We have developed a Renewable Energy Power Station [REPS] Template based on the designed 30 kW per second unit [108 MW rated capacity]. A Small Scale Power Station is defined as: ”A REPS based on the modular NewHYDRO™ [See Engineering and Economic Assessment Factors below] reliable renewable power station plant that uses basic module units with an output capacity of 30 kWs per second – 108 MWs per hour.
Based on the developed Renewable Energy Power Station Template PCV is close to commercializing NewHYDRO™ for the small scale power station market. Due to demand in the top ten regions of the world, PCV expects to be generating modest revenues from the sale of Commercial Rights and applications for future Power Station Developments in 2010.
A Super Scale Power Station is defined as: “A utility scale REPS based on the modular NewHYDRO™ invention that integrates basic modules to amass an output capacity in increments of 1,000 MW hrs output capacity or more.” A 1,000 MW nameplate rating for a thermal power station is the basic building block of coal fired thermal power stations that emit Carbon pollution. To have the potential to replace fossil fuels a reliable renewable energy power station must be scalable to utility scale for the delivery of base load requirements. To date, and to the best of our knowledge, there is no such system known to be in existence.
NewHYDRO™ Engineering and Economic Assessment Factors:
* Introduction
* NewHYDRO™ HOW IT WORKS
* NewHYDRO™ Mechanics
* NewHYDRO™ and Ramp Rates
* NewHYDRO™ and Plug-and-Play – Distributed Generation
* NewHYDRO™ and Carbon Mitigation
* NewHYDRO™ and Capital Costs
* NewHYDRO™ and Energy Storage and Grid Reliability
* NewHYDRO™ as a Turn-key System
* NewHYDRO™ and Public Benefit
Introduction
Stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations at a level sufficient to avoid dangerous interference with natural systems – the agreed goal of the Framework Convention on Climate Change—presents a fundamental challenge to industrial society.
NewHYDRO™ Mechanics
In a nutshell – water is lifted to a height and then allowed to “freefall” through a hydro turbine [refer Glossary; Ossberger Cross-Flow Turbine] that turns a generator to produce electricity. Freefall is the state of being in a motion affected by no acceleration (force) other than that provided by gravity and with no interference from outside forces other than the air resistance. A NewHYDRO™ Tech Sheet entitled “NewHYDRO™ Engineering and Economic Assessment Factors” is available for registered users at this website http://www.private.planetarycivilisationventures.com/
The system starts by bootstrapping itself, there are no physical consumables or gases used, and no mechanical or moving parts in the system to cause or aid functionality, hence the risk of component failure and maintenancerequirements are low. NewHYDRO™ is designed to produce electricity at a lower cost than coal-run thermal power plants, which are currently the lowest cost large scale generation plants for electricity globally.
The basic NewHYDRO™ unit is designed to generate 30 Kilo Watts [kW] of electricity per second. On an annual basis this is estimated to yield production of about 900,000 Mega Watt hours [MW hrs] of electricity. The “engine” of the system that drives an electrical generator to produce electricity is a Cross-Flow Turbine which is a mature and proven technology.
NewHYDRO™ Ramp rates
Aspects of NewHYDRO™ that make it well-suited for leveling wind power output are high ramp rate and quick startup time. In its startup phase, a NewHYDRO™plant starts up in less than 10 minutes and ramps at 100% per second. These parameters allow a NewHYDRO™ system to supplement wind power output such that the wind/NewHYDRO™ system delivers highly consistent utility scale power.
The quality of a fast-ramping-up generation increases the reliability of electricity output forecasting. Pairing a variable renewable generator with large-scale NewHYDRO™ could provide firm, dispatchable power and alleviate the costs and stability threats of integrating renewable energy into power grids.
Utility-scale electricity storage has not been widely implemented; batteries remain prohibitively expensive and pumped hydroelectric storage is feasible only in locations with suitable hydrology. An emerging large-scale storage technology is NewHYDRO™, in which energy is stored in water and activated by a pressure gradient between ambient air and the trade secret upper chamber.
NewHYDRO™ Plug-and-Play – Distributed Generation
NewHYDRO™ is well suited to be installed close to the point of demand. Distributed electricity generation (DG) could reduce the cost of electricity, improve grid reliability and support renewable technologies. Such facilities would also shift the magnitude, timing and location of air quality emissions. The cost savings from reduced adverse human health effects offer significant financial and quality of life benefits.
NewHYDRO™ and Carbon Mitigation
Addressing the issue of climate change mitigation is one of the most daunting tasks of our generation. A large set of strategies for carbon mitigation are needed and are being implemented gradually on a global scale to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The aim is to avoid catastrophic environmental events and forecast global irreversible consequences of climate change. In light of possible near-term GHG regulations, the Governments of the world are now paying more attention to various options for carbon mitigation. From an economic point of view financial subsidies, incentives and grants for the establishment of NewHYDRO™ renewable energy power plants need to be accounted for in any economic assessment. In particular intangible financial instruments known as Guaranteed Feed-In Tariffs, Carbon Credits, and Renewable Energy Certificates need to be factor in.
NewHYDRO™ and Capital Costs
Increasing demand for electricity and an aging fleet of thermal power generators are the principal drivers behind an increasing need for a large amount of capital investments in global electric power sectors in the near term. The decisions (or lack thereof) by firms, regulators and policy makers in response to this challenge have long lasting consequences, incur large economic and environmental risks, and must be made despite large uncertainties about the future operating and business environment. Capital investment decisions are complex: rates of return are not guaranteed; significant uncertainties about future environmental legislation and regulations exist at both the state and national levels – particularly about carbon dioxide emissions; there is an increasing number of shareholder mandates requiring public utilities to reduce their exposure to potentially large losses from stricter environmental regulations; and there are significant concerns about electricity and fuel price levels, supplies, and security. Large scale, low carbon electricity generation facilities using coal, such as integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) facilities coupled with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies, have been technically proven but are unprofitable and highly capital intensive in the current regulatory and business environment where there is no explicit or implicit price on carbon dioxide emissions. NewHYDRO™ is lower cost than all other methods of electricity generation, and is a zero-carbon electricity generating technology. Additonally, NewHYDRO™ can be conveniently located within existing grid networks without the need to invest capital in transmission grid infrastructure to provide access to the nearest grid. In comparison to other methods of electricity generation the overcoming of remoteness needs to be acknowledged in engineering and economic assessments.
NewHYDRO™ Energy Storage and Grid Reliability
Unlike markets for storable commodities, electricity markets depend on the real-time balance of supply and demand. Although much of the present-day grid operates effectively without storage, cost-effective ways of storing electrical energy like NewHYDRO™ can help make the grid more efficient and reliable.
NewHYDRO™ as a Turn-key System
NewHYDRO™ is designed as a modular and highly scalable system that lends itself to rapid assembly and turn-key installation and commissioning. Essentially new NewHYDRO™ plants setup activities amount to licensing permission for grid access as they occupy a tiny land footprint and are easily locatable within existing industrial structures. NewHYDRO™ and Public Benefit Global electricity industries are currently experiencing and adapting to enormous change including concerns related to security, fuel-import-substitution, reliability, increasing demand, aging infrastructure, competition and environmental impacts. Decisions that are made over the next decade will be critical in determining how economically and environmentally sustainable the industry will be in the next 50 to 100 years.
For this reason, it is imperative in any engineering and economic assessment to look at investment and policy decisions from a holistic perspective, i.e. considering various time horizons, the technical constraints within the system and the environmental impacts of each technology, public purse economic benefits and environmental life cycle perspectives.
Due Diligence materials are available online at http://www.private.planetarycivilisationventures.com/
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Not only does solar energy cost more to produce than it gives back, but rooftop solar panels are dangerous to your health and hearth. In Germany, Australia, and the U.S.A., fire brigades are warning of the deadly threat of fighting blazes associated with solar panels.
