QUICK NEWS, May 16: ABOUT SAN ONOFRE’S WOES; GOOGLE’S OFFSHORE WIND WIRES MOVE AHEAD; CPV MAKER GETS $4.5MIL BACKING

ABOUT SAN ONOFRE’S WOES San Onofre’s Steam Generator Failures Could Have Been Prevented Summary

Arnie Gunderdsen, May 14, 2012 (Fairewinds Associates)

“Southern California Edison’s four replacement steam generators at their San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station failed in less than two years of operation, while the original equipment operated for 28 years. Fairewinds has been analyzing the data in order to determine how such an expensive investment could fail so quickly.

“In June of 2006 Edison informed the NRC that the replacement steam generators to be manufactured by Mitsubishi would be fabricated to the same design specifications as the original San Onofre Combustion Engineering (CE) steam generators. According to Nuclear Engineering International, Edison has admitted that this was a strategic decision to avoid a more thorough license amendment and review process…”

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“Fairewinds finds that there are numerous changes to the San Onofre steam generators that are not like-for-like…Furthermore, the facts reviewed by Fairewinds makes it clear that if Edison had informed the NRC that the new steam generators were not like-for-like, the more thorough NRC licensing review process would have likely identified the design problems before the steam generators were manufactured.

“Finally, Fairewinds finds that tube plugging is not the solution to the vibration problem…and that the damaged steam generators will still require major modifications with repair and outage time that could last more than 18 months if Edison and Mitsubishi are even able to repair these faulty designed steam generators. However, Fairewinds finds that the safest long-term action is the replacement of the San Onofre steam generators…”

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GOOGLE’S OFFSHORE WIND WIRES MOVE AHEAD AWC offshore grid closer to reality

Diane Bailey, 14 May 2012 (Windpower Monthly)

“The Google-backed Atlantic Wind Connection (AWC) offshore wind transmission line cleared a regulatory hurdle Monday, with the US Department of the Interior announcing it has not received any overlapping interest in similar projects from competitors.

“The finding of "no competitive interest" clears the way for the project to move forward with the environmental review necessary to grant a right-of-way for construction of the line.”

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“The high voltage direct-current line, whose investors include Google, Good Energies II LP, the Marubeni Corporation and Elia, would run about 790 miles in length and enable up to 6GW of offshore wind to be delivered to the grid…The project consists of two power lines running from northern New Jersey to Norfolk, Virginia. Elia has acquired 10% and 5% shares of the first and second phases of the project respectively.

“The government has identified wind project development areas off the coasts of Delaware, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island and expects to begin awarding leases to developers later this year…It also expects to identify additional areas off North Carolina and Massachusetts…”

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CPV MAKER GETS $4.5MIL BACKING Concentrator Optics raises €3.5 million

7 May 2012 (Concentrator Optics)

“Concentrating photovoltaics is gaining momentum with an expected industry growth exceeding 400% for the current year. Following this trend, Concentrator Optics raised €3.5 million in equity, debt and grant financing…

“…Capricorn Cleantech Fund, Leu-ven, Belgium, and the German Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) contributed to the equity raise…[which will] be used for installing a 40 MW silicone-on-glass lens production line, for organizational development and for fuelling its continued commercial growth.”

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“With concentrating photovoltaics (CPV), sunlight is concentrated by factor of 500 to 1,200 employ-ing flat Fresnel lenses in order to generate electricity by using very small and highly efficient cells. This technology enjoys rapid growth due to the double efficiency compared with traditional photo-voltaic systems in sunny climates with high direct irradiation levels.

“Concentrator Optics is one of the few global manufacturers of Fresnel lenses and is the only company to offer lenses in both PMMA as silicone-on-glass technology…Concentrating photovoltaics offers highest efficiency ( > 30%) solar power generation…Concentrator Optics has generated unique technologies…[in] materials and processes in the manufacturing of Fresnel lenses and in the tooling processes upstream of the lens fabrication…”

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