HiWind economics more compelling than eve.

HiWind economics more compelling than eve.

Wind power, not shale gas, was the biggest single cause of the fall in US carbon emissions from coal use. The European Union also highlights why wind is becoming an increasingly smarter energy option over “cheaper” sources.

By Katherine Steiner-Dicks

The findings, based on figures by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), contradict the established narrative that touted shale gas as the biggest single factor in bringing down US emissions in recent years, says Greenpeace.

The new analysis, which was published in part by Greenpeace and Energydesk, comes in the wake of a major international study recently published illustrating a global shale boom will not reduce emissions, and may lead to an increase in emissions of up to 11 per cent by 2050.

The US shale industry has been widely credited for reducing the country’s reliance on coal and slashing carbon pollution from the power sector. But research by Greenpeace energy and climate analyst Lauri Myllyvirta suggests that shale gas played a much smaller role than previously thought.

Between 2007 and 2013 the US saw the largest fall in coal usage ever experienced by any country, with renewables, energy efficiency and shale gas together picking up the slack. Switching away from coal led to lower emissions from the power sector, which has largely been attributed to fracking.

Surge in renewable:

The Energydesk analysis shows instead that most of the power vacuum left by coal (56%) was filled by a big surge in renewables and efficiency over the same period, with the rest being covered by gas-fired generation.

But a closer look shows that the reduction of CO2 emissions that the contribution of fracking is overshadowed by that of clean technologies and efficiency measures. Of the 16 per cent fall in US carbon emissions since 2007, only around a third (30%) came from switching from coal to gas, for the simple reason that natural gas still emits CO2.

By contrast, 40 per cent came from the switch from coal to renewables and the remaining 30 per cent from improved efficiency. Increased generation from wind power plants alone was responsible for 32 per cent of the drop - a slightly larger contribution than that made by gas, according to the reports.

The Greenpeace analysis only looks at emissions from burning the fuel to generate electricity and does not take account for the methane leakage from shale gas, which would further diminish shale gas’ contribution to emissions reduction, according to media reports.

A recent analysis by Bernstein research suggests US coal use will fall by a further 25 per cent by 2020, again partially driven by renewables growth.

The steady decrease of US emissions, however, has been reversed in these last 18 months following a price-driven increase in coal burn, and also a resurgence in crude oil production (up 31% in last two years). But with a significant number of coal plants due to retire in 2015, this return to rising emissions may turn out to be short-lived.

Fracking v. clean energy:

Commenting on the findings, Greenpeace energy analyst Lauri Myllyvirta said: “The supposed climate benefits of fracking have been a big selling point for the shale lobby, but this myth has now been cut down to size by compelling new evidence.

“Our analysis shows that it was the clean tech boom, not the fracking rush, that slashed the bulk of carbon emissions from the US power sector. And this even before considering the impact of fugitive methane emissions, one the most dangerous greenhouse gases on the planet.

“Ahead of a crunch year for global negotiations on a new climate deal, all the evidence points to clean technologies and smarter energy use as the most effective solutions to tackle climate change. Our political leaders will do well to remember this.” 

Wind: comparatively a lower cost energy:

Separate analysis reports are also highlighting how wind energy is one of the lowest cost options for reducing carbon emissions, but some have attempted to take another analysis out of context to argue that this is not the case, said a news brief by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

The recent positive news about wind energy includes a from Wall Street investment firm Lazard, which confirms that wind energy’s recent cost declines have made it the lowest cost option for reducing emissions.

In fact, said the AWEA report, Lazard’s results indicate that wind’s cost is lower than all other new generation options, making wind a win-win for consumers and the environment by giving wind a negative cost of reducing emissions. Additional positive news comes from a draft EU report (source: The Guardian) that shows that wind is the lowest cost energy source once the public health and environmental costs of other energy sources are accounted for.

A recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy confirms that wind’s costs, as reflected in signed utility wind purchase contracts, have fallen by more than half over the last five years. Moreover, the report finds that over the life of a project, wind is by far the lowest cost option once expected increases in the price of fossil fuels are taken into account.

“Undeterred by these findings, some have misrepresented a rough estimate prepared by the Midwest grid operator (MISO) of the potential costs of complying with EPA’s pending Clean Power Plan to limit emissions of carbon dioxide from existing power plants,” said AWEA.

“Some anti-wind groups have taken the results out of context, ignoring important caveats in the draft in an effort to attack wind energy. MISO has acknowledged the limitations of its initial analysis and has stopped presenting those results because others have taken the numbers out of context, but that has not stopped some anti-wind groups from continuing to misrepresent the results.”

As a result, AWEA has expressed that it is “compelled to set the record straight” by correcting the cost estimate to account for a number of critical limitations in the estimation method, including several that MISO has acknowledged have a significant impact on the estimate.

“These corrections bring wind’s calculated cost of emissions reductions down by a factor of 5 from the initial estimate. MISO has not yet released the full details of its methodology, so there would likely be additional corrections to the estimate if those details were known,” said AWEA.

The fact that utilities in MISO are signing wind purchase contracts at costs below the cost of competing generation proves that wind actually has a very low or even negative cost of reducing emissions, the AWEA has expressed.

Price stability:

Moreover, expected increases and volatility in the price of competing fuels make it even clearer that wind energy is the lowest cost generation option for reducing emissions in the long term, as shown in the chart below from DOE’s report.

President and CEO of Xcel Energy’s Northern States Power David Sparby is seeing the cost competitiveness of wind compared to other energy sources.

When he announced 600 MW of new wind purchase contracts by explaining that “Wind prices are extremely competitive right now, offering lower costs than other possible resources, like natural gas plants. These projects offer a great hedge against rising and often volatile fuel prices.”

According to MidAmerican Energy, the investor-owned utility controlled by Warren Buffett, its plans for a 1,050 MW wind farm in Iowa has its customer benefits: “The expansion is planned to be built at no net cost to the company’s customers and will help stabilize electric rates over the long term by providing a rate reduction totalling $10m per year by 2017, commencing with a $3.3m reduction in 2015.”

Europe wind sector sees steady investor 

appetite:

The total cost of energy production, which factors in externalities such as air quality, climate change and human toxicity among others, shows that coal is more expensive than the highest retail electricity price in the EU. A recent EU report puts the figure of external costs of the EU's energy mix in 2012 at between EUR150bn and EUR310bn.

Justin Wilkes, deputy chief executive officer of the European Wind Energy Association has said that renewables are regularly denigrated for being too expensive and a drain on the taxpayer. “Not only does the Commission's report show the alarming cost of coal but it also presents onshore wind as both cheaper and more environmentally-friendly," said Wilkes.

Onshore and offshore wind technologies also have room for significant cost reduction. Coal on the other hand is a fully mature technology and is unlikely to reduce costs any further.

Wilkes added: "We are heavily subsidising the dirtiest form of electricity generation while proponents use coal’s supposed affordability as a justification for its continued use. The irony is that coal is the most expensive form of energy in the European Union. This report shows that we should use the 2030 climate and energy package as a foundation for increasing the use of wind energy in Europe to improve our competitiveness, security and environment."

Investors agree:

Glennmont Partners, one of Europe’s largest fund managers focusing exclusively on investment in clean energy infrastructure, has signed an acquisition agreement with Sorgenia to build two wind farms in one of the strongest wind resource locations in France.

The acquisition comprises of two wind farm sites of 16 MW and 6 MW located in the Haute Normandie and Nord Pas de Calais regions in France respectively. The sites are located in one of the strongest wind resource areas of the country.

The two projects are ready to be built, having obtained all building permits and secured all land leases for 40 years. Power Purchase Agreements with EDF have been signed for both projects, which will benefit from the French Feed-In Tariff for 15 years.

“Long term, non-recourse project financing to fund the construction and operations of the wind farms has also been signed with leading lenders,” said the clean energy investor.

Currently the fund is managing in excess of 115MW of onshore wind farms in France, Ireland and the UK.

Francesco Cacciabue, Partner and Chief Financial Officer of Glennmont, said: “The 22 MW portfolio of new projects is a highly attractive investment opportunity. This investment complements our existing portfolio of wind and solar in France and offers investors access to substantial and visible returns, in line with our investment philosophy.”

“This is the first deal we have announced since closing our fully subscribed second fund last month. We have a strong pipeline of opportunities and we will continue to build on our momentum with other new investments in the coming months,” he added.

Partnering to expand:

Partnering in the renewable energy industry is also taking place in Europe. For example, Juwi, a renewable energy project developer based in Wörrstadt, Germany has a new partner: Mannheim-based MVV , which has agreed to acquire a 50.1 percent majority shareholding interest in juwi AG via a capital increase.

The transaction is expected to close no later than December 31, 2014. The two companies agreed to keep the financial and organizational details of the transaction confidential.

For juwi, the new strategic partnership is an important milestone that will strengthen and enhance its core business of project development, construction and operations & maintenance.

Listed energy player MVV Energie AG, which has annual revenues in the region of EUR4bn plans to further expand its commitment in the renewable energy sector through this new investment.

For Fred Jung and Matthias Willenbacher, the co-founders of juwi, the transaction represents a major building block for sustainable growth in the juwi Group: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Mannheim-based MVV Energie AG, which is already extremely active in the field of renewable energies and is now interested in the sustainable and strategic expansion of this commitment together with us.”

For MVV Energie AG, the partnership with juwi represents the systematic evolution of its strategic orientation: “The ongoing transformation of energy supply structures in Germany centers on an efficient and environmentally-friendly combination of renewable and conventional energies as pillars in the energy system of the future”, said Dr. Georg Müller, Chief Executive of MVV.

Stephan Hansen, the juwi Executive Board member responsible for international business said that outside of Europe demand for wind energy remains strong: “In a global context there is enormous potential for the efficient use of renewable energy, particularly wind and solar energy. In light of our outstanding accomplishments as a project development and EPC partner on almost every continent we want to harness these opportunities and continuously expand our international business.”

Apart from the new partner, the stable and profitable core business in Germany is helping the juwi Group with realignment. By the end of September, juwi had already realised over twenty wind projects this year throughout Germany with a total capacity of approximately 200 megawatt.

The company has also reported that several other projects with a total capacity of nearly 100 megawatt are currently at the construction stage leading to the conclusion that wind power is still in demand and showing that its cost effectiveness is increasingly matching its equally attractive low carbon status.

Hi EVENTS; Air & Climate 2014/15.

Hi EVENTS; Air & Climate 2014/15.

The Air Quality and Emissions Show (AQE) 2015. Telford - United Kingdom Apr. 22 - 23, 2015. The 8th in the series of Air Quality & Emissions Events will focus on industrial emissions and stack monitoring of (Part A) processes regulated by the Environment Agency, ambient air quality monitoring,the emissions to air of Part A2 and Part B processes controlled by local authorities, MCERTS standards,.....

Practical Air Dispersion Modeling Workshop - CA, USA Los Angeles - California (USA) Nov. 5 - 7, 2014. This three day workshop is intended for individuals with little or no prior knowledge of air dispersion modeling techniques for continuous releases. New regulations require dispersion models to be used to estimate the magnitude of pollutants from industrial sources on populations both near and far ... Climate Change: Building the Age of Resilience. London - United Kingdom Oct. 23, 2014. This conference will look at the case for developing resilient systems and infrastructure in light of a changing climate. It will examine the range of uncertainties in climate predictions, how different sectors are currently approaching ... Climate Change: Earth System, Future Scenarios and Threats 2014. Newcastle upon Tyne - United Kingdom Nov. 10 - 14, 2014. The course starts with the science of climate change, dealing with uncertainties and the major issues affecting our understanding of the climate system and its future behaviour. It then moves on to climate modelling, covering the ... Lima Climate Change Conference - December 2014. Lima - Peru Dec. 1 - 12, 2014. The 20th session of the Conference of the Parties and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol will be held from 1 to 12 December. COP 20/CMP 10 will be hosted by ... Air Pollution 2014. Newcastle - United Kingdom Dec. 8 - 12, 2014. This course will: * introduce the fundamentals of air pollution with a background on historical perspective on air pollution and a commentary on current air quality policies and standards; * discuss major pollutants, their ... Clean Air Compliance Manager March 2015. Las Vegas - Nevada (USA) Mar. 17 - 19, 2015. This is a 3-day course providing a comprehensive look at the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA), its history and drivers, each of the Titles of the 1990 CAA Amendments, and the permitting process. 2015 Northeast Indoor Air Quality and Energy Conference. Portland - Maine (USA) Apr. 15 - 16, 2015. The Northeast IAQ & Energy Conference (formerly called the Maine Indoor Air Quality Conference) is the largest IAQ conference ... 23rd International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution. Valencia - Spain Jun. 1 - 3, 2015. The conferences in this series have discussed and considered many important air pollution issues and the international nature of the attendees has ensured that the conference findings and conclusions enjoy a wide and rapid dissemination ... 6th World Hydrogen Technologies Convention (WHTC) 2015. Sydney - Australia Oct. 11 - 14, 2015. The World Hydrogen Technologies Convention (WHTC), a leading technical and commercial event for the global hydrogen energy and fuel cell community, will be held at Australian Technology Park, Sydney on October 11-14, 2015,

Hi Pollution Monitoring In Cement Industry!.

Hi Pollution Monitoring In Cement Industry!.

The rising use of waste based fuels in the cement industry, both for economic and Environmental objectives, combined with the strengthening of air emission regulations around the world is pushing many operators to face a wider list of pollutants to monitor this, with associated costs. 

The design of appropriate solutions meeting local regulation is the key to maximize the cost benefit of the fuel while maintaining good relationships with local authorities and populations.

Besides the usually requested parameters, like SO2, NOx, CO, total particulate matter, and NH3, additional parameters can also be measured such as HCl, HF, Dioxins & Furans (PCDD/PCDF), Mercury (Hg) and VOC/TOC.

The monitoring of each gas pollutant, when required, can pose specific difficulties, but in general keeping the cost low means trying to operate a multi components analyzer able to measure all of them, except Dioxins & Furans and Mercury which requires very specific technologies and dedicated sampling devices.

Various manufacturers have developed a broad range of analyzers and sampling systems dedicated to meet cement operator needs according to their local regulation. 

Some of these solutions are described below:

The MIR 9000H developed by Environnement S.A (France) is a new generation of heated NDIR analyzer able to simultaneously measure  traditional components such as NOx, SO2, CO, CO2 and O2, in addition to H2O and pollutants like NH3 and HCl, representing a very cost effective, turnkey solution. 

This analyzer was designed to be operated without any chiller, drying membrane, or catalytic oven, allowing the flues gas directly into the measurement cell without any kind of disturbance. 

The entire system being heated to 180°C (~360°F), no condensation can occur even in extremely wet conditions with up to 40% moisture. 

This analyzer’s robust design is particularly suited to demanding wet stack gas mixtures, including those with potentially high NH3, HCl and HF content. Indeed, this analyzer is completely immune to NH3, HCl and HF: both its integrity and its metrological performances being unaffected.

As a cost effective heated analyzer, the MIR 9000H is also an ideal solution for process control to monitor ammonia slips in SCR/SNCR processes. 

In these processes, either ammonia or urea can be used. It is important to stress out that in the case of urea, MIR 9000H takes into account the N2O which is created as a by product. MIR 9000H can also cope with formaldehyde, a compound which can be produced with some types of fuels and cause problems to NDIR measurements.

For low SO2, HCl or NOx concentrations, the SEC-MIR9000 system combining an exclusive membrane based drying technology (sampling) and state of the art NDIR multigas analyzer remains the perfect solution.

It allows for the measurement of a wide range of pollutants, including also CO, CO2, HF and TOC, as well as N2O and formaldehyde for interference corrections purposes.

The SEC-MIR9000 system, while being technically speaking an extractive system, also exists as an in-sit setup (MIR IS). 

Very low NOx concentrations can also be measured with a chemiluminescence CEMS bench, either as an option of an NDIR system, or as a standalone analyzer.

FTIR: Environnement S.A was the first company to introduce the FTIR technology for CEMS application and remains a leader. 

This technology allows the monitoring of a wide range of pollutants, including SO2, NOx, CO, CO2, NH3, HCl, HF and VOC/TOC, with low measurement ranges, making it the ideal solution for the strictest regulations.

Dioxin is an increasing source of suspicion by neighbour populations in regards to waste or alternative fuels combustion. 

The AMESA-D continuous sampler allows for a continuous coverage of dioxin emission and is already considered the standard for monitoring dioxins/furans around the world.

Beside the emissions of PCDD/PCDF there are other emissions of compounds which are not or not so easy to be monitored continuously. 

E.g. mercury can be monitored continuously, but for plants with low concentrations in the range of µg/m3 the accuracies of the existing mercury CEMs depend very strong on the experiences and maintenance efforts of the operators. 

Otherwise the results are not accurate enough. Additional the availability of such systems is restricted.

The continuous Hg Sorbent Trap Measurement System (STMS) AMESA-M represents a cost effective alternative to mercury analyzers, especially when the limit or detection is low and that complex and expensive technologies are necessary. 

The system is based on the adsorption trap method described in the performance specifications 12B of the MACT standard for the continuous monitoring of mercury emissions and is suitable for nearly every application.

The AMESA-M system requires very low maintenance and is adapted to the different flue gas conditions and requirements given by the operators: its availability under difficult flue gas conditions could be kept by values of almost 100 %.

(Hi) - EPA, U.S. to Cut Carbon Pollution from Existing Power Plants!.

(Hi) - EPA, U.S. to Cut Carbon Pollution from Existing Power Plants!.

The Clean Power Plan is a proposal to ensure a healthier environment, spur innovation and strengthen the economy.

After a major outreach effort, the EPA is releasing the Clean Power Plan proposal to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the United States.

The proposal will protect public health, move the United States toward a cleaner environment and fight climate change while supplying Americans with reliable and affordable power.

"Climate change, fueled by carbon pollution, supercharges risks to our health, our economy, and our way of life. EPA is delivering on a vital piece of the Climate Action Plan by proposing a Clean Power Plan that will cut harmful carbon pollution from our largest source--power plants," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. 

"By leveraging cleaner energy sources and cutting energy waste, this plan will clean the air we breathe while helping slow climate change so we can leave a safe and healthy future for our kids. We don't have to choose between a healthy economy and a healthy environment--our action will sharpen America’s competitive edge, spur innovation and create jobs."

Power plants account for roughly one-third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. 

While there are limits in place for the level of arsenic, mercury, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particle pollution that power plants can emit, there are currently no national limits on carbon pollution levels.

With the Clean Power Plan, EPA is proposing guidelines that build on trends already underway in states and the power sector to cut carbon pollution from existing power plants, making them more efficient and less polluting. 

This proposal follows through on the common-sense steps laid out in the Climate Action Plan and the June 2013 Presidential Memorandum.

By 2030, the steady and responsible steps EPA is taking will:

• Cut carbon emission from the power sector by 30 percent nationwide below 2005 levels, which is equal to the emissions from powering more than half the homes in the United States for one year.

• Cut particle pollution, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide by more than 25 percent as a co-benefit.

• Avoid up to 6,600 premature deaths, up to 150,000 asthma attacks in children and up to 490,000 missed work or school days—providing up to $93 billion in climate and public health benefits.

• Shrink electricity bills roughly 8 percent by increasing energy efficiency and reducing demand in the electricity system.

The Clean Power Plan will be implemented through a state-federal partnership under which states identify a path forward using either current or new electricity production and pollution control policies to meet the goals of the proposed program. 

The proposal provides guidelines for states to develop plans to meet state-specific goals to reduce carbon pollution and gives them the flexibility to design a program that makes the most sense for their unique situation. 

States can choose the right mix of generation using diverse fuels, energy efficiency and demand-side management to meet the goals and their own needs. It allows them to work alone to develop individual plans or to work together with other states to develop multi-state plans.

Also included in the proposal is a flexible timeline for states to follow for submitting plans to the agency—with plans due in June 2016, with the option to use a two-step process for submitting final plans if more time is needed. States that have already invested in energy efficiency programs will be able to build on these programs during the compliance period to help make progress toward meeting their goal.

Since last summer, EPA has directly engaged with state, tribal and local governments, industry and labor leaders, nonprofits and others. 

The data, information and feedback provided during this effort helped guide the development of the proposal and further confirmed that states have been leading the way for years in saving families and businesses money through improving efficiency, while cleaning up pollution from power plants. To date, 47 states have utilities that run demand-side energy efficiency programs, 38 have renewable portfolio standards or goals, and 10 have market-based greenhouse gas emissions programs. 

Together, the agency believes that these programs represent a proven, common-sense approach to cutting carbon pollution—one in which electricity is generated and used as efficiently as possible and which promotes a greater reliance on lower-carbon power sources.

The announcement marks the beginning of the second phase of the agency’s outreach efforts. 

EPA will accept comment on the proposal for 120 days after publication in the Federal Register and will hold four public hearings on the proposed Clean Power Plan during the week of July 28 in the following cities:

Denver, Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh. Based on this input, EPA will finalize standards next June following the schedule laid out in the June 2013 Presidential Memorandum.

Fact sheets and details about the proposed 

rule available by clicking the following link 

here or the images above. 

For More information on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan Click The Following Link Here To Visit The White House Official Webpage For Climate Change & View Videos Below. 

Related Event!.