Plant maintenance, dry spell mean power supply uncertain

LUZON’S POWER supply situation remains uncertain as many of the grid’s coal-fired plants are on "preventive maintenance" and hydropower facilities deal with below normal water levels.
Power outages hit Metro Manila and nearby provinces on Monday after a unit of the 1,000-megawatt (MW) Sual plant in Pangasinan conked out due to a technical problem.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines declared a "red alert" as the incident cut reserves to zero, although officials yesterday said the situation was resolved late on Monday.

The Luzon grid, however, remains under "yellow alert", meaning reserves are dangerously low.

Semiconductor and Electronics Industry of the Philippines Inc. (SEIPI) chairman Arthur J. Young Jr. expressed concern over the supply situation.

"Obviously we lose productivity when power is down. The ’yellow alert’ level is a concern to us," said Mr. Young, whose organization represents firms responsible for the country’s main export.

NGCP, the private operator of the country’s transmission lines, said Sual’s Unit 1 came back online at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, with an initial load of 225 MW that was later increased to 531 MW.

The grid’s reserve level was said to be at 201 MW as of yesterday afternoon, well below the required 1,000 MW. A total capacity of 6,521 MW was said to be available, with peak demand estimated at 6,320 MW.

Officials said one reason for the thin reserve was the fact that many of the grid’s coal plants are under preventive maintenance. These include Quezon Power’s 460-MW facility, Ilijan’s 600-MW Block B unit, and the 620-MW Limay plant. NGCP also reported that a 200-MW unit of the 600-MW Calaca plant was down due to a boiler tube leak.

Even before the tripping of Sual’s Unit 1, the plant’s 647-MW Unit 2 was shut down last Jan. 8 due to a coal supply shortage.

Energy secretary Angelo T. Reyes said many plants are under preventive maintenance in preparation for the May national elections.

"The power plants have scheduled their maintenance shutdowns to avoid scheduling them during elections," he said in a statement.

"We are just making sure. We don’t want any reason or whatsoever that these power generators will go on maintenance shutdown during the elections. So they moved forward all of their maintenance shutdowns to avoid making excuses during the elections."

Adding to the low supply in the Luzon grid are low water levels that have curbed output from hydropower plants on the island.

National Power Corp. (Napocor) data show that water levels at the 200-MW Angat, 75-MW Ambuklao, 100-MW Binga, 23.50-MW Caliraya, 360-MW Magat, 100-MW Pantabangan, and the 345-MW San Roque are all under the "rule curve" -- below that required.

Napocor spokesman Dennis S. Gana declined to state how output had been affected.

"There is nothing constant in this as there are many factors. But we now cannot use the dams as much as we could (sic)," Mr. Gana said.

Power generation is also not a priority for a multipurpose facility like Angat as drinking water comes first and irrigation is second.

Carlito C. Claudio, deputy assistant chief technical officer of NGCP, said the "yellow alert" level would be lifted on Feb. 9, a day after an expected coal shipment for Sual’s Unit 2 arrives.

"Early part of February, by [the] 9[th], our situation will be okay," Mr. Claudio said in a telephone interview.

The "yellow alert" status means outages for consumers should one of the remaining plants in operation trip.

Jesusito H. Sulit, senior adviser to the NGCP president, claimed Luzon power supply would stabilize by the end of the month. He said Ilijan’s two 200-MW gas turbines would go online on Jan. 29 while the plant’s 200-MW steam turbine was scheduled to go onstream two days later.

SEIPI’s Mr. Young, meanwhile, said they were coordinating with Manila Electric Co. regarding power supply updates.

"All we can do is to ensure that our backup power is in good condition," he said.
http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=5271

States clamp down on power exports

Anil Sasi
New Delhi, Dec. 25
Reforms in the power sector remain stymied though the path-breaking Electricity Act, 2003 promised to usher in a free market as most States are stubbornly refusing to play ball.
A number of State governments are using all possible means to restrict supply of power outside their boundaries. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Orissa and Rajasthan have issued orders invoking emergency provisions under the Electricity Act to stymie open access, which goes against the very spirit of the reformist legislation.
The provision of open access enables power generators to cherry-pick consumers while allowing users to migrate to power suppliers of their choice.
A majority of these States have issued restrictive orders this year to prevent captive units and private plants from selling electricity outside their boundaries on the grounds of a power deficit in the respective State.
The curbs on wheeling of power outside the State have mostly been invoked under Section 11 and 108 of the Act.
“The issue has been brought to the notice of the Central Government, the Planning Commission and the Central Electricity Authority by some IPPs (independent power projects, that is, private project developers). Providing non-discriminatory open access to transmission and distribution systems is necessary for inter-State sale of power, market development and protecting the interest of the consumer. We are taking up the issue with the concerned States in strong terms,” a senior official with the Power Ministry said.
The Electricity Act has given powers to the State Governments under “extraordinary circumstances” to give directions to the generating stations to clamp supplies outside the State. These circumstances have been defined in the law to mean “circumstances arising out of threat to the security of the state, public order or a natural calamity or such circumstances arising in public interest”.
“It is these provisions that are being misused. Except for irregular monsoons, clearly nothing adverse has taken place across any of these States to necessitate the invoking of the restrictive measures,” an official from the CEA said.
By using the restrictive provisions, most States are permitting sale of power in the short-term market only when certain quantity of surplus from captive power plants is supplied to the State grid. Depending upon the requirement of a State, sellers are either denied power during evening peak hours or, in some cases, allowed after committing some quantity of power round-the-clock to the State grid.
Other roadblocks in the market development are high transmission charges for the use of State network and cross-subsidy surcharges imposed on the industrial consumers for getting the open access facility.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/12/26/stories/2009122652420100.htm

Somany Ceramics augments captive power generation capacity at its Kassar plant

Adds additional 3MW captive power generators

New Delhi - November 12: Somany Ceramics Ltd., one of the leading tile manufacturers in India, today announced its plans to enhance its captive power generation by 3 MW at its manufacturing unit in Kassar, Haryana, in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply. The company has entered into a long term agreement with GAIL for the required quantity of natural gas annually for running these generators.

The irregular power supply tends to affect the temperature of the kiln which has a direct relation with the quality of the products. Thus, the uninterrupted power supply will help in reducing the production loss.

The company earlier had capacity of 2MW power generation by using natural gas and with this the company's total captive power generation will increase to 5 MW. In addition to setting up the power generators, Somany Ceramics will simultaneously install equipments for full utilization of the waste heat generated from these generators.

Somany Ceramics expects improvement in its bottom line by about Rs. 600 lacs annually beginning from the next financial year on account of saving in power and fuel costs, improvement in output and the quality of the products.

The generators and heat recovery systems are scheduled for commissioning towards the end of the current financial year.

The stock closed the day at Rs.114.45, up by Rs.5.45 or 5%. The stock hit an intraday high of Rs.114.45 and low of Rs.108.

The total traded quantity was 425 compared to 2 week average of 1872.
http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=63815

Power Generators

Ridgeblade is a device that sits on the roof of your home and contains a rotor that can generate power when wind hits it. It’s different to the more conventional generators that are seen and sits quite neatly on the roof of a home.
The Ridgeblade was designed as part of the 2009 Dutch Postcode Lottery Green Challenge and is touted by it’s designers as being an “innovative, affordable and effective way of harnessing the winds power to produce renewable energy.”
The design of the ridgeblade unit allows it to produce electricity in low wind conditions. This is partly down to where it is placed (on the top of the roof) where wind can be easily channelled through the turbine. The roof accelerates the wind to generate more power.
Ridgeblade could hit the market as soon as early 2010 if final testing proves to be succesful.
http://www.gadgetvenue.com/ridgeblade-wind-power-generator-11064342/

Australia generators may get more carbon aid -paper

CANBERRA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Some Australian power generators could get extra compensation on top of $2.8 billion already offered to help them adapt to the country's planned carbon-trading scheme, a local newspaper said on Friday.
The national government has agreed to review the level of compensation for brown coal-fired stations in Victoria state, The Age said, quoting confidential papers from the state government.
Victoria has been lobbying Canberra for more aid for the stations, among the industry's major carbon polluters, amid concerns that some could be forced to close.
Compensation has become a key battle ground in a political row over legislation underpinning the emissions scheme, which faces a second and possibly decisive vote in parliament next month.
The conservative opposition has called for more help for the coal industry and power generators in proposing amendments to the legislation. But Climate Change Minister Penny Wong has warned that compensation is not a "bottomless pit".
The legislation has already failed to pass the upper house once before and a second vote is set for late November. If it fails again, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would be able to call a snap election on the issue.
The Age quoted an unnamed power-industry consultant as saying Victoria Premier John Brumby, who belongs to Rudd's ruling Labor party, was worried about station closures and power disruptions.
http://in.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idINSYD47545020091023

For Safer Emergencies, Give Your Power Generator Some Space

To subdue the steaming heat of hurricanes or to thaw out during a blizzard, gasoline-powered, portable generators are a lifeline during weather emergencies when homes are cut off without electricity. But these generators emit poisonous carbon monoxide—a single generator can produce a hundred times more of the colorless, odorless gas than a modern car's exhaust.

New research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows that to prevent potentially dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, users may need to keep generators farther from the house than previously believed—perhaps as much as 25 feet.
Up to half of the incidents of non-fatal carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning reported in the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons involved generators run within 7 feet of the home, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Carbon monoxide can enter a house through a number of airflow paths, such as a door or window left open to accommodate the extension cord that brings power from the generator into the house. While some guidance recommends 10 feet from open windows as a safe operating distance, NIST researcher Steven Emmerich says the "safe" operating distance depends on the house, the weather conditions and the unit. A generator's carbon monoxide output is usually higher than an automobile's, he says, because most generators do not have the sophisticated emission controls that cars do.
"People need to be aware that generators are potentially deadly and they need to educate themselves on proper use," Emmerich says. With funding from CDC, NIST researchers are gathering reliable data to support future CDC guidance.
NIST building researchers simulated multiple scenarios of a portable generator operating outside of a one-story house, using both a test structure and two different computer models—the NIST-developed CONTAM indoor air quality model and a computational fluid dynamics model.
The simulations included factors that could be controlled by humans, such as generator location, exhaust direction and window-opening size, and environmental factors such as wind, temperature and house dimensions. In the simulations the generator was placed at various distances from the house and tested under different weather conditions.
"We found that for the house modeled in this study," researcher Leon Wang says, "a generator position 15 feet away from open windows was not far enough to prevent carbon monoxide entry into the house."
Winds perpendicular to the open window resulted in more carbon monoxide entry than winds at an angle, and lower wind speeds generally allowed more carbon monoxide in the house. "Slow, stagnant wind seems to be the worst case because it leads to the carbon monoxide lingering by the windows," Wang explains. Researchers determined that placing the generator outside of the airflow recirculation regions near the open windows reduced carbon monoxide entry.
In the next phase of the study NIST will model a two-story house that researchers believe will interact with the wind differently. NIST researchers also have worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission on related work. (See: "NIST to Study Hazards of Portable Gasoline-Powered Generators," NIST Tech Beat, March 5, 2008.)
* L. Wang and S.J. Emmerich. Modeling the Effects of Outdoor Gasoline Powered Generator Use on Indoor Carbon Monoxide Exposures. (NIST Technical Note 1637,) 2009.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091006191351.htm

Generators capture wave power

ABB generators are one of the essential components of the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter, designed by Edinburgh based Ocean Power Delivery.

ABB generators are capturing power from the waves in the world's first commercial wave power generation project.

The ABB generators are one of the essential components of the Pelamis Wave Energy Converter , designed by Edinburgh based Ocean Power Delivery (OPD) .
The first commercial wave farm project at Agucadora off the coast of Portugal will be operational during the coming months and will supply power for around 1,500 Portuguese homes.
The OPD Pelamis is a semi-submerged, articulated structure composed of cylindrical sections.
Three of the sections are designed as power modules, with two ABB 125kW generators in each section.
This allows for a high degree of fault tolerance and gives a total power output for the Pelamis of 750 kW.
Power modules are linked by hinged joints.
The wave-induced motion of these joints is resisted by hydraulic rams, which pressurise the hydraulic system.
Hydraulic motors are used in turn to drive the ABB electrical generators to produce electricity.
Power from all the joints is fed down a single umbilical cable to a junction on the sea bed.
Several devices can be connected together and linked to shore through a single seabed cable.
ABB was selected because of its willingness to meet the needs of OPD.
Steffi Anderson, Electrical Systems Engineer with OPD, says: "ABB came on board when our previous generator supplier could not meet our needs.
We needed a generator with a high IP rating, IP 67 and ABB had a new sealing system it had designed for motors on the decks of ships.
ABB provided a prototype generator at a low cost and was very keen to be part of the project." Much of the ABB work was performed at the ABB motor plant in Vaasa, Finland.
ABB was also prepared to adapt its products to suit OPD's space constraints in the modules.
It reduced the frame size of its generator from 315 to 280, cutting the weight from 860 kg to 725 kg.
Says Anderson: "This was a great help because the lower frame size meant the generators were easier to install in the power modules, where space was at a premium." ABB also adapted its power connections, moving from a cable box to a system using flying leads in order to make it easier to connect the generator to the switchgear panel.
Derek Robinson, ABB's Production Manager for cast iron products, says: "Renewable energy is a major focus for ABB and we were glad of the chance to work with OPD to help them develop their wave energy generators.
Our goal now is to help reduce the cost per kilowatt-hour by engineering out costs, improving efficiency and reducing sizes and stress." Anderson added: "ABB were very easy to work with and were very willing to adapt their products to meet our needs.
We envisage building larger versions of the wave energy converter that will use four power modules and so incorporate eight generators.
We expect to have a number of projects underway in the near future, including sites in the Orkneys and in Cornwall, so ABB could be supplying us with as many as 40 generators for this new work.".
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/abb/abb226.html