“High temperature superconductivity has been known about for 35 years. But the manufacturing capability to make tape in the lengths that would be required to make a reasonable fusion coil has just recently been developed,” says Luce. One of ITER’s magnets, the central solenoid, will produce a field of 13 tesla – 280,000 times Earth’s magnetic field.
The inner walls of ITER’s vacuum vessel, where the fusion will occur, will be lined with beryllium, a metal that won’t contaminate the plasma much if they touch. At the bottom is the divertor that will keep the temperature inside the reactor under control.
“The heat load on the divertor can be as large as in a rocket nozzle,” says Luce. “Rocket nozzles work because you can get into orbit within minutes and in space it’s really cold.” In a fusion reactor, a divertor would need to withstand this heat indefinitely and at ITER they’ll be testing one made out of tungsten.
Meanwhile, in the US, the National Spherical Torus Experiment – Upgrade (NSTX-U) fusion reactor will be fired up in the autumn of 2022, while efforts in advanced fission such as a mini-reactor design are also progressing. One of its priorities will be to see whether lining the reactor with lithium helps to keep the plasma stable.
Choosing a fuel Instead of just using deuterium as the fusion fuel, ITER will use deuterium mixed with tritium, another hydrogen isotope. The deuterium-tritium blend offers the best chance of getting significantly more power out than is put in. Proponents of fusion power say one reason the technology is safe is that the fuel needs to be constantly fed into the reactor to keep fusion happening, making a runaway reaction impossible.
Deuterium can be extracted from seawater, so there’s a virtually limitless supply of it. But only 20kg of tritium are thought to exist worldwide, so fusion power plants will have to produce it (ITER will develop technology to ‘breed’ tritium). While some radioactive waste will be produced in a fusion plant, it’ll have a lifetime of around 100 years, rather than the thousands of years from fission.
At the time of writing in September, researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor in Oxfordshire were due to start their deuterium-tritium fusion reactions. “JET will help ITER prepare a choice of machine parameters to optimise the fusion power,” says Dr Joelle Mailloux, one of the scientific programme leaders at JET. These parameters will include finding the best combination of deuterium and tritium, and establishing how the current is increased in the magnets before fusion starts.
The groundwork laid down at JET should accelerate ITER’s efforts to accomplish net energy gain. ITER will produce ‘first plasma’ in December 2025 and be cranked up to full power over the following decade. Its plasma temperature will reach 150,000,000°C and its target is to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power for every 50 megawatts of input heating power.
“If ITER is successful, it’ll eliminate most, if not all, doubts about the science and liberate money for technology development,” says Luce. That technology development will be demonstration fusion power plants that actually produce electricity, where advanced reactors can build on decades of expertise. “ITER is opening the door and saying, yeah, this works – the science is there.”
BC Hydro COVID-19 Bill Relief provides payment deferrals, no-penalty payment plans, Crisis Fund grants up to $600, and utility bill assistance as customers face pandemic layoffs, social distancing, and increased home power usage.
Key Points
A BC Hydro program offering bill deferrals, no-penalty plans, and up to $600 Crisis Fund grants during COVID-19.
✅ Defer payments or set no-penalty payment plans
✅ Apply for up to $600 Customer Crisis Fund grants
✅ Measures to ensure reliable power and remote customer service
BC Hydro is implementing a program, including bill relief measures, to help people pay their bills if they’re affected by the novel coronavirus.
The Crown corporation says British Columbians are facing a variety of financial pressures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as some workplaces close or reduce staffing levels and commercial power consumption plummets across the province.
BC Hydro said it also expects increased power usage as more people stay home amid health officials’ requests that people take social distancing measures, even as electricity demand is down 10% provincewide.
Under the new program, customers will be able to defer bill payments or arrange a payment plan with no penalty, though a recent report on deferred operating costs outlines long-term implications for the utility.
BC Hydro says some customers could also be eligible for grants of up to $600 under its Customer Crisis Fund, if facing power disconnection due to job loss, illness or loss of a family member, while in other jurisdictions power bills were cut for households during the pandemic.
The company says it has taken precautions to keep power running by isolating key facilities, including its control centre, and by increasing its cleaning schedule, a priority even as some utilities face burgeoning debt amid COVID-19.
It has also closed its walk-in customer service desks to reduce risk from face-to-face contact and suspended all non-essential business travel, public meetings and site tours, and warned businesses about BC Hydro impersonation scams during this period.
Maritime Link HVDC Transmission connects Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to the North American grid, enabling renewable energy imports, subsea cable interconnection, Muskrat Falls hydro power delivery, and lower carbon emissions across Atlantic Canada.
Key Points
A 500 MW HVDC intertie linking Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to deliver Muskrat Falls hydro power.
✅ 500 MW capacity using twin 170 km subsea HVDC cables
✅ Interconnects Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to the North American grid
✅ Enables Muskrat Falls hydro imports, cutting CO2 and costs
For the first time, electricity has been sent between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia through the new Maritime Link.
The 500-megawatt transmission line — which connects Newfoundland to the North American energy grid for the first time and echoes projects like the New England Clean Power Link underway — was tested Friday.
"This changes not only the energy options for Newfoundland and Labrador but also for Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada," said Rick Janega, the CEO of Emera Newfoundland and Labrador, which owns the link.
"It's an historic event in our eyes, one that transforms the electricity system in our region forever."
'On time and on budget'
It will eventually carry power from the Muskrat Falls hydro project in Labrador, where construction is running two years behind schedule and $4 billion over budget, a context in which the Manitoba Hydro line to Minnesota has also faced delay, to Nova Scotia consumers. It was supposed to start producing power later this year, but the new deadline is 2020 at the earliest.
The project includes two 170-kilometre subsea cables across the Cabot Strait between Cape Ray in southwestern Newfoundland and Point Aconi in Cape Breton.
The two cables, each the width of a two-litre pop bottle, can carry 250 megawatts of high voltage direct current, and rest on the ocean floor at depths up to 470 metres.
This reel of cable arrived in St. John's back in April aboard the Norwegian vessel Nexans Skagerrak, after the first power cable reached Nova Scotia earlier in the project. (Submitted by Emera NL)
The Maritime Link also includes almost 50 kilometres of overland transmission in Nova Scotia and more than 300 kilometres of overland transmission in Newfoundland, paralleling milestones on Site C transmission work in British Columbia.
The link won't go into commercial operation until January 1.
Janega said the $1.6-billion project is on time and on budget.
"We're very pleased to be in a position to be able to say that after seven years of working on this. It's quite an accomplishment," he said.
This Norwegian vessel was used to transport the 5,500 tonne subsea cable. (Submitted by Emera NL)
Once in service, the link will improve electrical interconnections between the Atlantic provinces, aligning with climate adaptation guidance for Canadian utilities.
"For Nova Scotia it will allow it to achieve its 40 per cent renewable energy target in 2020. For Newfoundland it will allow them to shut off the Holyrood generating station, in fact using the Maritime Link in advance of the balance of the project coming into service," Janega said.
Karen Hutt, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Power, which is owned by Emera Inc., calls it a great day for Nova Scotia.
"When it goes into operation in January, the Maritime Link will benefit Nova Scotia Power customers by creating a more stable and secure system, helping reduce carbon emissions, and enabling NSP to purchase power from new sources," Hutt said in a statement.
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