Power Transmission is a Real Problem for Renewable Energy
I like to post articles on Renewable Energy World, as they have pretty decent traffic among people interested in a wide range of clean energy topics. Today, I commented on Stephen Lacey’s piece Is the Transmission ‘Problem’ Real? in which I indicated that he’s correct: to some degree, the argument that the grid needs to be upgraded in order to accommodate more clean energy is specious.
I go on to mention that I’m more interested in renewables on a national or continental scale. And, while I’m aware that Bill McKibben and thousands of other smart people see a future dominated by individual energy farmers, each, putting his unused electrons back onto the grid, I question whether this adequately addresses the matter of scale. With our growing population of energy-hungry consumers, utility-scale renewables appears to me to be the only way to get this done.
And this is where transmission really is an issue. As we know, renewable resources are localized: the sun shines hottest in the southwestern deserts, the wind blows hardest in the plains, the mountains have the best geothermal resources, etc. A significant upgrade to the grid — preferably to high-voltage DC — is required to make this happen.
Yet, as usual, the difficulty here is almost exclusively political. In particular, we’re being told that, for legal reasons, we can’t have a national high-voltage grid. And unfortunately, the US Supreme Court didn’t help the cause in its recent ruling, either.
I really don’t understand the problem. We have national pathways for the transportation of automobiles, railway cars, natural gas, etc. Can someone provide a reason — other than sleezy politics — that we can’t use our crystal clean eminent domain laws to get this done? There should be nothing new or scary about this.
The electric grid in the United States has sufficient power generating capability to fully fuel 75% of the USA’s 217 million passenger vehicles.
D.C.high voltage offers no advantage over the three phase A.C. system we have been using since Tesla and Steinmetz invented it to carry power from Niagara Falls to New York City about 90 years ago. And proved Edison wrong.
The National Network in the USA is quite extensive and to improve it’s capability only requires adding additional conductors paralling the existing wires on the same towers.
One partial solution to energy problems is conversion of five year and older used cars to “Plug in Electric” as they are much more efficient. Also many new electric cars are coming from traditional auto manufacturing, some cities are installing “Charging Stations” But I won’t buy one unless there are trained Electric car Mechanics.
What we propose is upgrade training for independent mechanics so that service will be available everywhere for electric vehicles just as it is currently available for petrol driven vehicles. We also include converting used cars on the road today to “Electric,” that is: replacing the Internal Combustion Engine with an electric motor which is likely to last a Million miles.
The industry in your region and the residents would greatly benefit by using electric cars as they are more efficient and make less pollution and noise. The mechanics will need to be trained to deal with any repairs in a fast and professional manner. Many government agencies are installing special charging stations for electric cars to get their regions ready, but generally, independent reliable specialized electric car repair service is not being planned.
Although many colleges and universities are beginning to train individuals about electrical vehicles and their design and technology, these programs are two to four years long and the graduates usually desire jobs in engineering and manufacturing, and not in service or repair.
Instead, we offer a four to six week program in servicing and repair for individuals who like hands-on work. And, have had some experience and training in auto mechanics. Our proven program results in well-trained mechanics that have expanded skill areas to include modern and future electric vehicles. The emphasis is on “hands-on” learning, as we feel many trainees learn best by actually manipulating tools, handling and replacing parts. As well as learning the technology from the texts and videos and lectures we provide.
We have a student to teacher ratio of only four students per teacher so
everyone gets small group, individualized attention. Also, mentoring is used throughout the program to create a bond of trust between instructor and student.
Our program is easily understood. We have three areas of specific emphasis in this, “Technology Aware, Voltage Safe, and Business Wise, E. V. Technician Program.”
Technology Aware: of the Electronic Equipment used in Electric Vehicles, including: The large Electric Motors weighing 150 to 225 pounds. The Motor Controller: either a Polly Phase AC Variable Frequency motor control unit, to operate an AC motor, or a DC Pulse width modulated buck inverter to operate a DC Motor. The Battery Pack using a sophisticated chemistry for efficient charge/discharge and long life in service. The Battery Management System and Charger to properly charge and discharge the battery pack. (To help assure the ten year life Lithium batteries are capable of. ) And a number of small components and wiring used to connect everything together. A solid understanding of the operation of all the equipment and operating technology will result in more effective troubleshooting and repair work, increasing reliability, profitability, and customer satisfaction.
Voltage Safe: Many of the voltages and connections to make the system work have a Lethal Potential exceeding 75 volts and some are over 500 volts, that is high enough to Kill a human with mere skin contact. Safety procedures MUST be followed at all times to work safely and do the tasks properly without injury. Work can be performed safely ONLY with training. We teach avoidance of electrical SHOCK. And include Resuscitation following Electrical SHOCK, so one might save a co-workers life.
Business Wise: We include “Entrepreneurship” in our program. Many small businesses fail thru ignorance. We introduce sound small business practices from courses endorsed by the “US Small Business Administration.”
We are a Florida Corporation and would be willing to train your mechanics at our Central Florida Campus, or set up a franchise near you to provide this training. Perhaps you know several persons, with the ability to see this need today, and who would prefer your area to be in a leadership position in this technology and would be willing to work with us to bring this to you. It could be of great benefit to your Country, the USA, and the World as well. No one wants to be dependent on imported petroleum for vehicular transportation. “There Are Alternatives!”
Contact: Dennis Lee Miles (Director) E. V. T. I. Inc.
http://www.e-v-t-i-inc.com (Web Site)
EVTechnicalInstitute@Florida,USA.COM (E-Mail)
Phone: (863) 944-9913
“Grid, Smart Grid, New Transmission Lines- What a Crock of ___.
If more people utilized their own Renewable Energy Production for Home or Business use. I believe it would lessen the need for Grid Improvements simply because the Energy needed for each House Hold or Business is produced on site- no extra power lines will be needed.
Simpleton Example: if 5 of the 10 Houses on my Block utilize RE Producing Systems. This can lower the need of Electricity Generated by the Electric Company by 1/2 for my Block. With no Transmission Lines Needed.”
(Above is a Snippet of the Article-http://stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com/2010/08/renewable-energy-electric-power-lines.html)
To expand upon these thoughts:
The electricity not used by homes and business could easily be directed towards any needed Electric Consumers. In this case charging Stations.
I think everyone is making a bigger deal out of the whole transmission lines issue in hopes to generate extra income and is a ruse by the Power Companies. As I said Earlier: “Grid, Smart Grid, New Transmission Lines- What a Crock of S___”
Build Green,
Scotty
I welcome all Green and Eco Friendly Comments on my Green and Eco Friendly Web Site: http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.blogspot.com. If you have Green and Eco friendly information to share I offer Guest Post Opportunities.
Electrical Shock on the Grid is truly something. We as a Country must be careful of this in as much as teaching this process. I know the Obama Administration is wanting everyone to use this process so the electric grid provides our car battery’s instead of oil. While we are in this process let us not forget we have Alternatives that will and do work.
We saw electric cars take over horses in the Day. We saw Gasoline take over steam water.These cars are not knew but have been advanced threw history.
I still not sure this is the cleanest form of energy. Hydrogen product is much cleaner will cost less and in the long run be as or more cost effective although electric opponents certainly disagree. Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Hydrogen Algae few more examples.
Do not get me wrong anything to get rid of oil I will be for Electric, Hydrogen ETC. I am and we must do this.We are doing this but not soon enough. Brazil is 5th largest economy because they started doing this in the 1970’s.
Yes let us do anything but don’t give us a story without the cost.Yes let us proceed. Only made in the USA only.
Forget electric cars for storage, it won’t happen- also the idea that enough roof top solar will fix the energy problem is only compounding the problems, unless the grid incorporates storage and not in the form of electric auto batteries; the uncertainty involved with depending on people allowing their rides to be used for storage is a pipe dream spawned from the Rocky Mountain Institute.
That being said the issues of demand response, curtailment, and frequency regulation have solutions and that is neighborhood storage, utility storage and regional grid sized storage that would address each level of the transmission issues. Batteries for the neighborhood of 25 to 100 kw; flywheel technology (5mw to 20mw) for utility hubs and pumped storage (400 to 1000Mw) for the grid to store excess energy from variable renewables that would negate curtailment, provide stable load following and time shift services, and add capacity that would reduce the need for additional transmission in many situations.
Transmission is needed to bring renewable energy to the grid however some renewable energy can back feed the grid if it is a stable sort such as small and micro hydro or geothermal; in some locations solar will do the same depending on the type but mostly new transmission will be needed to connect the grid so power can be provided where and when its needed. Storage can do that at each level.
I must concure with my colleages, the clearly traced limits of energy production and distribution is not new, and is not the problem. The problem is the interdependant nature of energy and the need to substitute fuel in transportation. As it is clearly hurting us. The need is for a portable, better and cheaper energy storage method over only chemical reactive batteries to electrify cars, vans, buses, trucks and trains.
There are several portable energy storage systems available to us. Heat and steam has not even been explored. Hydrogen is still a baby. Compressed air with hydro-oil is short lived, yet valuable to reduce fuel in fleets for substantial savings, used in start assist cycles. A giant in energy storage are flywheels, so what happens if we can engineer 12 faster flywheels over one or two larger slower flywheels….maybe it is the light at the end the spooky tunnel of tommorrow. Maybe many flywheels on trucks and busses
lasting many years and many cycles, may reduce fuel by 50 or 60%.
And where a quick charge is available at stops, to reduce fuel 100%.
Once we unlock many fast powerful flywheels, everything can be enrgized with sets of powerful fast rotors for substantial loads of stored energy.
We are only fooling ourselves if we think electric cars won’t be charged during peak usage hours. The power companies are shooting themselves in the foot by not backing solar hot water in areas without natural gas and feed-in tariffs for distributed electric power generation. The cost to beef up intra-city grids will be prohibitive in comparison.
SoCal Edison has billion dollar program under way in Los Angeles where they rent rooftops for PV solar.
The arguments for upgrading the grid are specious. Renewables call for a decentralized approach. Improving the ability of the grid to accept excess generation back into the grid will help the overall resiliance of the system but the idea of sending wind and solar generated electricity interstate is a bad one. The inefficiency of long-range transmission is an argument against it. The investments in interstate transmission lines primarily favors the centralized model of generation. The next push will be for more/upgraded nuclear facilities to provide the “clean” energy to service this upgraded grid. The model that is called for is a decentralized one – renewables generated as close to the point of consumption as possible. Rooftop solar and distributed wind-farms close to the consumers but capable of feeding the grid, where the consumers/generators benefit directly. The centralized model benefits go to enrich those who own the generation capacity or who profit from the construction of large-scale generation and transmission. In Maryland, we are already paying for a transmission line that is very contentious, the route for which has not yet been determined. It appears intended to serve primarily as a way to pipe the projected output from a new nuclear plant at Calvert Cliffs to New Jersey, while being paid for by the rate payers in Maryland, and will serve as a reason why Calvert Cliffs should be replaced/expanded. PEPCO’s obvious intent is to attempt to slow-roll and delay any adoption of any decentralized approach to local generation. Large off-shore wind farms, OK. Rooftop generation by homes and businesses, not so much.
For renewable energy to work, it would probably be necessary to transmit power for very long distances. That’s because most renewable energy is intermittent. If, for example, wind farms in Minnesota were idle because of low wind, it MIGHT be possible that wind farms in other places would be working and able to ship power to Minnesota.
High voltage DC transmission lines are more efficient and economical than 3-phase AC transmission lines when power must be transmitted for long distances, but 3-phase AC is better for short and intermediate distances. Thus, there is a role for high voltage DC transmission lines.
However, I question the practicality of wind, solar, and most forms of renewable energy. They do have a limited role to play where connecting to the grid is impractical, but because they are intermittent sources of power, they would require huge storage capacity and even then, changes in weather could cause power failures if the stored power ran out.
As I have previously stated, I favor liquid fluoride thorium reactors (LFTRs). They are safer than uranium reactors and could even use the existing “waste” as fuel.
For more information on using thorium as nuclear fuel, do a google search on “thorium reactor,” you will find plenty of information.
Regarding electric cars, it now looks as though that will probably be the best way to go, although there are other possibilities.
The best electric car technology seems to be to use AC traction motors. They can be more durable and lighter than DC motors. There are several types of suitable AC motors.
The Toyota Priapus uses an AC traction motor containing rare earth magnets. The Tesla electric car uses a 3-phase induction motor. Another possibility is the variable switched reluctance motor (VSR motor). The last two types of AC motor are able to run at extremely high speeds and for that reason, are able to produce more power for their weight than the Toyota Priapus motor which is limited by the mechanical weakness of the rare earth magnets. Also, rare earth magnets are temperature limited because when heated above a certain temperature, they lose their magnetism. All can be used for regenerative braking.
DC traction motors using pulse width or similar controllers can be efficient, but their speed is limited by the commutator which can throw commutator bars at high speeds, and also limited by the armature windings which can also be thrown at high speeds. Commutators and brushes wear thereby increasing maintenance requirements. Although regenerative braking can be done with DC systems, often it is not.
So far as I know, no currently produced electric and hybrid cars use DC traction motors, although DC systems are available for do-it-yourself conversions. Their principal advantage is simpler electronics.
I’m also agree that power transmission line is a real problem of RE. In case of small country like Thailand almost 99 percent of our villages are electrified with 22 KV distribution lines. We also promote Very Small Power Project (VSPP) which is less than ten Meggawats RE project. We do have different problem with you in the U.S. because mostly our biomass power plants are in the same area such as around 19 palm oil mills are in Krabi province and each one of them can generate electricity around 10 MWe while those 22 KV lines can accept only 8 MWe and the problem is the VSPP projects have to build their own 22 KV line to EGAT substation or EGAT has to upgrade their 22 KV line to 115 KV which is costly. That is why many RE projects in Thailand have to be delay or limited their generating capacity with less economics feasible by this transmission line problem.
Hi Craig,
Thanks for such stimulating and brainstorming topic. The issue of whether the grid system is till an alternative to the three phase AC line is a matter of merits and demerits. We’ll be back in a number of days to give our view on this important subject.
Yes. Power transmission is a real problem for Renewable Energy.
To solve the problem in developing countries:
To maintain the reliability and quality of power supply, the transmission and distribution networks should be expanded to
prevent overloading of substations,
provide flexibility in operation through interconnecting power grids, and
evacuate power from new power plants.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
Wind Energy Expert
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com