Energy solutions that work well for China will not necessarily work well for the United States. In addition to the massive population disparity, the United States has access to cheap and plentiful shale gas, and China does not. If China is going to reduce emissions substantially, more efficient coal generation has to be part of its equation, at least for the near to medium term. In the United States, investing in next-generation clean coal plants is not a good solution because natural gas is cheap, plentiful, and lower-emitting than all but the most expensive coal-fired power.
Electrical Power Generation.epub
By 2020, every existing coal-fired power unit in China must meet an efficiency standard of 310 gce per kilowatt-hour; any units that do not meet that standard by 2020 will be retired. In contrast, none of the current top 100 most efficient U.S. coal-fired power units would meet that same efficiency standard today. (see Table A2)
Starting in 2014,30 China rolled out new air pollution emissions standards for new and existing coal-fired power plants that are stronger than the comparable standards from the European Union and the United States. When visiting coal facilities in China, CAP found that some coal-fired power facilities display real-time emissions levels for these key local air pollutants on large billboards outside the main gate, particularly the cleaner plants that want to advertise their technical superiority.
Beijing ordered local officials to assess new project applications based on local demand conditions and central government energy policy priorities, which included a shift away from coal-fired power.41 Instead, local officials all raced to be the last coal-fired province standing.
In Beijing, Chinese leaders have a clear policy vision. They want to grab the clean energy bull by the horns and leverage those technologies to create new jobs at home and new export opportunities abroad.45 When local officials went on a coal-fired power construction approval spree, Beijing recognized that local incentive structures did not match national priorities and cracked the whip. Now thermal capacity growth is dropping, and that drop is likely to accelerate going forward.
The Leaburg Dam is a reinforced concrete and steel structure that diverts water into a power canal for use in generating electricity farther downstream at the Leaburg power plant. The dam, which uses roll gates to control the flow of water into the canal, is equipped with fish ladders. A bridge located on top of the dam provides access to a state fish hatchery, Lloyd Knox Park and several private residences on the river's left bank.
The Leaburg Canal has been operating as a stormwater conveyance facility since October 2018, following observations of increased seepage and internal erosion of the canal embankments that prompted EWEB to dewater the canal and cease power generation.
The Walterville plant includes a headworks with a fish screen, power canal, forebay, penstock, power plant, substation, tailrace, fish barrier, and fish return channel, but does not include a dam. A portion of the water from the McKenzie River is diverted via rock formations known as chevrons into a power canal that originates on the McKenzie River's right bank and flows westerly to the forebay. From the forebay, water flows into the Walterville Powerhouse containing a single turbine connected to a generator.
The Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric Project is located 70 miles east of Eugene on the upper McKenzie River. For more than 50 years, Carmen-Smith, our largest utility-owned generating facility, has reliably served our customers with low-cost hydropower. The plant remains valuable as a carbon-free generation resource that can ramp up and down to meet customers' peak energy needs. In other words, the Carmen Smith Project operates as a system to store water overnight, and produces power during high usage times when we would otherwise be buying it on the wholesale market during those more expensive hours.
The Carmen Diversion Reservoir, filled by the McKenzie River flowing from its headwaters at Clear Lake, has minimal storage capacity and is used to divert water into a tunnel leading to Smith Reservoir. From Smith Reservoir, water is routed through a second tunnel to the Carmen Power Plant, which discharges into Trail Bridge Reservoir, and then flows through the Trail Bridge power plant and back into the McKenzie River below Trail Bridge Dam.
Two and a half years after Hurricanes Irma and Maria damaged 80% to 90% of the power transmission and distribution systems across the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), financial and infrastructure issues continue to challenge the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA). A combination of infrastructure needs and cash flow challenges has impacted electricity rates. As of February 1, 2020, electricity rates were approximately $0.40 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for residential customers (for the first 250 kWh) and approximately $0.47/kWh for commercial customers. In 2017, prior to the hurricanes, electricity rates were above $0.32/kWh. In comparison, the U.S. average price of electricity in December 2019 was approximately $0.13/kWh for residential customers and $0.10/kWh for commercial customers.
[T]he grantee is prohibited from using CDBG-MIT funds for mitigation activities to reduce the risk of disaster related damage to electric power systems until after HUD publishes the Federal Register notice governing the use of the $2 billion for enhanced or improved electrical power systems. This limitation includes a prohibition on the use of CDBG-MIT funds for mitigation activities carried out to meet the matching requirement, share, or contribution for any Federally-funded project that is providing funds for electrical power systems until HUD publishes the Federal Register notice governing the use of CDBG-DR funds to provide enhanced or improved electrical power systems.
The prohibition on the use of CDBG-MIT funds, combined with WAPA's cash flow challenges, limits WAPA's ability to make improvements to the island's two electric power grids. Without sufficient available funds, WAPA is unable to meet federal funding matching requirements to make use of eligible mitigation funding from FEMA to harden the electrical power systems and improve resiliency. In October 2018, in response to concerns that WAPA would exceed its debt ceiling of $500 million, the USVI Senate raised WAPA's debt limit to $750 million.
WAPA's cash flow challenges have led to fuel supply issues and contract disputes. On June 3, 2019, concerns over payment for fuel reportedly led Vitol Inc. to send a letter to USVI Senate President Novelle Francis demanding a payment of $20 million to be paid by June 30, 2019, to prevent a fuel cutoff. On March 10, 2020, WAPA reportedly received notification from APR Energy that the company would suspend power generation service to WAPA, in response to a default in payments. APR Energy suspended power generation service on March 11, 2020. APR Energy has provided power generation on the island of St. Thomas since 2013. In response, WAPA will rely on two less efficient generation units to continue providing power to St. Thomas and St. John. Although WAPA issued a press release stating that "the actions by APR Energy will have no effect on WAPA's ability to provide continuous electrical service," a district-wide electrical service interruption alert was also reportedly issued by WAPA. While the service interruption may not be related to the generation capacity loss and was resolved on the same day, it may be indicative of the challenges WAPA continues to face in providing reliable electric power services.
The fiscal and infrastructure challenges facing WAPA raise several potential issues for Congress. Insular areas face unique challenges for electric power system reliability. Congress might consider proposals to support initiatives to lower energy costs. Mainland electrical power generation has largely shifted to using more natural gas as a fuel in recent years. Construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility and accompanying generation plants could lead to lower energy prices and an enhanced capacity to employ renewable energy sources. Increasing renewable energy and energy storage may be an option. While WAPA has taken some steps to modernize its generating units, some major investments may be needed. For example, while construction of a LNG facility and further conversions of generating units could lead to lower electricity rates in the future, significant financial commitments for these projects would likely challenge the fiscal capacity of the USVI government and WAPA. Also, LNG supply contracts typically extend over decades due to the scale of required investments, arrangements that could be difficult to negotiate given the WAPA's fiscal situation. Congress may expand oversight of federal agencies that administer disaster assistance programs, including FEMA and HUD, to ensure the timely receipt of assistance by grantees. Congress could also examine the interplay among federal agencies or consider changes to existing authorizations addressing federal assistance for energy planning and rebuilding or modernizing the electric power systems of insular areas.
When an emergency occurs, it pays to be prepared. Whether your area suffers from the occasional blackout due to storms or traffic accidents, having a generator on hand can keep your home or business up and running with the essentials until the power is back. A portable generator works by turning an onboard alternator into electricity that is then used to power your home. It has a gas engine and outlets which you can connect extensions to power many items.
Much like an electrical plant, only in miniature, a portable generator works by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Many models use gas as a cheap and convenient way to get this process started, but you can also find diesel or propane units.
Very similar to "how do electrical generators work?" is "how does a generator produce electricity?". They produce electricity by converting mechanical or chemical energy into electrical energy. By forcing electrons from an external source through an electrical circuit, they convert the power of motion into electrical energy. A generator is basically an electric motor working in reverse. 2ff7e9595c
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