QUICK NEWS, June 13: UTILITIES’ FEARS ABOUT NEW ENERGY; U.S. WIND LOOKS TO CANADA; THE LIFE OF SOLAR

UTILITIES’ FEARS ABOUT NEW ENERGY Utilities Look To Mitigate Renewable Integration Challenges

Angela Beniwal, 11 June 2012 (Renew Grid)

“The amount of [variable renewable energies like wind and solar] on the grid is increasing globally and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future…Smart grid technologies can go a long way in alleviating integration issues. Up until recently, investment in this type of technology - including high-voltage, direct-current transmission, flexible alternating current transmission, phasor measurement units, and wind and solar forecasting - has focused on wholesale transmission……[But] the worldwide power system is moving… to a distributed generation (DG) system…

“Smart grid technologies currently represent revenues of over $3.8 billion, according to a recent Pike Research study. Out of this, microgrids dominate, with more than $3 billion in economic activity, or 81%...[Microgrids in Pike's study refer to remote systems that operate as a backup in areas such as Alaska or developing countries…By 2018, microgrids are still expected to represent a large share of smart grid integration technology, but demand response (DR) will increase…”

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“…[California utilities] are quickly learning how to properly handle variable resources, especially at the distribution level…California has…set a goal of [33 percent renewables and] 12 GW of distributed generation by 2020…[C]hallenges remain…[S]olar photovoltaic power causes operational concerns related to maintenance and voltage regulation. Most PV inverters cannot adequately regulate voltage…and as a result, there tends to be higher voltages on the distribution system…SDG&E is conducting technical studies and demonstration projects to determine the effects of additional renewable distributed energy generation (RDEG). Field measurements indicate significant impacts to system performance on distribution circuits with high levels of conventional DG…[The] smart grid plan is expected to address the impact of RDEG intermittency, as will better forecasting…

“Renewable energy companies are stepping up to the plate with technology that addresses integration issues. For example, Siemens' 3.6 MW SWT wind turbine provides frequency regulation, over and under frequency and ramp control…Petra Solar's smart energy solution includes automated ramp-rate management that reduces voltage disturbances through [gradual ramping and a] controlled return to full power…”

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U.S. WIND LOOKS TO CANADA Whoa, Canada! U.S. Wind Energy Companies Look To The North

Mark Del Franco, 12 June 2012 (North American Windpower)

“The uncertainty surrounding the extension of the production tax credit (PTC) for wind power in the U.S. has led some developers and suppliers to seek opportunities in the Canadian wind energy market. …EDP Renewables North America...is aggressively exploring opportunities to either acquire Canadian wind projects or partner in them…[Pattern Energy, RES Americas and Invenergy have expanded into the Canadian market over the past few years]…

“…[According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), interest from the U.S. in the Canadian market has never been higher…[illustrating] the importance of stable policy…Ontario and Quebec - the leading provinces for wind energy in Canada - have each reaffirmed their commitment to wind energy with long-term policy agendas.”

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“Ontario's Long Term Energy Plan, which was announced in 2010, envisions 10.7 GW of non-hydro renewable energy capacity by 2018. Of that amount, 7.5 GW is expected to be wind energy…[and] that plan is in addition to the province's Green Energy Act of 2009, which includes North America's first feed-in tariff…[Quebec] set an energy target of 4 GW of wind energy by 2015, which includes a goal of building 100 MW of wind energy for every 1 GW of new hydropower. A request for proposals to procure the target's remaining 700 MW is expected…later this year.

“Canada’s 5.4 GW of installed wind power capacity pales in comparison to the U.S.’ 48.611 GW. However, with similar or higher levels of growth expected over the next four years, Canada's wind energy industry is on pace to surpass 10 GW of installed capacity by 2015…Even without the interest from U.S. entities, CanWEA expects 1.5 GW of wind energy capacity to be installed this year, which would be an annual record…”

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THE LIFE OF SOLAR GE, Fraunhofer Building Solar Electronics Lifetime Prediction Tool

11 June 2012 (Solar Industry)

“GE has partnered with the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM to develop a new method to forecast the remaining life time of solar power electronics, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). The first prototype of this measurement system will be presented in Berlin in September.

“Constant load fluctuations burden the power electronics of solar inverters in PV plants, which increases the risk of sudden plant failure. Up to now, it was almost impossible to safely predict the service life of power semiconductors…Condition Monitoring für Leistungselektronik in der Fotovoltaik (CoMoLeFo) or Condition Monitoring for Power Electronics in Photovoltaics, has focused on the identification and detection of relevant aging mechanisms of insulated gate bipolar transistor power modules.”

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“IGBTs are switch elements designed for high-power levels and constitute the central component of modern inverters. Mathematical algorithms and measuring data are now able to make precise assessments concerning the condition of semiconductors during operation. This enables a forecast of the remaining life time of an IGBT and, therefore, conditions-based maintenance…

“CoMoLeFo is based on two complementary processes: One process indirectly determines the chip temperature by measuring relevant electrical parameters of the IGBT during operation. The other process monitors the parameter shift due to aging. In this way, the remaining life time of the IGBTs can be determined by a software-based remote diagnostic system.”

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