PLUG IN: ArcStar News Feed: April 2019

PHILADELPHIA — New research suggests that offshore wind farms offer huge potential for capacity gains in PJM’s footprint — but it will take a significant buildout of transmission to unlock that possibility.

Willett Kempton | © RTO Insider

University of Delaware professor Willett Kempton said a hypothetical buildout along the Eastern Coast from New Jersey to North Carolina could add approximately 80 GW to the grid.

“If we are going to do carbon-free generation, this is a really large resource that could do that,” he said while presenting his findings at Raab Associates’ Energy Roundtable in the PJM Footprint on Wednesday. “It would add 44% to today’s generation mix and it can all be carried to shore using only today’s transmission equipment.”

Kempton and his co-author, Elpiniki Apostolaki-Iosifidou, analyzed the impact of building an HVDC system with nine points of interconnections. The researchers estimated the system would have a 50% capacity factor, resulting in a 40-GW output on average. The conservative capacity estimates could be boosted through improved weather forecasting, more access to storage technology and PJM rule revisions, Kempton said. The new gigawatts would account for 43% of total PJM capacity, he said.

Other panelists said PJM must proceed with caution when planning such systems, noting the many pitfalls that come with securing proper permits, navigating seafloor access and attracting transmission developers.

Clint Plummer | © RTO Insider

“It’s a complex regime,” said Clint Plummer, head of U.S. market strategies and new projects for Orsted. “There’s opportunity for savings and reliability benefits by getting transmission policy on this right. There are real problems if it’s not done right.”

Norway-based Orsted bills itself as the world’s largest developer of offshore wind, with 5.6 GW of operational farms in the U.S., Europe and Taiwan. He said mistakes in Germany’s planning process taught developers that an integrated and streamlined approach to construction and operation works best, though it costs more upfront.

“Germany’s segmented approach didn’t work well because grant awards were mismatched between transmission and generation,” he said. “There were hundreds of millions of dollars of cost that accrued to us as developers of offshore wind … and then the transmission wasn’t there. We were basically paying the mortgage on that wind farm without any income coming in.”

Theodore Paradise | © RTO Insider

One way to mitigate the costly risks of building an offshore wind networked transmission system is to secure permits before specific facilities are procured through state requests for proposals and ensure planning of every aspect before construction begins, said Theodore Paradise, senior vice president of transmission strategy and counsel at Anbaric. This means accounting for the unique challenges of the seafloor, including ocean trenching and navigating the limited points of onshore interconnection.

“Permitting can take significant time,” Paradise said, noting that securing those components ahead of time could be used as a “de-risking” tool. “It’s important you do it the right way.”

State legislatures in Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia have set goals of procuring a combined 6,700 MW of wind power over the next decade. So far, developers have contracted for less than 6% of those targets.

Cynthia Holland | © RTO Insider

Cynthia Holland, director of federal and regional policy for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, said the state’s push to 3,500 MW of wind will make significant progress over the next five years. Bids for 1,100 MW have already been received, with a second 1,200-MW solicitation planned for summer 2020 and third scheduled for July 2022.

The first round of wind farms will likely use generation lead lines that connect onshore, though the BPU remains open to using networked transmission systems or HVDC lines for future projects.

Ken Seiler | © RTO Insider

Ken Seiler, PJM’s executive director of planning, said the RTO sees significant potential and benefits to the grid in offshore wind, but it remains hesitant about building transmission without committed generation. PJM staff is working with stakeholders to examine this process in further detail in the Merchant Transmission and Offshore Wind Task Force. (See “PC Moves Forward on Offshore Interconnection Rights,” PJM PC/TEAC Briefs: Feb. 7, 2019.)

“We recognize the interest and we recognize the value of offshore wind,” he said. “‘Build it and they’ll come’ — we aren’t sure that’s the best approach for integrating offshore wind with the existing grid.”

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Bloomberg donates $5.5 million to fill in Paris agreement gap | TheHill

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/440013-bloomberg-donates-55-million-to-fill-in-paris-agreement-gap

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Monday, April 22, 2019

Trucks.com: Nikola Details Ambitious Plan for Hydrogen and Service Network

Trucks.com: Nikola Details Ambitious Plan for Hydrogen and Service Network.
https://www.trucks.com/2019/04/22/nikola-ambitious-plan-hydrogen-service-network/

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Greentech Media News: APS and Fluence Investigating Explosion at Arizona Energy Storage Facility - this will cause anxieties in the industry

Greentech Media News: APS and Fluence Investigating Explosion at Arizona Energy Storage Facility.
https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/aps-and-fluence-investigating-explosion-at-arizona-energy-storage-facility

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Still don't believe in Climate Change? Get ready to bend over.

Taxpayer spending on U.S. disaster fund explodes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2019/04/22/taxpayer-spending-us-disaster-fund-explodes-amid-climate-change-population-trends/

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

U.S. Posts Record Energy Consumption in 2018: EIA

U.S. Posts Record Energy Consumption in 2018: EIA

In 2018, the United States consumed more energy than ever before, reaching a record high of 101.3 quadrillion British thermal units in 2018, up 4 percent from 2017 and 0.3 percent more than the previous record set in 2007. Consumption of petroleum, natural gas, and coal grew by 4 percent in 2018 and accounted for 80 percent of U.S. total energy consumption, according to the agency.

Monty Bannerman

ArcStar Energy

+1-646-402-5076

www.arcstarenergy.com

Friday, April 19, 2019

Fwd: Dark, deceptive Nixonian behavior

Email from my congresswoman.

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz <FL23.Enews@mail.house.gov>
Date: Fri, Apr 19, 2019, 12:08 PM
Subject: Dark, deceptive Nixonian behavior
To: <mbannerman@arcstarenergy.com>

View this email in your browser

Serving Florida's 23rd Congressional District

District Update

April 19, 2019

Dear Friend,

I have reviewed the Mueller report and wanted to share a few important takeaways with you.

[watch my interview on NPR by clicking above]

The President worked to impede the investigation.

From the report: "The President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests."

The President and his team willingly accepted Russia's help, which the President himself encouraged – allowing a foreign enemy to influence our democracy.

The report states "...the investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome" and "the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts..."

Here's one example:

"On July 27, 2016, Unit 26165 targeted email accounts connected to candidate Clinton's personal office [redacted]. Earlier that day, candidate Trump made public statements that included the following: 'Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.' The '30,000 emails' were apparently a reference to emails described in media accounts as having been stored on a personal server that candidate Clinton had used while serving as Secretary of State.

Within approximately five hours of Trump's statement, GRU officers targeted for the first time Clinton's personal office. After candidate Trump's remarks, Unit 26165 created and send malicious links targeting 15 email accounts at the domain [redacted] including an email account belonging to Clinton aide [redacted]."

Attorney General Barr has not been an honest broker with the American public, especially on the issue of obstruction of justice.

Attorney General Barr wrote a 19-page memo calling Mueller's report theory "fatally misconceived" in 2018. His misleading four-page summary is refuted by the report, and his press conference was full of spin and absent of substance.

Attorney General Barr is now acting as Trump's personal lawyer. Given this conflict, Barr should resign. An Attorney General cannot pursue justice while simultaneously trying to shield the President from facing it.

Congress has a clear mandate from this report to determine whether the President obstructed justice.

The report states: "With respect to whether the President can be found to have obstructed justice by exercising his powers under Article II of the Constitution, we concluded that Congress has authority to prohibit a President's corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice."

I will work with my colleagues to take up this responsibility immediately. Our democracy is at stake.

Sincerely,

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of Congress

Contact Information

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U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Weren’t Built for Climate Change

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2019-nuclear-power-plants-climate-change/

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Seeking Alpha: Natural gas prices hit three-year low as stockpiles seen surging

Seeking Alpha: Natural gas prices hit three-year low as stockpiles seen surging.
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3451529-natural-gas-prices-hit-three-year-low-stockpiles-seen-surging

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Watch "Mush, Spot, Mush!" from Boston Dynamics

Mush, Spot, Mush!

https://youtu.be/OnWolLQSZic

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Washington state’s 100% renewables bill passes both Houses – pv magazine International

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/04/16/washington-states-100-renewables-bill-passes-both-houses/

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Monday, April 15, 2019

Greentech Media News: Oil Giant BP Joins Nouryon in Rotterdam Hydrogen Quest

Greentech Media News: Oil Giant BP Joins Nouryon in Rotterdam Hydrogen Quest.
http://feeds.greentechmedia.com/~r/GreentechMedia/~3/tIJNt20tjBI/oil-giant-bp-joins-nouryon-in-rotterdam-hydrogen-quest

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

Monday, April 8, 2019

Phys.Org: Research team expands quantum network with successful long-distance entanglement experiment

Network latency, errors and security vulnerability soon a thing of the past in optical networks.

Phys.Org: Research team expands quantum network with successful long-distance entanglement experiment.
https://phys.org/news/2019-04-team-quantum-network-successful-long-distance.html

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com

FERC staff issued deficiency letters to all six jurisdictional RTOs and ISOs over their proposed energy storage rules, pressing for definitions, tariff citations and details on issues including metering, make-whole payments, and self-scheduling.

Monty Bannerman
ArcStar Energy
Tel: +1 646-402-5076
www.arcstarenergy.com