QUICK NEWS, July 16: HOUSE REPUBLICANS ATTACK NEW ENERGY; BIG MONEY IN SERVICING WIND; THE ADVENT OF ULTRA HVDC

HOUSE REPUBLICANS ATTACK NEW ENERGY Assault On Solar? House Republicans Fire Off 'No More Solyndras Act'

Laura DiMiugno, 12 July 2012 (Solar Industry)

[Editor’s note: The loan guarantee was evaluated by a conservative Republican and found to be untarnished. Its less than three percent failure rate is far lower than even the best venture capitalists and it has funded some of the most promising cutting edge New Energy technologies.]

“…Republicans in the House of Representatives have offered up a new measure that would essentially eradicate the now-infamous [DOE loan-guarantee] program…[T]he "No More Solyndras Act" - would phase out the loan-guarantee program established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005...[I]t is also an attack against clean energy and, more specifically, solar. When thin-film module manufacturer Abound Solar - another DOE loan-guarantee recipient - announced last week it was suspending operations, it seemed almost inevitable that the Solyndra talks would resurface.”

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“The bill - introduced by Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., two central figures leading the epic Solyndra investigations - would forbid the DOE from issuing a loan guarantee for any application received after Dec. 31, 2011. Pending applications that were submitted before that date would remain active, but companies would have to meet a host of [new] criteria…

“Although Section 1705 of the program - the provision under which Solyndra was backed - has expired, the DOE is still considering applications for loan guarantees under Section 1703, which authorizes the DOE to support clean energy technologies that are unable to obtain conventional private financing. In fact, there is still some $34 billion remaining under Section 1703 for loan guarantees, according to the bill…”

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BIG MONEY IN SERVICING WIND US O&M spending to reach $6 billion by 2025

11 July 2012 (Windpower Monthly)

“Annual spending on operations and maintenance (O&M) in the US wind industry will double from just under $3 billion this year to nearly $6 billion in 2025, accounting for 29% of total capital expenditures in the sector.

“…[C]onsulting firm IHS Emerging Energy Research says it expects O&M spending to grow at a 5.5% compound annual rate as total installed onshore capacity grows from 47GW at the end of 2011 to a projected 127GW over the next 14 years.”

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”The growth in spending is making the market for O&S services more competitive, the report says. Large wind owners are bringing more of the work in-house to leverage economies of scale…[and] turbine manufacturers are aggressively expanding the O&M side of their businesses to help make up for an expected drop in orders…[while] a host of independent service providers are entering the business.

“The competition is driving companies to offer new types of products aimed at improving project output…"

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THE ADVENT OF ULTRA HVDC ABB Develops And Tests Ultrahigh-Voltage Direct-Current Transformer

6 July 2012 (Renew Grid)

“ABB says it has successfully developed and tested a 1,100 kV ultrahigh-voltage direct-current converter transformer.

The Xiangjiaba-Shanghai link, which was commissioned by ABB, has a capacity of 6.4 GW and covers a distance of just over 2,000 km, making it the longest of its kind in operation, according to the company. The new 1,100 kV converter transformer technology will make it possible to transmit more than 10 GW of power across distances as long as 3,000 km.”

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“Converter transformers play a critical role in high-voltage direct-current transmission, serving as an important interface between the DC link and the AC network, according to ABB. Development of the 1,100 kV transformer addressed several technology challenges, such as the sheer size and scale, and electrical insulation, including bushings and thermal performance parameters.”

[Bernhard Jucker, head, ABB power products division:] "This new 1,100 kV transformer technology will make it possible to transmit even more electricity efficiently and reliably, at higher voltage levels, across greater distances with minimum losses…"

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