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Missouri municipal power plant to test burn engineered pellets

Columbia (Mo.) Water and Light has approval from its advisory board to purchase biomass pellets for trial burns at the municipal power plant this winter. As part of its renewable energy program, CWL has been co-firing coal with waste wood chips since 2008 and has continuously explored the use of other biomass fuels, explained Tad Johnsen, director of water and light in a memorandum to the advisory board.

With the approval, CWL is planning test burns in January of engineered pellets developed in a collaborative effort between Missouri Corn Growers Association and Enginuity Worldwide LLC. Enginuity’s bid was to deliver 700 tons of the experimental fuel made from corn stover or a mixture of stover and grass for testing at a cost of $500 per ton. When including the cost of stack testing, fuels testing, engineering monitoring and analysis, furnace monitoring and measurement and incidentals, the total expected cost of a test burn is $375,000. CWL and Missouri Corn Growers have applied for a $125,000 grant from the American Public Power Association to help with costs.

Last October, the CWL conducted a test firing using miscanthus pellets with mixed results. While the pellets mixed well with the coal and were handled easily in the system that includes a front end loader, bucket elevator, screw auger and chute delivery to supply the stokers, the coal plant’s handling system created dust and degraded the pellets. In addition, although the pellets were covered with tarps in the outdoor storage area, wherever water could infiltrate, the pellets swelled and disintegrated. Recommendations following that test included making the pellets larger and weatherproofing or hardening them. Storage and handling should be either indoors or better protected from the weather. A separate fuel handling system should be used if the pellets are to be used in the current form that would feed them into the boiler fuel train at about the coal scale level of the boiler. And finally, any future test burns should be done in two phases that first tests the handling and combustion characteristics, and if successful, completes stack testing in a second phase.

In its bid to CWL to test the experimental pellet, Enginuity Worldwide addressed many of the issues uncovered in the miscanthus pellet test burn. “Based on the laboratory testing to date, it is not anticipated the EWW will experience any of the same handling or physical stability issues that were observed in the fall 2012 test burn of miscanthus pellets.” Enginuity has trademarked its process as eCARB, for environmentally continuous annually renewable biomass. The eCARB process produces a pellet that is specified to be 97 percent durable with a shape and size designed to work well when mixed with coal with minimal retrofits to handling systems. The company says its fuel is water resistant.  

Based in Columbia, Mo., Enginuity Worldwide is owned by Nancy Heimann. The company has several patent applications filed on the biomass fuel methods that describe it as including an adhesive comprised of a starch and a hydroxide. Further additives include a silicate, a viscosity agent, a preservative and a Btu additive, all of which are combustible materials.

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Solar, utility companies clash over changes to net metering

In the sunny Southwest, a fight between utilities and solar companies is heating up, casting a shadow over future renewable energy growth.

At stake are revisions to net metering, a key incentive for rooftop solar installations in the United States. Under these policies, the utility gives the homeowner a credit for the energy his rooftop photovoltaic panels put onto the grid that is subtracted from the electricity his home uses when the sun isn't shining.

Currently, 43 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories have net metering policies in place, with differing capacity limits. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, all public utilities are required to offer net metering to customers upon request.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the number of residential net-metered utility customers exploded from almost zero in 2003 to more than 300,000 in 2012. Falling panel prices, coupled with attractive incentives, expanded the market for rooftop solar. Last month, even the White House installed a rooftop solar array.

This rapid growth is leading some utilities to rethink rules favoring solar energy, citing unexpected consequences and issues of fairness. But rooftop solar developers are aggressively pushing back, accusing utilities of attempting to quash an emerging competitor and entrenching their energy monopoly.

A proposed surcharge

Arizona's main electric utility, Arizona Public Service Co., proposed a surcharge in July for new residential solar installations based on how much energy they draw from the grid. The other option is for customers to receive a bill crediting them for the energy they put on the grid at the same market rate the utility gives to other generators. Existing residential installations would be grandfathered in, and commercial installations would be exempt. The policy still needs approval from regulators.

"Everybody that's connected to the grid is utilizing the grid at some time, and solar customers are no exception," said Greg Bernosky, manager of renewable energy programs for APS. "There are costs that solar customers avoid on their bills that are ultimately shifted to non-solar customers."

He explained that most homes don't have a way to store excess energy, so even if they produce more than they use over the course of a day, they still draw on the grid once the sun sets or when clouds form above. For conventional homeowners, the costs of transmission, distribution, maintenance and upkeep are built into their rates.

A home with a rooftop photovoltaic array foists the cost of keeping electricity on tap onto everyone without a solar installation, to the tune of an extra $1,000 annually per home, according to Bernosky.

This recent push for new rules in large part stems from efficiency improvements and cost reductions for photovoltaic panels in recent years, making the economic case for a home installation much more viable. "The technology wasn't as vibrant as it is today. It wasn't anticipated at that time it would evolve to where it was evolving today," said David Owens, executive vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, a utility industry group.

Net metering policies are a distinctly American incentive for renewable energy and spread gradually at a time when rooftop solar was a novelty. Countries like Germany, Italy and Spain used feed-in tariffs to encourage residential solar. Such tariffs give electricity from solar panels an above-market price so consumers stand to make more money from their investment.

Owens explained that this led to a large and rapid build-out for rooftop arrays but ended up costing these countries a great deal. In wake of the financial crisis, policymakers are scaling back tariffs and even adding more taxes for home solar systems, leading some homeowners to remove their installations.

A 'disruptive challenge' to utilities?

Though not as dramatic, net metering is also facing some growing pains in the United States as distributed solar takes up a greater share of the generation mix. Grid operators now have to account for power flowing in the opposite direction, away from homes and onto the grid. This requires new investments in hardware, monitoring and safety, Owen said.

Solar energy advocates, however, say that the industry has had distributed generation in its cross hairs since its inception. "Utilities have opposed net metering from day one," said Bryan Miller, president of the Alliance for Solar Choice. "What's different now is utilities have woken up and realized solar is a threat to their business model."

Source

Solar, utility companies clash over changes to net metering

In the sunny Southwest, a fight between utilities and solar companies is heating up, casting a shadow over future renewable energy growth.

At stake are revisions to net metering, a key incentive for rooftop solar installations in the United States. Under these policies, the utility gives the homeowner a credit for the energy his rooftop photovoltaic panels put onto the grid that is subtracted from the electricity his home uses when the sun isn't shining.

Currently, 43 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories have net metering policies in place, with differing capacity limits. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, all public utilities are required to offer net metering to customers upon request.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the number of residential net-metered utility customers exploded from almost zero in 2003 to more than 300,000 in 2012. Falling panel prices, coupled with attractive incentives, expanded the market for rooftop solar. Last month, even the White House installed a rooftop solar array.

This rapid growth is leading some utilities to rethink rules favoring solar energy, citing unexpected consequences and issues of fairness. But rooftop solar developers are aggressively pushing back, accusing utilities of attempting to quash an emerging competitor and entrenching their energy monopoly.

A proposed surcharge

Arizona's main electric utility, Arizona Public Service Co., proposed a surcharge in July for new residential solar installations based on how much energy they draw from the grid. The other option is for customers to receive a bill crediting them for the energy they put on the grid at the same market rate the utility gives to other generators. Existing residential installations would be grandfathered in, and commercial installations would be exempt. The policy still needs approval from regulators.

"Everybody that's connected to the grid is utilizing the grid at some time, and solar customers are no exception," said Greg Bernosky, manager of renewable energy programs for APS. "There are costs that solar customers avoid on their bills that are ultimately shifted to non-solar customers."

He explained that most homes don't have a way to store excess energy, so even if they produce more than they use over the course of a day, they still draw on the grid once the sun sets or when clouds form above. For conventional homeowners, the costs of transmission, distribution, maintenance and upkeep are built into their rates.

A home with a rooftop photovoltaic array foists the cost of keeping electricity on tap onto everyone without a solar installation, to the tune of an extra $1,000 annually per home, according to Bernosky.

This recent push for new rules in large part stems from efficiency improvements and cost reductions for photovoltaic panels in recent years, making the economic case for a home installation much more viable. "The technology wasn't as vibrant as it is today. It wasn't anticipated at that time it would evolve to where it was evolving today," said David Owens, executive vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, a utility industry group.

Net metering policies are a distinctly American incentive for renewable energy and spread gradually at a time when rooftop solar was a novelty. Countries like Germany, Italy and Spain used feed-in tariffs to encourage residential solar. Such tariffs give electricity from solar panels an above-market price so consumers stand to make more money from their investment.

Owens explained that this led to a large and rapid build-out for rooftop arrays but ended up costing these countries a great deal. In wake of the financial crisis, policymakers are scaling back tariffs and even adding more taxes for home solar systems, leading some homeowners to remove their installations.

A 'disruptive challenge' to utilities?

Though not as dramatic, net metering is also facing some growing pains in the United States as distributed solar takes up a greater share of the generation mix. Grid operators now have to account for power flowing in the opposite direction, away from homes and onto the grid. This requires new investments in hardware, monitoring and safety, Owen said.

Solar energy advocates, however, say that the industry has had distributed generation in its cross hairs since its inception. "Utilities have opposed net metering from day one," said Bryan Miller, president of the Alliance for Solar Choice. "What's different now is utilities have woken up and realized solar is a threat to their business model."

Source

Solar, utility companies clash over changes to net metering

In the sunny Southwest, a fight between utilities and solar companies is heating up, casting a shadow over future renewable energy growth.

At stake are revisions to net metering, a key incentive for rooftop solar installations in the United States. Under these policies, the utility gives the homeowner a credit for the energy his rooftop photovoltaic panels put onto the grid that is subtracted from the electricity his home uses when the sun isn't shining.

Currently, 43 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories have net metering policies in place, with differing capacity limits. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, all public utilities are required to offer net metering to customers upon request.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the number of residential net-metered utility customers exploded from almost zero in 2003 to more than 300,000 in 2012. Falling panel prices, coupled with attractive incentives, expanded the market for rooftop solar. Last month, even the White House installed a rooftop solar array.

This rapid growth is leading some utilities to rethink rules favoring solar energy, citing unexpected consequences and issues of fairness. But rooftop solar developers are aggressively pushing back, accusing utilities of attempting to quash an emerging competitor and entrenching their energy monopoly.

A proposed surcharge

Arizona's main electric utility, Arizona Public Service Co., proposed a surcharge in July for new residential solar installations based on how much energy they draw from the grid. The other option is for customers to receive a bill crediting them for the energy they put on the grid at the same market rate the utility gives to other generators. Existing residential installations would be grandfathered in, and commercial installations would be exempt. The policy still needs approval from regulators.

"Everybody that's connected to the grid is utilizing the grid at some time, and solar customers are no exception," said Greg Bernosky, manager of renewable energy programs for APS. "There are costs that solar customers avoid on their bills that are ultimately shifted to non-solar customers."

He explained that most homes don't have a way to store excess energy, so even if they produce more than they use over the course of a day, they still draw on the grid once the sun sets or when clouds form above. For conventional homeowners, the costs of transmission, distribution, maintenance and upkeep are built into their rates.

A home with a rooftop photovoltaic array foists the cost of keeping electricity on tap onto everyone without a solar installation, to the tune of an extra $1,000 annually per home, according to Bernosky.

This recent push for new rules in large part stems from efficiency improvements and cost reductions for photovoltaic panels in recent years, making the economic case for a home installation much more viable. "The technology wasn't as vibrant as it is today. It wasn't anticipated at that time it would evolve to where it was evolving today," said David Owens, executive vice president of the Edison Electric Institute, a utility industry group.

Net metering policies are a distinctly American incentive for renewable energy and spread gradually at a time when rooftop solar was a novelty. Countries like Germany, Italy and Spain used feed-in tariffs to encourage residential solar. Such tariffs give electricity from solar panels an above-market price so consumers stand to make more money from their investment.

Owens explained that this led to a large and rapid build-out for rooftop arrays but ended up costing these countries a great deal. In wake of the financial crisis, policymakers are scaling back tariffs and even adding more taxes for home solar systems, leading some homeowners to remove their installations.

A 'disruptive challenge' to utilities?

Though not as dramatic, net metering is also facing some growing pains in the United States as distributed solar takes up a greater share of the generation mix. Grid operators now have to account for power flowing in the opposite direction, away from homes and onto the grid. This requires new investments in hardware, monitoring and safety, Owen said.

Solar energy advocates, however, say that the industry has had distributed generation in its cross hairs since its inception. "Utilities have opposed net metering from day one," said Bryan Miller, president of the Alliance for Solar Choice. "What's different now is utilities have woken up and realized solar is a threat to their business model."