QUICK NEWS, April 3: SOLAR POWER TOWER CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE; SEVEN WAYS TO A USER-FRIENDLY SMART GRID; WIRELESS BLDG ENERGY MANAGEMENT SPREADING
SOLAR POWER TOWER CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE Completion 0f Molten Salt Solar Receiver Sets Milestone in Nevada Solar Project Construction…
April 2, 2013 (SolarReserve)
“SolarReserve, a U.S. developer of large-scale solar power projects…announced completion of the assembly of the molten salt receiver panels that sits on top of the 540 foot solar power tower for its 110 megawatt (MW) Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Plant located near Tonopah, Nev…[T]he Crescent Dunes Plant will be the nation’s first commercial-scale solar power tower facility with energy storage and the largest power plant of its kind in the world…
“The project will utilize technology developed in the U.S. by SolarReserve and its technology partners to capture and store the sun’s energy in order to deliver a firm electricity supply to Nevada, day or night, without the need to burn fossil fuels. The molten salt ‘receiver’ is actually comprised of panels formed by hundreds of special alloy tubes which will be flowing with molten salt for energy absorption and storage…[T]he project will be capable of storing 10 hours of full load electricity production, enough to power 75,000 homes at peak electric demand periods, even after dark.”
“The project closed financing and initiated construction in September of 2011 and is scheduled to complete construction and start plant commissioning at the end of 2013, including first electricity production by the end of the year. The Crescent Dunes project has secured a 25-year power purchase agreement with NV Energy to sell 100 percent of the electricity output…[It] is jointly owned by SolarReserve, ACS Cobra Group, a worldwide leader in the engineering and construction of power plants and thermal solar facilities, and Santander Group, a global financial services and banking leader. ACS Cobra’s Nevada-based affiliate, Cobra Thermosolar Plants Inc., is the general contractor…
“Construction is expected to peak at more than 600 jobs on site during the 30-month construction period and is estimated to create more than 4,300 direct, indirect and induced jobs at companies throughout the U.S. that provide engineering, equipment supply and manufacturing, transportation and other value-added services. To date, orders for the project have been placed for equipment and services in more than 21 states. Once operational, the project will expend more than $10 million per year in salaries and operating costs, and is forecasted to generate $73 million in total tax revenues through the first 20 years of operation…”
SEVEN WAYS TO A USER-FRIENDLY SMART GRID Seven Simple Strategies For Smart Grid Engagement
Patty Durand, 27 March 2013 (Renew Grid)
“…Finding the right approach to [to adequately engage, educate and understand consumers] is particularly critical for utilities that are pursuing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments… Smart Grid Customer Engagement Success Stories spotlights the strategies and tactics employed by four energy utilities in the U.S. - CenterPoint Energy, Oklahoma Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison - to successfully engage customers about the benefits of the smart grid, smart meters, demand response and other enabling technology and devices for home energy management.
“First, these utilities have deployed their smart meter programs across their service area…not just running pilot programs. Second, these utilities had evidence that strategic engagement through education and outreach programs engaged consumers in using the available smart grid technology. Finally, these utilities have documented authentic customer testimonials articulating the benefits…”
“…[S]even successful customer engagement principles…[include] Educate customers before deployment…Anticipate and answer questions before customers ask them…Facilitate community engagement…Communicate ways to save via signing up for time-based prices and shifting usage off-peak…Deploy a user-friendly and information-rich web portal…Offer user-friendly smart grid-enabled technology, such as smart thermostats…[and] Create authentic customer testimonials…
“As consumers become more educated about smart grid and smart meters and have access to more information such as pricing and automation applications, their knowledge and favorability grows…”
WIRELESS BLDG ENERGY MANAGEMENT SPREADING Wireless Control Systems for Smart Buildings; ZigBee, EnOcean, Wi-Fi, and Other Wireless Networks for HVAC, Lighting, Fire & Safety, and Security & Access Control Systems in Commercial Buildings
1Q 2013 (Navigant Research)
“While building automation and controls have been used for decades, wireless is becoming the catalyst for enabling more granular and immediate control over building systems…
“Wireless controls offer economic benefits due to the savings in labor costs for installation and maintenance…as well as the ability to install sensors and devices in buildings that cannot easily be torn apart to install wiring, such as historical buildings.”
“Wireless controls can be used to link devices found in a variety of building systems, including lighting, HVAC, fire and safety, and security and access. Over the past decade, the use of wireless local networks in both consumer and commercial environments has increased dramatically…
“…Wi-Fi technology has enabled users who found traditional networking too costly or complicated…Navigant Research forecasts that annual worldwide shipments of wireless nodes for building controls will surpass 36 million by 2020…”
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