Blogs

PUD’s experimental solar power microgrid is ready to go live

By District Energy posted 7 hours ago
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Herald.net Summary Solar power, batteries, cars that can charge buildings, a self-sustaining energy grid. Snohomish County PUD’s   $12 million microgrid   is a clean energy experimenter’s dream. And it’s a tool that could one day become useful in the face of natural disasters, predicted to become more common as climate change persists. It isn’t big, at least as far as electric projects go, but it’s big on ideas. The goal is to show all the possibilities of a microgrid, and give a chance for engineers to work out any kinks, while they still can. During a visit in April, the site near the Arlington Airport had Gov. Jay Inslee impressed. He marveled ...
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A new Austin community will come standard with Tesla solar panels and batteries

By District Energy posted 7 hours ago
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Quartz Summary Elon Musk is continuing to grow his footprint in Texas by   installing   the latest version of Tesla’s solar roof on thousands of new homes. In early July, developers in Austin announced an entire neighborhood will be built with the   third version of Tesla’s solar roof tiles   and Powerwall battery storage installed in every home. Those homes will be part of a development known as SunHouse at Easton Park which will incorporate electric vehicle charging stations and other features. It aims to be “the most sustainable residential community” in the US, according to a   statement   from the firm backing the development. It’s also one of ...
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Microgrids In Australia — The Next Big Step

By District Energy posted 7 hours ago
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CleanTechnica Summary Australia is one of the leaders in the world in the adaptation of electrical power grids to the new technologies of renewable energy. Famous for the Hornsdale Power Reserve (Tesla’s Big Battery in South Australia), the country is now trialing microgrids with smaller batteries in cities (Sydney and Melbourne), isolated country towns, and mining complexes.  In Melbourne, the city council is seeking to establish a network of 5 MW batteries (the Power Melbourne Project). These batteries will enable a more efficient use of the network, putting power back in when it is needed the most. Early days yet — more details to be revealed.  ...
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MET Group acquires CHP power plants in Spain

By District Energy posted 7 hours ago
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The Diplomat Summary Swiss-based energy company MET Group has acquired a 100% stake in COGEN Energía España, an integrated operator and service provider in Spain’s CHP (combined heat and power) industry, from Norwegian Arendals Fossekompani listed in Oslo. On 28 July 2021, MET Group signed a share purchase agreement with Arendals Fossekompani (AFK ASA), a Norwegian holding company listed in Oslo, on the 100% acquisition of COGEN Energia España S.L.U and its subsidiaries. COGEN is an integrated owner, operator and service provider in Spain’s CHP industry with 30 years of market expertise. COGEN Energia España has three main business lines: 1: Operation ...
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Ground-Breaking Joint Venture Will Accelerate UK’s Journey To Net Zero

By District Energy posted 8 hours ago
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Renewable Energy Magazine Summary Gas distribution company SGN and UK renewable energy solutions provider Vital Energi are combining to form a unique and pioneering private sector initiative to develop, own and operate low and zero-carbon heat networks. The 50:50 joint venture will create an Energy Services Company (ESCO), representing the UK’s leaders in utility infrastructure and heat networks to provide affordable and low-carbon infrastructure to SGN’s existing land portfolio. This includes delivery of heat to developments planned by SGN’s property arm, SGN Place, and the local vicinities where there is a demand for low-carbon heat. It is estimated ...
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Highlands hotel sources heat from groundwater

By District Energy posted 8 hours ago
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renews.biz Summary An Inverness hotel is to pioneer a low carbon heating innovation which could pave the way for future decarbonisation of the gas grid in the Scottish Highlands capital and further afield. The Glen Mhor Hotel has commenced construction on a £2.5m system which will draw natural heat from groundwater. The groundwater source comes from geological sand and gravel layers found at shallow depth around Inverness, which is connected to the River Ness. The natural groundwater heat, gathered from shallow wells, will be further heated by electricity-driven heat pumps before being distributed to guests’ rooms and apartments via a small district ...
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University of Strathclyde student wins 3DReid Student Prize 2021

By District Energy posted 8 hours ago
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Scottish Construction Now Summary The prize had more entries than ever before with 33 nominations from the top UK architecture schools. Tutors were invited to nominate their best Part II students with the chance for a shot at the £1,000 prize. This year the judging criteria were revisited to reward projects that care about societal and environmental challenges. Tiia’s project, Cloud Cooperative, tackles the subject of data, challenging the current monopoly on the ownership and storage of our private information. Her response to an infrastructure which is otherwise hidden, inaccessible, remote and abstract is a community-owned research facility that is accessible ...
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Singapore sovereign fund invests $240m into geothermal DH

By District Energy posted 8 hours ago
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Think GeoEnergy Summary In an exciting   announcement   shared this week, Icelandic   Arctic Green Energy   and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), a government-owned company assigned to manage Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, report having set up an ambitious strategic alliance. The goal is to drive the uptake of zero carbon district heating in Europe and Asia. Under the agreement GIC will become an equity partner in Arctic Green Energy and commit a substantial new injection of $240 million to support the expansion of the company in Asia and Europe. Arctic Green Energy has become a major global player in the sustainable energy ...
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Munich utility and partner Erdwerk restructure cooperation

By District Energy posted 8 hours ago
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Think GeoEnergy Summary In order to further advance the district heating vision of   Stadtwerke München   (SWM), the city utility of Munich/ Germany and German engineering group   Erdwerk   announce having restructured their cooperation. With the new arrangement, employees, data and relevant data models, as well as ongoing programs have been transferred to SWM. “The heating energy transition was a particularly important element for Dr. Achim Schubert, founder of Erdwerk [ who suddenly passed away last year ]. I am therefore pleased that this transaction will further strengthen the expansion and use of geothermal energy. We are also continuing to work ...
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HEATLEAP Launch Event: Valorising Waste Heat for Enhanced Energy Efficiency

By District Energy posted 14 hours ago
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Press Release Summary The HEATLEAP project aims to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of waste heat recovery systems such as large heat pumps and gas expanders in energy intensive industries by testing these technologies at real scale. Learn all about it at its launch event! Register Now AGENDA 1. Introduction Marco Baresi, Institutional and Marketing Director, Turboden 2. Keynote Speech Claudia Canevari, Head of Unit - Energy Efficiency, DG Energy, European Commission 3. Round Table Discussion Moderator: Hans Korteweg, Managing Director, COGEN Europe • Overview of the project from a technological point of view ...
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Taoiseach Opens Ireland’s Largest Solar Farm

By District Energy posted yesterday
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Cork Safety Alerts Summary The Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, yesterday opened the single largest Solar Farm in the Republic of Ireland. Developed in a joint venture by Eli Lilly and Company and Enerpower, the 16-acre facility will help power a significant proportion of the Lilly plant at its Dunderrow site (near Kinsale) with sustainable energy.  The ground-mounted Solar Farm will produce up to 5.6MW of power allowing Lilly to reduce its annual use of electricity from carbon sources by almost 6GWH and its carbon footprint by 2,350 tonnes. Comprised of 12,600 individual solar panels and costing €5m the development was a joint investment between Lilly and Enerpower, ...
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Avangrid considering large green hydrogen project in Oregon

By District Energy posted yesterday
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H2 Energy News Summary Avangrid Inc., located in Portland, and its Avangrid Renewables subsidiary said they aim to create the popular but early-stage fuel at their Klamath Cogeneration Plant in Southern Oregon. The natural-gas-fueled plant is part of Avangrid’s Pacific Northwest portfolio, which includes about a fifth of the region’s wind generation, smaller amounts of solar, and some contracted hydropower. Hydrogen is a pure fuel, but it must be liberated from compounds before it can be used. The most common method is natural gas reforming, which produces a lot of carbon dioxide. An electrolyzer, which is driven by renewable energy, splits water into hydrogen ...
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Revisiting CHP

By District Energy posted yesterday
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Ethanol Producer Magazine Summary Today, the quest for carbon intensity reduction has plants revisiting combined heat and power (CHP) systems. Siouxland Ethanol in Jackson, Nebraska, recently began generating its own electricity with a CHP system. Much of the payback will come in a lowered carbon intensity score in the California market. When The Andersons doubled capacity at its Albion, Michigan, facility a few years ago, it installed CHP partly to ensure it could maintain the greenhouse gas reduction target required in the U.S. EPA’s efficient producer program. CHP has been an option for ethanol producers since the early days. But while all plants could ...
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Daikin adds R1234ze centrifugal chiller

By District Energy posted yesterday
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Cooling Post Summary Daikin has extended its DWSC centrifugal chiller series with the addition of models using the low GWP refrigerant R1234ze. This series already includes models for use with R134a and R513A refrigerant. The new DWSC-C series combines the advantages of R1234ze with Daikin’s centrifugal technology, to provide increased capacities and expanded applications possibilities. The new range is said to have been specifically developed to increase energy efficiency, both at full and partial load, ensuring end users can benefit from reduced operating costs. It has been designed to meet the needs of both European and Middle East markets, and offer ...
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Empower awards contract for new district cooling plant at Al Khail Gate

By District Energy posted yesterday
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ME Construction News Summary A construction contract for a new permanent district cooling plant at Al Khail Gate has been awarded by the Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower). The plant is to be built at a cost of $36.2m. According to a statement, the new plant will have a total capacity of 32,000 refrigeration tons (RT) that will cover the Al Khail Gate development, which comprises 33 buildings with 5,665 units. Construction has already begun and is managed under the direct supervision of Empower’s in-house project team. “The new advanced permanent plant will replace the existing two semi-permanent plants. Given the huge urban expansion ...
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This Vermont Utility Is Revolutionizing Its Power Grid to Fight Climate Change. Will the Rest of the Country Follow Suit?

By District Energy posted yesterday
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Time Summary V isitors entering a code-locked central control room at Green Mountain Power (GMP)’s Colchester, Vt., headquarters instinctively lower their voices, whispering in deference to operators relaying orders from behind semicircular clusters of screens. It’s an intimidating space; one side of the black-walled room is taken up by a display showing a sprawling, yellow-lit maze of connections and symbols: a map of electricity flowing across the local grid. Technicians here have the daunting job of managing that vast, interconnected network; controlling hundreds of breaker switches; monitoring solar and hydroelectric electrical output; and anticipating ...
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PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT: ASHRAE Instrumentation for Monitoring Central Chilled-Water Plant Efficiency

By District Energy posted yesterday
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ASHRAE Summary ASHRAE Guideline 22-2012 Instrumentation for Monitoring Central Chilled-Water Plant Efficiency has recently undergone an effort to update that Guideline and are looking for public comment, now through August 30, 2021.  ASHRAE Standards (and Guidelines) follow a process to develop these documents to achieve ANSI certification, including public comment. The new edition of ASHRAE Guideline 22 has been drafted and is currently open for public review and comment. In particular, we encourage our large district cooling network operators (both downtown and campus) to share their comments and experience. The document is available for download and ...
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University of Minnesota - Senior Mechanical Engineer

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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University of Minnesota Senior Mechanical Engineer Seeking an experienced mechanical engineer to join our engineering team supporting campus energy plants and distribution systems.  As an owner’s engineer stewarding institutional systems to provide an optimal life cycle for a legacy institution will be experienced first hand.  Provide leadership and guidance on the proper operations and maintenance of campus mechanical equipment, utilities, and systems including steam, chilled water, potable water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, reclaimed water and natural gas.  Provide guidance on the proper maintenance of utility systems relating to the use of energy, ...
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Democrats' 'Hot FERC Summer' campaign aims to boost FERC's visibility on Capitol Hill

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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Utility Dive Summary Sean Casten, a former energy executive, has  previously described FERC  as potentially the "single most impactful agency in the government, as far as dealing with the climate crisis." He and some of his colleagues are hoping to raise the profile of the agency, particularly as stakeholders wait for the White House to bring forward a candidate that would bring the commission to a Democratic majority for the first time in years. Though  several names have been floated , the White House has yet to put forward a candidate. That person would need to get through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, chaired by Sen. Joe Manchin, ...
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Harrison Street to Operate Illinois Institute of Technology Campus Central Power System in 40-year P3 Partnership

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
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Press Release Summary Harrison Street, one of the leading investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets, pursuing its P3 infrastructure strategy, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Illinois Institute of Technology (“Illinois Tech”) to operate, manage and redevelop the university’s on-campus utility system. The investment, structured as a 40-year Public-PrivatePartnership (“P3”), will support Illinois Tech and provide the university with a capital solution for deferred maintenance costs, operations and maintenance services, energy conservation measures and cost savings efforts. Founded in 1890, Illinois Tech ...
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