Siemens develops a gas-insulated transmission line for carrying large amounts of energy at high DC voltages. Berlin Technical University and Dresden University of Applied Sciences, among others, are working under the lead management of Siemens on developing a new gas-insulated DC transmission line, known as the DC CTL (Compact Transmission Line for Direct-current High Voltage)…
Greensmith unveils new visualization and simulation applications for GEMS4 energy storage platform
Greensmith, provider of grid-scale energy storage software and integration solutions, announced the addition of two new applications to its GEMS4 software technology platform. The new StorageModel and StorageView applications offer advanced simulation and visualization capabilities to energy storage developers and owners. With the new applications, energy storage developers and owners can test alternative energy storage…
Duke Energy is funding $1 million in energy storage research for renewables
Storing energy from the sun and wind, and using it efficiently on the electric grid, will be the focus of new research at Southern Indiana’s Battery Innovation Center (BIC) near the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center. Duke Energy and the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) are partnering with the Battery Innovation Center to…
What I’ve learned from the wind industry
It’s 2008 and I’m about to attend my first-ever WINDPOWER Conference & Exhibition. Standing at the entrance of the exhibit hall inside Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, my nerves seem to be growing along with the hustle and bustle inside the room. Frantic final touches are being made before the doors officially open to…
DNV GL survey: 82% of global industry respondents say electricity system can be 70% renewable by 2050
In ‘Beyond Integration: Three dynamics shaping renewables and the grid,’ a recent global industry research initiative, DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts, gathered views from over 1,600 energy sector participants across more than 70 countries. The study addressed key questions on how to best move forward the integration of renewables into…
How fluctuating oil prices affect everyday life
Editor’s Note: A drop in oil prices might seem like a good thing at first (cheaper prices at the pump for one), but they can also symbolize a weak global economy. Cheap oil and gas prices may also negatively impact renewables. Although as some analysts have pointed out, wind and solar energy tend to be…
Non-hydro renewable electricity grows 11% in 2014, with wind up by 8.3%
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s latest “Electric Power Monthly” report, with data through the end of 2014, net electrical generation from non-hydro renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) increased by 10.9% over the previous year. The contribution to net electrical generation by just solar more than doubled (102.8%), while wind…
IRENA workshop to develop energy storage roadmap
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will host their fourth workshop “International Energy Storage Policy and Regulation” at the Energy Storage Europe 2015 Conference and Expo, March 10 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The workshop will collect input and feedback on IRENA’s technology roadmap for electricity storage, due to be launched this summer. The roadmap will guide…
ABB paper: The problems connecting renewable energy sources and solutions.
Operators of renewable energy sites have noted a number of different design and performance issues that have not always been properly addressed during the development of the projects. These issues have included transient over-voltages, harmonic problems, transformer saturation, power factor, reactive power, and voltage control. ABB has been a major supplier of equipment for renewable…
Studies say most consumers want more renewable energy
Two studies commissioned by Vestas show 67% of U.S. consumers prefer renewable energy among all energy sources. Also, 51% of American consumers would be more willing to buy brands for products made with renewable energy, while corporations are continuing to show preference for investing in renewables. The Corporate Renewable Energy Index Report (CREX) 2012 conducted…