Biomass cogeneration facility opens at the site of Ministry of energy

This is an excerpt from EERE network news, a weekly electronic newsletter.

The Department of energy and Ameresco, Inc. marks the successful operational launch of a new $ 795 million biomass-powered cogeneration plant at DOE's Savannah River site (SRS) in Aiken, South Carolina, on 12 March. The 20-megawatt project an estimated 800 jobs created, and if it is full, the plant will employ 25 full time jobs locally and supports the logging of the local community. The facility replaces a deterioration and inefficient 1950s years era coal power plant and oil fired boiler and is estimated at 944 million dollars in savings in fuel costs in the next 20 years and generate costs for operation and maintenance. Biomass, consisting of local forest residue and wood chips, and bio-fuels are the primary source of energy for the tech renewable energy facility, which burn the capacity annually has residue 385,000 tons forest. The projects "renewable" the 2012 renewable energy World Excellence was also in renewable energy Awardfor biomass project of the year. SRS dedicated a DOE's industrial complex environment key management and cleanup to nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship and nuclear materials disposition in support of U.S. nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

The project is also the largest renewable energy savings performance of specific contract (ESPC) in U.S. history. DOE 20 years fixed price with Ameresco, a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy companies in 2009 to fund, design contract one, construct, operate, maintain and fuel pump the new biomass website. ESPCs are contracts in which private companies, finance, install and wait new and water energy-efficient equipment for federal facilities. The Government pays no up-front, and the company investment in the course of time by the Agency from the cost savings generated will be returned by the new instrument. This makes it possible for the Government with the private sector buy more energy-efficient systems and improve the energy efficiency of their facilities without additional cost to the agency or the tax payers. Find the SRS press release and Ameresco press release.

View the original article here

Ministry of defence studies solar energy potential desert bases

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) could 7,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy on four military bases located in the Californian desert, according to a study of DOD generate. The one-year study, published on 13 January, saw seven military bases in California and Nevada. Found that although most of the area unsuitable for solar big enough are development due to the military use and other factors, the appropriate locations, to generate understanding more than 30 times of electricity consumption by the California. That would equal approximately 25% of renewable energy, requires California utilities to use by 2015.

The study comes concluded that 25,000 hectares are suitable for solar suitable development and a further 100,000 hectares for solar. According to the study, which followed base (24.327 ha), Edwards air force at the most economical areas on the Fort Irwin (18.728 ha), China Lake (6.777) and Twentynine palms (553 acres) found. Finally, the study finds that private developers can tap the potential of solar to these plants with class investments of DOD, and that the development of income or other benefits like discount could bring the Federal Government up to $100 million a year.

DOD seeks to develop solar, wind, to reduce geothermal power and other distributed energy sources on its basis, their electric bill $4 billion per year and its dependence on the commercial power grid. This in place energy production, together with energy storage and so-called smart Microgrid technology allows to maintain a military base, its critical operations "off-grid" for weeks or months, if the grid have been interrupted. See press release DOD.

View the original article here