Integrys Energy Group

Integrys Energy Group, Inc. was an American energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed by the merger of WPS Resources Corp. and Peoples Energy Corp. on February 21, 2007. The Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer was Charles A. Schrock. On June 23, 2014, Integrys announced that it was being acquired by Wisconsin Energy Corporation for $9.1 billion. Also in 2014, Integrys entered into an agreement to sell 100% of the Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) to Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Partners LP for $298.9 million.
Utilities.
The six regulated utilities consisted of:
Subsidiaries.
The company’s other subsidiaries were:
Criticism.
In December 2011, the non-partisan organization Public Campaign criticized Integrys Energy Group for spending $710,000 on lobbying and not paying any taxes during 2008-2010, instead receiving $92 million in tax rebates, despite making a profit of $818 million and increasing executive pay by 109% to $14.8 million in 2010 for its top 5 executives.


Joy Compressor

Joy Compressors were first introduced in 1955 when the Joy Manufacturing Company hired four engineers and set them up in an office over a hardware store in Western New York. Within a short period of time, a farmer's field in Cheektowaga, New York was purchased for a test site. The early years were spent in R&D with the development of various types of turbo machinery including gas turbines, steam turbines, axial flow compressors, in-line centrifugal compressors and integral gear centrifugal compressors.
In 1960, the Joy facility was transformed into a full-fledged manufacturing factory focused on producing integrally geared centrifugal air compressors which produced oil free air flow.
The 1970s saw Joy compressors grow in the US domestic market with much focus on engineered custom compressors for refineries and air separation.
Joy centrifugal compressors are operated in dozens of applications throughout the world and are integral to the following industries: auto, glass, textiles, petrochemical, snow making, electronics, food, industrial gases, chemical, refining, and energy.


EGP-6

The EGP-6 is a Russian small nuclear reactor design. It is a scaled down version of the RBMK design. As the RBMK, the EGP-6 use water for cooling and graphite as a neutron moderator. It is the world's smallest commercial nuclear reactor.
There were only four EGP-6 reactors built which formed the Bilibino Nuclear Power Plant, commissioned in 1974-1977. The plant design was developed by the Ural Division of Teploelektroproekt together with Izhorskiye Zavody and FEI in Obninsk. Each EGP-6 reactor at Bilibino produces 62 MW thermal power, generating 12 MW electrical power (11 MW net capacity). As of 2020, the power plant is ready for decommissioning and awaits to be replaced by the "Akademik Lomonosov" floating nuclear power plant, which started regular operation in May 2020. The first EGP-6 reactor was shut down in December 2018, and the other 3 EGP-6 reactors are scheduled to follow until December 2021.


Ranhill Utilities Berhad

Ranhill Utilities Berhad () is a Malaysian conglomerate with interests in environment and power sectors. In the environment sector, it provides water supply services, operates water and wastewater treatment plants, and provides specialised services in the management and optimisation of water utility assets. In the power sector, it develops, owns and operates power generation assets. Its operations and services are primarily in Malaysia, and its international operations are centered in Asian markets such as China, Thailand and South East Asia.
In the environment business, Ranhill has been granted an exclusive license by the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Malaysia to provide source-to-tap water supply services to end-customers in the entire State of Johor, the second most populous state in Malaysia, with a population of approximately 3.5 million people. Outside Malaysia, it operates water concession assets on a BOT, BTO and TOT basis in China which consist of 8 wastewater treatment plants with capacities ranging from 5.0 MLD to 80.0 MLD and a 30.0 MLD reclamation plant. In Thailand, Ranhill has 4 potable water treatment plants with capacities ranging from 10.5 MLD to 15.0 MLD, 4 wastewater treatment plants with capacities ranging from 1.5 MLD to 24.0 MLD and a 10.0 MLD reclamation plants. In addition, through its joint venture, Yichun Pinang, Ranhill also operates a potable water treatment plant in Yichun City, China with a treatment capacity of 50.0 MLD.
In the power business, Ranhill owns and operates two 190 MW CCGT power plants in Sabah, Malaysia via its subsidiaries, RPI and RPII, on a BOO and BOT basis, generating 380 MW of electricity for a 21-year period, commencing on 25 October 2008 and on 22 April 2011 with respect to RPII. It provides O&M services to its RPI and RPII power plants through RPOM and RPOMII, respectively.
History and Milestones.
Ranhill Utilities Berhad ventured into the Environment and Power business stems largely from the history of Ranhill Bersekutu Sdn Bhd (“RBSB”), which was initially established by Rankine & Hill under the name of Ranhill Bersekutu Partnership to provide a full range of mechanical and electrical engineering design services. Subsequently, in 1981, RBSB was incorporated as a private limited company in Malaysia under its current name. Building on its engineering strength across various disciplines including water supply system, Tan Sri Hamdan, then the Chief Executive Officer of RBSB, subsequently ventured into the Power business through RGSB and into the environment business through RUSB. All of the companies within Ranhill's Group were part of the RB Group prior to the Internal Reorganisation and part of the RERB Group after the completion of the Internal Reorganisation II and prior to the Pre-Offering Reorganisation.
Environment.
Ranhill conducts its environment business through RSAJ, RWSB and RWT (Cayman), which were all part of RUSB prior to the Pre-Offering Reorganisation.
RUSB was incorporated in Malaysia under the Act in June 2000 as a public limited company under the name of Insan Utiliti Berhad and assumed the name of Ranhill Utilities Berhad in January 2002. The incorporation of Ranhill Utilities Berhad was primarily to facilitate SAJH's listing on the Main Board of Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now known as Main Market of Bursa Securities). SAJH was formed to carry out the water supply services in Johor for 30 years commencing from 1 March 2000. Pursuant to its delisting on 28 August 2008, Ranhill Utilities Berhad subsequently assumed the name of RUSB on 2 July 2009.
Pursuant to a vesting order made in 1994 by the Menteri Besar Johor under the Water Supply Enactment 1993, all assets, rights, liabilities and staff of the State Government of Johor with respect to the water supply services were transferred to and vested in SAJSB, a company owned by the State Government of Johor. The water supply services business in Johor was subsequently privatised to SAJH as part of the State Government of Johor's effort to further improve the operation and service level of water supply in Johor. In April 1999, SAJH, together with LOSB, entered into a concession agreement with the State Government of Johor and SAJSB to provide water supply services to the entire State of Johor.
On 1 September 2009, SAJH migrated to the licensing regime under the Water Services Industry Act, and the concession agreement was terminated upon SAJH's migration to the new licensing regime.
In February 2005, RUSB acquired a 70% equity stake in RWT, which enabled the company to expand into wastewater and sewerage technology business, particularly in the areas of potable water treatment, wastewater and sewerage treatment as well as process water systems. At the point of acquisition, RWT had a track record of completing water and wastewater treatment projects throughout Asia, notably Malaysia, Thailand and China. Subsequently, in 2008, RUSB formed RWT (Cayman) through a joint-venture arrangement with Robinson, a unit of Aqua Resources Fund Limited, through which various water concessions in China previously held under RUSB Group were subsequently held under RWT (Cayman) pursuant to an internal reorganisation. In order to enhance Ranhill's position as well as reap higher benefits from its potential ventures in China, in June 2014, Ranhill entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with RUSB (in conjunction with the Acquisition of RUSB Companies as described in Section 6.1.4 of this Prospectus) for the post-Offering acquisition of the remaining 47.9% equity interest in RWT (Cayman) that Ranhill does not currently own. This acquisition will allow Ranhill to hold 100% equity interest in RWT (Cayman) after the completion of the Offering.
In February 2005, RUSB established RWSB to offer specialised operational support and services to water companies in the management and optimisation of water utility assets.
Power.
Ranhill conducts its power business through RPI, RPII, RPOM, RPOMII and RPS, which were all part of RGSB prior to the Pre-Offering Reorganisation.
RGSB was incorporated in Malaysia under the Act in June 1972 as a private limited company under the name of EPE Power Corporation Berhad. Through its 60%-owned subsidiary RPI, RGSB operated a 120 MW electricity capacity open-cycle gas turbine power plant at Teluk Salut, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah pursuant to a power purchase agreement dated February 1997 entered into with Lembaga Letrik Sabah (now known as Sabah Electricity). The plant commenced initial operations in August 1998 and its COD as a 120 MW open-cycle power plant was February 1999. On 25 February 2004, RB became a shareholder of RGSB pursuant to the disposal of Powertron Resources Sdn Bhd to RGSB. RPI's power plant was subsequently upgraded to a total generating capacity of 190 MW using a CCGT configuration, and it commenced full combined-cycle operations on 25 October 2008.
On 24 January 2006, the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department awarded Ranhill Tuaran Sdn Bhd (now known as RPII), an 80%-owned subsidiary of RGSB, with a concession on a BOT basis for a 190 MW CCGT power plant in Sabah. The RPII power plant's initial COD in a single gas turbine open-cycle 65 MW configuration was 6 March 2010 and its COD as a two gas turbine 130 MW open-cycle facility was 9 July 2010. The RPII power plant commenced full 190 MW combined-cycle operations on 22 April 2011.
Ranhill conducts routine maintenance on both the RPI and RPII power plants through its subsidiaries RPOM and RPOMII. Ranhill owns a 60% equity interest in RPOM, which provides O&M services to the RPI power plant, and also own an 80% equity interest in RPOMII, which provides O&M services to the RPII power plant.
The remaining equity interests in RPI, RPII, RPOM and RPOMII are owned by SECSB.
Other than that, Ranhill owns 100% equity interest in RPS. RPS will provide administrative support services to our subsidiaries in the power business.
Certain key milestones for Ranhill group are as follows:
Technology.
Power Business.
The generation process uses mechanical energy to rotate the power generator turbines.
Environment Business.
For water business, there are several methods and technologies that are available and are used worldwide for treating raw water into drinking quality or industrial wastewater.
In addition, AquaSMART system is a web-based application system developed as an operational tool and has become an integral component of the NRW reduction strategy. This system is an internal NRW resource developed in-house to provide effective monitoring and decision support for the NRW business. This effective monitoring and decision support helps the NRW business to meet its targets and allocate its resources effectively and efficiently, thereby creating a competitive advantage for the NRW business. This system performs as a data storage management system for data capture, input, handling and monitoring of DMA's field data for the any given project.
The AquaSMART system links all of the DMA's raw data collected (from any software) and creates reports at the click of a button. It is a simple and useful tool for DMA monitoring, either for a long term or on a daily basis, which would save data analyst a significant amount of time.
The NRW business does not sell AquaSMART as a standalone product. As a result, no revenue or income is generated directly from AquaSMART. Rather, the NRW business utilises AquaSMART as an internal monitoring and decision-making resource that helps RWSB to achieve client targets and optimise its costs.


Premier Farnell

Premier Farnell Ltd is a distributor of products for electronic system design, maintenance and repair throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, with operations in 36 countries and trading in over 100. In October 2016, the firm was purchased by Avnet in a deal valued at approximately £691 million.
History.
The firm was founded by Alan Farnell and Arthur Woffenden in 1939 in Leeds, England as A.C. Farnell Limited. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1966. The company was based next to Wetherby railway station, later moving into larger offices on the town's Sandbeck Industrial Estate, and in 1995, into offices in Armley.
In 1995 it acquired Combined Precision Components. As it focused on distribution, its manufacturing operations were sold the same year. In 1996 it bought the United States distributor, Premier Industrial Corporation, and changed its name to Premier Farnell.
In 2001 the firm acquired Buck & Hickman, a company which it sold in 2007. In 2006, the firm sold Kent, its specialist automotive consumables business.
In the mid-2000s, the firm developed from a catalogues and trade counter business into an e-commerce operation, under the direction of Harriet Green, CEO, who joined the business in 2006.
In 2007 the firm launched its Greater China business, Premier Electronics, with a warehouse and distribution centre in WaiGaoQiao.
Towards the end of 2008 the group began the closure of Cadillac Electric, which was part of the group's Industrial Products division. During the course of 2008 the group acquired Hynetic Electronics, an Indian distributor, and in early 2009 it acquired Microdis Electronics, an electronics distributor based in Poland. In September 2009, it announced the acquisition of CadSoft Computer GmbH, developer of EAGLE electronic design automation software, which it later sold in 2016. In March 2016, the group sold its Akron Brass subsidiary to IDEX Corporation for $224.2 million. From time to time, Premier Farnell shares were a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
On 17 October 2016, American company Avnet completed its acquisition of Premier Farnell in a deal valued at approximately £691 million, leading to delisting of Premier Farnell shares. In 2019 the business was rebranded as Farnell, although the company's legal name continues to be Premier Farnell Limited.
Structure and operations.
Premier Farnell Limited is a holding company with numerous subsidiaries in Europe and Asia.
The group trades globally under the following names:
element14 group
Other brands
Products.
, Premier Farnell stocks 900,000 products across its regional warehouses. It also sells about half of the Raspberry Pi computers distributed worldwide.


NordBalt

NordBalt (also formerly known as SwedLit) is a submarine power cable between Klaipėda in Lithuania and Nybro in Sweden. The purpose of the cable is to facilitate the trading of power between the Baltic and Nordic electricity markets, and to increase the supply and energy security in both markets.
History.
The project was originally suggested in 2004. Original project Swindlit was aimed at construction of the wind farm in the Baltic Sea and ensuring the electricity transmission to Sweden and Lithuania. The participants of this project were interested also in Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant as an accumulator of variable wind energy.
In August 2006, the Lithuanian and Swedish transmission grid operators Lietuvos Energija and Svenska kraftnät agreed to launch a feasibility study of a possible interconnector. In February 2007, Lietuvos Energija and Svenska Kraftnät signed an agreement with Swedish consulting company SWECO International on preparation of feasibility study. The study was completed in March 2008 with positive conclusions for the implementation of the project.
On 9 July 2009, Lietuvos Energija, Latvenergo and Svenska Kraftnät signed a memorandum of understanding on the NordBalt project. Invitation for pre-qualification for NordBalt converters' and cable procurement was launched in December 2009. The sea bottom survey was conducted by Marin Mätteknik by 13 December 2009. On 17 December 2010, Litgrid, a newly established transmission system operator of Lithuania who took the project over from Lietuvos Energija, and Svenska kraftnät, signed a €270 million contract with ABB according to which ABB manufactured the cable. According to another contract, signed on 20 December 2010, ABB supplied two converter stations.
In March 2013 the government of Lithuania approved construction plans for the coastal area. On 18 April 2013 the Swedish government gave its final approval of the construction of a power cable. Cable laying started on 11 April 2014. It was laid by using C/S "Lewek Connector". The cable laying was disrupted several times by the Russian Navy within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Lithuania causing the Lithuanian prime minister to summon the Russian ambassador and protest against Russia's violation of the United Nation's Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). On 9 June 2015, the cable laying works were completed.
The cable was officially inaugurated on 14 December 2015. However, due to fire near the Nybro substation, test transmission with a capacity of 30 MW started only on 1 February 2016. On 17 February 2016, electricity transmitted via Nordbalt was traded first time at Nord Pool Spot. the interconnector is in a test phase.
Technical features.
The interconnector uses high-voltage direct current (HVDC). The length of the cable is , of which is the submarine cable, is the land cable in Sweden, and is the land cable in Lithuania. Its maximum capacity is 700 MW with a ramping restriction of 600 MW,
where the 700 MW capacity corresponds to an annual transmission capacity of 6.1 TWh.
Economy.
The interconnector cost €580 million, of which the submarine cable cost €270 million. €175 million was paid by the European Commission.
It connects the Nord Pool Spot bidding areas southern Sweden (SE4) and Lithuania (LT).


AltaLink

AltaLink, L.P. is one of Canada's largest electricity transmission companies. Based in Alberta, AltaLink is responsible for the maintenance and operation of approximately 12,000 kilometres of transmission lines and 280 substations in Alberta. AltaLink is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
Overview.
AltaLink, L.P. is an Alberta-based utility company that provides electricity transmission services to most of Alberta. On April 30, 2002, AltaLink assumed control of Alberta's largest transmission system previously owned by TransAlta. It owns and operates approximately 12,000 km of transmission lines and approximately 280 substations, which makes up for the bulk of Alberta's high‐voltage electricity transmission infrastructure. AltaLink also owns and operates the Alberta portion of the interconnection that allows electricity to be exchanged between Alberta and British Columbia.
AltaLink has more than 600 employees. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, the company also has offices in Lethbridge, Red Deer, and Edmonton.
On May 1, 2014, AltaLink announced that Berkshire Hathaway Energy had agreed to purchase the company from SNC-Lavalin. The sale was completed December 1, 2014 following approval by the Alberta Utilities Commission.
Transmission in Alberta.
Alberta's electricity market is separated into generation, transmission, and distribution. While the cost of electricity generation is dependent upon market forces, the cost of electricity transmission and distribution in Alberta is regulated by the provincial government.
The planning and operation of Alberta's electric system is done by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), a non-profit entity independent of any industry affiliations and owns no transmission or market assets. The AESO determines the need for the province, and then directs Transmission Facilities Owners (TFOs) to build the project.
Transmission Facilities Owners (TFOs) are regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) and include companies like AltaLink, ATCO Electric, ENMAX POWER in Calgary, and EPCOR in Edmonton. All TFOs must follow AUC regulations in engaging stakeholders, and the projects have to be approved by the AUC.
Current projects.
AltaLink is currently involved in a number of major projects, a couple considered publicly and politically sensitive.
Breaking down an electricity bill.
AltaLink earns a regulated return on its investment to build, operate and maintain Alberta's power system, as determined by the AUC. AltaLink earns this return by recovering a portion of the transmission charge that is on every ratepayer's electricity bill. This transmission charge represents less than 10 per cent of the average total electricity bill.
Corporate governance.
AltaLink is governed by a Board of Directors. The current directors of the board include David Tuer (Chair), David R. Collyer, William J. Fehrman, Calvin D. Haack, Natalie Hocken, Susan Riddell Rose, Scott Thon, Brad Wall, Douglas Mitchell, Q.C., and Patricia Nelson.
Community Involvement.
According to AltaLink's 2011 Report to Communities, through the building and maintenance of AltaLink's transmission facilities, the company expects to create more than 37,000 person-years of employment related to construction and local support services between 2010 and 2015.
AltaLink has been a sponsor of Alberta 4-H since 2005. Currently, AltaLink is a Legacy Builder sponsor and is the title sponsor of all the regional, district, and provincial communications and public speaking programs.
AltaLink is also a member of the Joint Utility Safety Team (JUST). JUST's mandate is to positively affect change in attitudes and behaviours toward power line safety, to help reduce power line incidents.
In partnership with the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee, AltaLink hosted Canada's first Avian Interactions with Power Lines Workshop that took place in Banff, Alberta from August 10 to 12, 2011. The international workshop brought together around 100 representatives from AltaLink and the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee, including government and industry professionals from across North America, to focus on protecting birds from electrical equipment.
AltaLink also hosts an annual Farm Safety Day in May in Calgary, an event focused on safety within the agricultural sector.


Vectren

Vectren Corporation was a Fortune 1000 energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. Through its utility subsidiaries (Vectren North, Vectren South, and Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio), the company distributed natural gas to approximately one million business and residential customers in Indiana and Ohio. It also distributed electricity to 141,000 customers and had 1,425 MW of primarily coal-fired generating capacity in Indiana. Vectren's nonutility subsidiaries and affiliates offered energy-related products and services to customers throughout the Midwest and Southeast. These included energy performance services and energy infrastructure services.
History.
The company was formed from the merger of Indiana Gas Company (formed 1941) and Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company (SIGECO, formed 1912). The two utilities' holding companies, Indiana Energy and SIGCORP, announced plans to merge in June 1999, and received final approval on March 9, 2000. In the fall of 2000, Vectren also acquired the natural gas distribution assets of Dayton Power and Light in western Ohio. In the fall of 2006, the company purchased Duke Energy's interest in Miller Pipeline.
It listed on the NYSE under ticker VVC in 2000.
Indiana Gas and SIGECO served as Vectren's operating companies until a 2010 reorganization saw Indiana Gas renamed Vectren North, while SIGECO was renamed Vectren South.
On April 23, 2018 CenterPoint Energy and Vectren Corporation announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement, with CenterPoint being the emerging head company. On February 1, 2019 the merger was completed and Vectren was delisted from the NYSE. The name 'Vectren' was used until the completion of a name change by CenterPoint on May 3, 2021. It now shares the name of its parent company.
Utilities.
Vectren's largest subsidiary, Vectren Utility Holdings, oversees Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana - North (Vectren North—the former Indiana Gas), Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana - South (Vectren South—the former SIGECO) and Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio (VEDO).
Vectren provides natural gas to 680,000 customers in Indiana (570,000 in central Indiana and 110,000 in southwestern Indiana) and 314,000 customers in Ohio. It provides electricity to 142,000 customers in southwestern Indiana.
Nonutility subsidiaries and affiliates.
Vectren's nonutility group consists of three divisions Infrastructure Services, Energy Services, and Coal Mining. Vectren also operates a nonprofit foundation, the Vectren Foundation, which provides assistance for community development and energy efficiency projects.
Sponsorships.
Vectren sponsors the radio network of the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team; the network is referred to on-air as the "Vectren Radio Network". Vectren also sponsors the annual "Vectren Dayton Air Show"
Finance.
On January 29, 2003, Vectren restated its 2001 earnings. As a result of adjustments related to gas and employee benefit costs, 2001 earnings previously reported were reduced by 18 cents per share. Vectren has installed the Healthcare Bluebook and Grand Rounds to reduce employee healthcare cost inflation.


Independent Power Producers Association

The Independent Power Producers Association Nepal (IPPAN) (स्वतन्त्र उर्जा उत्पादकहरुको संस्था, नेपाल)is an association of private developers and owners of power producers of Nepal. It is a non-profit, non-government autonomous organization and was established in 2001. Its main objective is to link the private sector and government organizations involved in hydropower generation. IPPAN is primarily a membership organization. The General Assembly comprises both institutional and individual members. The General Assembly elects the Board of Directors, which then formulates the plans and policies of the organization. As of 2020, there are 580 private hydropower projects that are in operation or under construction with a total capacity to generate 21,000 MW. The private sector has invested about NPR 600 billion in these projects.
Objectives.
The Independent Power Producers (IPPs) generate electricity and sell to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) based on agreement called Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). IPPAN helps to :


Electricity sector in Hong Kong

Electricity sector in Hong Kong ranges from generation, transmission, distribution and sales of electricity covering Hong Kong. There are two main providers of electricity in Hong Kong.
Companies.
Power generation in Hong Kong is managed by two major companies under a Scheme of Control arrangement with the Hong Kong Government. These companies effectively operate in a regulated market.
Hongkong Electric Company.
The Hongkong Electric Company (HEC; ) HEC's supply area includes Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island.
HEC owns and operates:
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited.
The CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP; ) under the CLP Group was founded on 25 January 1901 as China Light & Power Company Syndicate in British Hong Kong. CLP's supply area includes Kowloon, New Territories and outlying islands except Lamma Island.
CLP owns the following power stations in Hong Kong territory under a joint-venture company Castle Peak Power Company Limited (CAPCO) with China Southern Power Grid International (HK) Co., Limited.
CLP also owns 25% shares of the Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station and wholly owns Guangzhou Pumped Storage Power Station in Conghua.
Generation.
Fuel.
In 2012, Hong Kong relied on coal (53%), nuclear (23%), natural gas (22%) and a very small amount (2%) of renewable energy for its electricity generation. As coal-firing generation units start to retire in 2017, the Government plans to raise the share of natural gas to 50% in 2020 while maintaining the share of nuclear power at present levels.
Power stations in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has currently 5 power stations, supplying 77% of its electricity needs in 2012.
Commissioned in 1996, the Black Point Power Station is a gas-fired power station located in Yung Long, Tuen Mun in the New Territories. It is the largest gas-fired power station in Hong Kong with an installed generation capacity of 2,500MW.
Commissioned in 1982, the Castle Peak Power Station is a coal-fired power station located Tap Shek Kok, Tuen Mun in the New Territories. It is the largest power station in Hong Kong with an installed generation capacity of 4,108MW.
Commissioned in 1982, the Lamma Power Station is a coal-fired power station located on Po Lo Tsui, Lamma Island, part of the Islands District. It is the second largest power station in Hong Kong at an installed generation capacity of 3,237 MW.
Commissioned in 2006, the Lamma Winds Power Station is a wind turbine located on Lamma Island in Islands District. It is the only industrial-sized wind turbine in Hong Kong with an installed generation capacity of 800kW.
Commissioned in 1992, the Penny's Bay Power Station is a diesel-fired gas turbine power station located at Penny's Bay on Lantau Island. It is a peaking power station with an installed generation capacity of 300MW.
Interconnection with China.
Hong Kong electrical grid is interconnected with the China Southern Power Grid of Mainland China. Hong Kong imports 23% of its total electricity needs from generating facilities with CLP's equity situated in the mainland. These include a contractual agreement of 70% electricity output from the 2 x 944 MW Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant and some peaking power/pumping load from Guangzhou Pumped Storage Power Station in Conghua. Recently, CLP said that it would buy 10% more nuclear power from Daya Bay Plant, increasing the share to 80% of the plant's output capacity. But with the increasing electricity demand in southern China, it will be difficult for CLP to acquire 100% of the plant's output capacity.
Transmission.
HEC transmits electricity on Hong Kong Island at 275 kV and 132 kV voltage level to various load centres, in which the network consists mainly of underground and submarine cable. The network is owned and operated by HEC. There are only few remaining 132 kV overhead power lines in the system. The use of underground cable was chosen because it is ideal for a densely populated area like Hong Kong, and to ensure supply reliability even in bad weather, such as during typhoon.
There are also six dedicated cable tunnels to accommodate some of the 275 kV fluid-filled cable circuits in Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island. In most of the load centres, the voltage is being stepped down to 22 kV or 11 kV for distribution purpose.
CLP transmits electricity in Kowloon and New Territories at 400 kV and 132 kV voltage level. These transmission networks consist mainly of overhead lines. The network is owned and operated by CLP Power. In most of the load centres, the voltage is stepped down to 11 kV for distribution.
Transmission networks of CLP Power and HEC are interconnected by three 132 kV submarine circuits from Hung Hom to North Point for emergency support but no economy power interchange is normally scheduled.
CLP's 400 kV transmission network is also interconnected with the 500 kV China Southern Power Grid in Guangdong Province.
Distribution.
Electricity is distributed at 22 kV and 11 kV voltage level to over 3,800 distribution substations on HEC side. CLP distributes power mainly at 11 kV level. Voltage is further stepped down to 380 V three-phase or 220 V single-phase and supplied through low voltage cables to customers.
Control center.
The system control centre located at Ap Lei Chau monitors and controls all of the switching in HEC's distribution substations remotely. CLP has its system control centre in Tai Po district.
Consumption.
In 2013, 153362TJ (42.6 TWh) of electricity was consumed, accounting for 54% of total energy consumption in Hong Kong. Electricity usage based on industry in Hong Kong are 66% (commercial), 26% (residential), 6% (industrial) and 2% (transportation).


Light harvesting materials

Light harvesting materials harvest solar energy that can then be converted into chemical energy through photochemical processes. Synthetic light harvesting materials are inspired by photosynthetic biological systems such as light harvesting complexes and pigments that are present in plants and some photosynthetic bacteria. The dynamic and efficient antenna complexes that are present in photosynthetic organisms has inspired the design of synthetic light harvesting materials that mimic light harvesting machinery in biological systems. Examples of synthetic light harvesting materials are dendrimers, porphyrin arrays and assemblies, organic gels, biosynthetic and synthetic peptides, organic-inorganic hybrid materials, and semiconductor materials (non-oxides, oxynitrides and oxysulfides ). Synthetic and biosynthetic light harvesting materials have applications in photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and photopolymerization.
Photochemical Processes.
Organic Photovoltaic Cells.
During photochemical processes employing donor and acceptor chromophores in organic solar cells, a photon is absorbed by the donor and an exciton is generated. The exciton diffuses to a donor/acceptor interface, or heterojunction, where an electron from the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the donor is transferred to the LUMO of the acceptor. This results in the formation of electron-hole pairs. When the photon is absorbed by the acceptor and the exciton reaches a heterojunction, an electron will then transfer from the HOMO of the donor to the HOMO of the acceptor. In order to make certain there is effective charge transfer, the continuous donor or acceptor domains must be smaller than the exciton diffusion length (< ~0.4 nm).
Light Harvesting Efficiency.
The light harvesting efficiency of energy transfer in light harvesting materials can be enhanced by either decreasing the distance between the donor and acceptor or designing a material that contains multiple antenna chromophores per acceptor (antenna effect). Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Efficiency corresponds to the light harvesting efficiency and is determined by the spectroscopic properties of dyes/pigments or chromophores and the distances between the donor and acceptor; the limitations of FRET can be overcome by enhancing the antenna effect through modifying the stoichiometry of the electron donor, transmitter, and acceptor.
Photosynthetic biological systems.
Photosynthetic biological systems utilize sunlight, an abundant and ubiquitous energy source, as metabolic fuel. The highest efficiency for the conversion of energy from the sun into biomass by plants is around 4.6% at 30 °C and 380 ppm of atmospheric CO2 for carbon fixation during  photosynthesis. Natural light harvesting complexes have molecular machinery that make possible the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy with almost 100% quantum efficiency. The ability of living organisms to harvest solar energy and achieve quantum efficiency near unity is due to the culmination of ~3.5 billion years of evolution. This efficiency is achieved in plants with a series of energy transfer steps, that are carried out through pigment-protein complexes (e.g. Photosystem II). Pigment-protein complexes (PPC) contain chromophore molecules, specifically chlorophylls and carotenoids that are embedded in a protein matrix. PPC serve as antenna complexes that absorb sunlight and the harvested energy from the sunlight then travels hundreds of nanometers to the reaction center; this energy essentially powers the electron transfer chain essential to photosynthesis and the downstream photosynthesis of plants. In order for charge or energy transfer to occur in the multielectron redox processes of the electron transfer chain, charge separation must occur first, which is induced by light harvesting.
Purple bacteria complexes.
Purple bacteria, a photosynthetic organism also contains a PPC that is structurally different to the photosystems in plants but similar in terms of function. Exciton-transporting proteins found in purple bacteria such as "Rhodospirillum photometricum" or "Rhodoblastus acidophilus," are light harvesting complex 1 and light harvesting complex 2. Light harvesting complex 2 in the purple bacteria "Rhodoblastus acidophilus" is shown in Figure 2. The light harvesting complex in purple bacteria is multifunctional; at high light intensities, the light harvesting complex typically switches into a quenched state through a conformational change of the PPC, and at low light intensities, the light harvesting complex typically reverts back to an unquenched state. These conformational changes occur in light harvesting complex 2 in order to manage the metabolic cost corresponding to protein synthesis in purple bacteria.
Complexes in green plants.
Conformational changes of proteins in PPC of vascular plants or higher plants also occur on the basis of light intensity. When there are lower light intensities for example on an overcast day, any absorbed sunlight by higher plants is converted to electricity for photosynthesis. When conditions allow for direct sunlight the capacity of PPC in higher plants to absorb and transfer energy, exceeds the capacity of downstream metabolic or biochemical processes. During periods of high light intensity plants and algae will enter a stage of non-photochemical quenching.
Design and characterization of synthetic materials.
Materials based on Porphyrins, Chlorophyll, and Carotenoids.
Artificial light harvesting materials that serve as antenna are based on non-covalent supramolecular assemblies that contain motifs that are inspired by the pigment molecules chlorophyll and carotenoids that are embedded in protein-pigment complexes in nature. The class of pigments that are most commonly found in nature are chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls, the synthetic analogs of these biological chromophore molecules are porphyrins which are the most extensively used compounds in artificial light harvesting applications. The porphyrin moieties present in  biological light harvesting complexes play a critical role in the efficient absorption of visible light, the harvested energy from the porphyrin-based molecules is then collected in the reaction center through the excitation energy transfer relay. The light-driven charge separation process occurs at the reaction center due to the cooperation of two porphyrin derivatives.
Porphyrin and chlorophyll bioinspired materials.
Supramolecular assemblies of synthetic porphyrin-based materials for light harvesting are commonly studied and utilized for electronic energy transfer. The supramolecular assemblies typically employ coordination and hydrogen bonding as an efficient means of tuning interactions and directionality between donor chromophores and acceptor fluorophores. Zinc porphyrin is frequently coupled to free-base porphyrin in synthetic electronic energy transfer systems due to the separated absorption features of both of these molecules. The zinc porphyrin serves as the donor and the free-base porphyrin serves as the acceptor, since the fluorescence of the zinc porphyrin overlaps with the absorption of the free-base porphyrin. Porphyrin arrays and oligomers have been combined with charge-separation molecules in order to emulate charge-separation functions that are present in photosynthetic proteins, in addition to the light harvesting properties of biological light harvesting complexes. The charge-separation molecules that are usually combined with donor chromophore zinc metallated porphyrins are ferrocene which serves as an electron donor and fullerene which serves as an electron acceptor.
Carotenoid bioinspired materials.
Carotenoids are another class of pigment/dye molecules found in retinal photoreceptors and biological light harvesting systems (e.g. Photosystem I, Photosystem II, and Light Harvesting Complex II). When finely arranged with chlorophylls in biological photosynthetic systems, carotenoids effectively promote photoinduced charge separation and electron transfer. Carotenoid is highly conjugated and is structurally very similar to polyacetylene oligomers. Naturally derived carotenoids have been combined with fullerene derivatives for photovoltaic applications. In photovoltaic devices, carotenoid molecules exhibited p-type semiconductor behavior since the molecular structure is very similar to polyacetylene. Artificial dyad and triad systems in which carotenoids are covalently bound have been able to mimic the charge separation and light harvesting mechanisms present in phototrophic organisms. Carotenoid that is covalently bound to porphyrin is a typical example of a dyad containing carotenoid, the dyad can then be covalently bound to a fullerene to form a triad (Figure 3). The triad systems display electron transport that results in long lasting charge separated states.
Biomaterials.
Natural light harvesting complexes contain proteins that combine through self-assembly with effective donor chromophores in order to promote light harvesting and energy transfer during photosynthesis; synthetic peptides can be designed to have optoelectronic properties that mimic this phenomenon in natural light harvesting complexes. Proteins in PPCs not only serve as a support for the arrangement of chromophores during light harvesting but also actively play a role in the photophysical dynamics of photosynthesis. Some biomimetic artificial light harvesting complexes have been designed to have proteins and peptides that self-assemble in such a way that chromophores in the complex are arranged for optimized light harvesting efficiency. Peptide self-assemblies and polypeptides modified with porphyrins have also been designed to have the dual function of charge separation and light harvesting. Other examples of peptide donor and acceptor chromophore conjugates utilize the self-assembly of amyloid fibrils into a beta sheet that allows the chromophores to become arranged in such a way that is fine tuned for efficient light harvesting. Synthetic peptides and proteins are one example of the biological materials that are utilized in artificial light harvesting systems, virus templated assemblies and DNA origami have also been employed for light harvesting applications.
Organic gels and nanocrystals.
Reversible molecular organic gel networks are held together by noncovalent interactions (e.g. hydrogen bonding, π-stacking, van der Waals interactions and donor–acceptor interactions). The gelator molecules can self-organize in one-dimensional arrays due to the directional nature of intermolecular interactions, producing elongated fibrous structures that can serve as antenna molecules. The organic gels assemble in such a way that there is proper arrangement of donor and acceptor chromophores which is the principle requirement for efficient energy transfer. π-conjugated molecules are commonly used in organic gels since these molecules are impacted by the orientation of chromophores in self assemblies. Some examples of π-conjugated molecules that are employed in organic gels are oligo-p-phenylenevinylene, anthracene, pyrene and porphyrin derivatives.
Organic and Organometallic Nanocrystals (NCs) are promising for light harvesting and energy applications because NCs can be solubilized, demonstrate capability of absorbing a large fraction of the solar spectrum, and have a tunable band-gap due to quantum-confinement effects. Organic and organometallic crystals are commonly formed through noncovalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, and electrostatic interactions. Organic NCs can be composed of organic arrays that incorporate dye molecules such as boron dipyrromethene. Sun et al. developed two polymorphic organometallic nanocrystals formed from platinum (II)-β-diketonate complexes demonstrated light harvesting and photoluminescent properties. Zeolite nanocrystals that allow for the supramolecular organization of organic dye molecules have also been designed for light harvesting.
Dendrimers.
Since the late 1990s a lot of emphasis has been placed on the design of supramolecular species that can partake as antenna molecules for artificial photosynthetic applications; many of these artificially designed antennas are dendrimers. Light harvesting dendritic molecular structures are designed to have a high abundance of light-collecting donor chromophores that transfer the energy to an energy “sink” at the center of dendrimer. An important consideration when designing dendrimers for light harvesting applications is that as the dendrimer generation increases, the number of terminal groups that serve as donor chromophores doubles; however, this results in an increased distance between the terminal groups and the energy acceptor core, thereby decreasing energy transfer efficiency. Dendrimers can contain a large number of chromophoric groups such as coumarin-based donor chromophores in highly ordered arrays to enable effective energy transfer. The core (energy acceptor) of dendrimer molecules can be functionalized with porphyrins, fullerenes and metal complexes. Some reported dendrimer systems can achieve up to 99% energy transfer, an example of a dendrimer that can achieve this efficiency has a perylene core and dendrimer branches composed of coumarin units.
Nanocomposites.
Nanomaterials with tunable band gaps can be combined to form heterogeneous structures that self-assemble to form stable abiotic structures, that have potential in artificial photosynthesis and bionic vision. The electronic and physical properties of graphene based composites show promise for light energy conversion. One example of a graphene based composite employed negatively and positively charged graphene oxide multilayers, the layers stacked horizontally based on electrostatic interactions forming a horizontal heterostructure that was able to undergo light-ionic-energy conversion. Negatively charged graphene oxide can also be combined with positively charged polymer nanoparticles; the aggregation of polymers in polymer nanoparticles allows for a broader range for tunable responses to visible light when compared to pristine polymers. The high extinction coefficients of the polymer aggregates allow for enhanced light harvesting as well as charge separation. The delocalization of the electrons of the polymer nanoparticles combined with the graphene allows for π–π* transitions and the materials in the composite match energetically.
Organic and inorganic hybrids and inorganic nanomaterials.
In organic and inorganic hybrid systems such as Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite and Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs), the organic–inorganic interface is a critical parameter that controls the performance of light-harvesting devices. Lead-halide perovskite materials demonstrate exceptional photophysical properties and have optoelectronic applications. Halide perovskite materials more generally, have high optical absorption characteristics and allow for charge transport, demonstrating these materials have potential for photovoltaic applications and solar energy conversion. MOFs can be designed to have solar light harvesting properties through different synthetic strategies such as using porphyrin containing struts or metalloporphyrins as the primary organic building blocks. MOFs may also be functionalized through surface modification with quantum dots, or through the embedding of photosensitive ruthenium or osmium metal complexes into the MOF structure.
Inorganic materials such as silicon nanostructures, inorganic oxide films (e.g. titanium oxide and indium oxide), and ultrathin two-dimensional inorganic materials (e.g. bismuth oxychloride, tin sulfide, and titanium sulfide nanosheets) have light harvesting and optoelectronic properties. Silicon is commonly used in solar cells and in 1954 Bell Labs invented the first effective silicon solar cell with an efficiency of 5%. The efficiency of the device that was invented by Bell Labs rapidly increased upon n-type and p-type doping and by 1961 reached an efficiency of 14.5%. Silicon is highly abundant, has extensive charge carrier mobility and  high stability, allowing it to be widely used in photovoltaic and semiconductor applications. Currently the most efficient single junction device employing silicon has reached a solar conversion efficiency as high as 29.1%. Silicon nanostructures such as nanowires, nanocrystals, quantum dots, and porous nanoparticles have shown improvements over bulk or planar silicon due to enhanced charge separation and transfer, intrinsically higher specific volume, and surface curvature. Silicon nanostructures also allow for the quantum confinement effect which can improve light absorption ranges and light-induced responses.
Dye-sensitized solar cells frequently incorporate titanium dioxide as a principal component because it imparts sensitizer adsorption as well as charge separation and electron transport characteristics. The dye molecules present in dye-sensitized solar cells, upon light harvesting, transfer excited electrons to titanium dioxide which then separates the charge. Indium oxide sheets with oxygen vacancies have narrowed band gaps and enhanced charge carrier properties that allow for charge carrier separation efficiency making this material a potential candidate for light harvesting. Ultrathin bismuth oxychloride with oxygen vacancies also allows for enhanced light harvesting and charge separation properties.
Applications.
Photovoltaics.
The field of organic photovoltaics in particular, has developed rapidly since the late 1990s and small solar cells have demonstrated power conversion efficiencies up to 13%. The abundance of solar power and the ability to leverage this for conversion to chemical energy via artificial photosynthesis can allow for mass renewable energy sources. Understanding the fundamental processes of photosynthesis in biological systems is important to the development of solar renewable sources. Light-induced charge separation in photosynthetic organisms, catalyzes the conversion of solar energy into chemical or metabolic energy and this has inspired the design of synthetic light-harvesting materials that can then be integrated into photovoltaic devices that generate electrical voltage and current upon absorption of photons. Excitonic networks are then formed for efficient energy transfer. Wide‐ranging molecular and solid‐state materials have applications in photovoltaics. In the design of photovoltaic devices, it is critical to take into account the effects of high pigment or chromophore concentration, the arrangement of chromophores, as well as the geometry of antenna moieties embedded in light harvesting devices, in order to optimize power generation and maximize quantum efficiency. One common form of chromophore within solar cells is that of dye-sensitized solar cells. The dynamic and responsive molecular machinery present in photosynthetic organisms as well as the principles of self-assembly has influenced the design of “smart” photovoltaic devices.
Photocatalysis.
Semiconductive surfaces (e.g. metal oxides) functionalized with light harvesting materials (e.g. fullerenes, conductive polymers, porphyrin and phthalocyanine based systems, nanoparticles) can photocatalyze water oxidation or water dissociation in a photoanodic device. Solar energy conversion may be applied to photoelectrochemical water splitting. A majority of water-splitting systems employ inorganic semiconductor materials, however, organic semiconductor materials are gaining traction for this application. Oxynitrides and oxysulfides have also been designed for the photocatalysis of water degradation as well.
Photodynamic therapy.
Photodynamic therapy is a medical treatment that employs photochemical processes, through the combination of light and a photosensitizer to generate a cytotoxic effect to cancerous or diseased tissue. Examples of photosensitizers or light harvesting materials that are used to target cancer cells are semiconductor nanoparticles, ruthenium complexes, and nanocomplexes. Photosensitizers can be used for the formation of singlet oxygen upon photoinduction and this plays an important role in photodynamic therapy and this capability has been displayed by titanium dioxide nanoparticles.


ElecLink

ElecLink is a HVDC electrical interconnector under construction between the UK and France, passing through the Channel Tunnel. It is being constructed by a subsidiary of Getlink, which owns the tunnel itself. ElecLink is expected to be operational in 2022 following several delays due to safety concerns.
The 51 km DC cable runs between converter stations at Peuplingues in France and Folkestone in the UK, with an additional 14.5 km of underground AC cable on the English side, and 3.5 km on the French side, to link the converter stations to the existing transmission networks.
ElecLink is the first UK interconnector to be entirely funded by private finance, without being underwritten by electricity consumers.
Construction.
Work commenced on the project in 2017, with the overall design and installation of the project being handled by Balfour Beatty, the converter stations being constructed by Siemens, and the contract for manufacturing the HVDC cables awarded to Prysmian. The foundation stone of the Folkestone converter station was laid in February 2017, by Jesse Norman MP, Minister for Industry and Energy.
In 2019, the Anglo-French Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission (IGC), which oversees the safety of the Channel Tunnel, suspended part of the project's consent due to concerns about safety of the HVDC cables within the tunnels. This decision prevented the cables from being installed. The IGC was expected to make a final decision on whether the cables can be installed in April 2020, based on a recommendation from the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, however this approval was again delayed due to further safety concerns and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December 2020, the IGC announced its approval of the project, with the cable expected to be installed by summer 2021 and commercial operation expected to start in mid-2022.
A specialist, 500 m long, battery-powered works train was manufactured for the project to allow the HVDC cable to be installed.
See also.
Other interconnectors between the UK and France include:


KT88

The KT88 is a beam tetrode/kinkless tetrode (hence "KT") vacuum tube for audio amplification.
Features.
The KT88 fits a standard eight-pin octal socket and has similar pinout and applications as the 6L6 and EL34. Specifically designed for audio amplification, the KT88 has similar ratings to the American 6550 which was designed for use as a servo amplifier. It is one of the largest tubes in its class and can handle significantly higher plate voltages than similar tubes, up to 800 volts. A KT88 push-pull pair in class AB1 fixed bias is capable of 100 watts of output with 2.5% total harmonic distortion or up to about 50W at low distortion in hi-fi applications. The transmitting tubes TT21 and TT22 have almost identical transfer characteristics to KT88 but a different pinout, and by virtue of their anode being connected to the top cap have a higher plate voltage rating (1.25 kilovolt) and a higher power output capability of 200 watts in class AB1 push–pull.
The screen grid is sometimes tied to the anode so that it becomes effectively a triode with a lower maximum power output.
History.
The KT88 was introduced by GEC in 1956 as a larger variant of the KT66. It was manufactured in the U.K. by the MOV (Marconi-Osram Valve) subsidiary of G.E.C, also labelled as IEC/Mullard, and, in the U.S., Genelex "Gold Lion".
As of 2018, KT88 valves are produced by Shuguang (China), JJ Electronic (Slovakia), Svetlana (Russia), and New Sensor Corporation (Russia). NOS examples in good condition are extremely rare. Due to its availability and characteristics, the KT88 is popular in hi-fi production amplifiers.
Historically, it has been far more popular with high fidelity stereo manufacturers than guitar amplifier builders, given its characteristics of high-power and low-distortion. Due to these characteristics, it is regularly used to replace 6550 tubes by end users seeking a guitar amplifier tone with less distortion. Some of the amplifiers which shipped with the KT88 power tube include the Hiwatt, Marshall Major, and some Ampeg models.


Philadelphia Electric Company


Nevada Power Company

Nevada Power Company (NPC) was a Las Vegas-based company that produced, distributed, and sold electricity in the southern part of the state of Nevada. In 2005, it had over 700,000 electric customers in parts of three Nevada counties — a service area of more than . In 1998, Nevada Power merged with Nevada's other major utility, Sierra Pacific Resources. It continued as a subsidiary of Sierra Pacific until 2005, when the company changed its name to NV Energy.
History.
Nevada Power was founded on March 20, 1906 as Consolidated Power and Telephone, the electric and telephone company for the year-old town of Las Vegas. It split into two companies in 1929. The telephone company, Southern Nevada Telephone Company, eventually was acquired by Centel. It was later owned by Sprint and Embarq, and is now part of CenturyLink. The power company became Southern Nevada Power. In 1937, it became one of the first utilities to receive power from the Hoover Dam. As the Las Vegas Valley boomed in the 1950s, its power needs exceeded the power available from the dam, and Southern Nevada Power began building its own steam turbines. After buying the Elko-Lamoille Power Company, it was renamed Nevada Power in 1961. A year later, it became the first Nevada company on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1999, the company merged with Sierra Pacific Resources of Reno, the main electric and natural gas provider for northern Nevada. The merged company retained the Sierra Pacific name, but moved its headquarters to Las Vegas.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nevada Power held off on building new plants and was looking to divest its existing plants based on Nevada's deregulation of power generation and distribution. However, after the energy crisis in 2001, the deregulation was put on hold and Nevada Power resumed pursuing options to generate more of its own power.
In 2003 the company installed two of the largest phase shifting transformers in the world at its Crystal switching station to deal with the large quantity of imported power.
As a part of the plan to internally generate more of its power, Nevada Power in October, 2004 purchased from Duke Energy North America a partially competed 1,200 megawatt plant. Plans were announced on June 21, 2005 to purchase from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation its 75% interest in a 570 megawatt plant. The other 25% share is owned by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
In January 2006, Nevada Power announced plans to decommission units 1, 2, and 3 at the Clark Station which provide a total of 175 MW of power.
On September 22, 2008, Nevada Power Company began doing business as NV Energy. This is the result of the corporate decision to unify its image under a single brand.
In 2013 Berkshire Hathaway's MidAmerican Energy (now Berkshire Hathaway Energy) announced it would purchase NV Energy. MidAmerican and NV Energy say both companies' boards have approved the sale and they expect it to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to approval by regulators and NV Energy shareholders. The move will expand MidAmerican's customer base by over one million to 8.4 million worldwide and boost its assets to $66 billion.
Power plants.
In the early years, power was generated by the company. However, in 1914 the company contracted to purchase power from other companies. This practice continued until the 1950s when the company again started running power plants to provide a portion of its base supply.
Power transmission.
Several generating stations are located in Nevada Power's service area. In addition, Nevada power historically imported a large portion of its power from other areas. As a result, the company's main transmission lines both serve its customers and provide inter-company power transport services.
Regional transmission organizations.
Nevada Power is a member of the regional transmission organization RTO West, formally known as "Grid West" .


Stable salt reactor

The stable salt reactor (SSR) is a nuclear reactor design under development by Moltex Energy Ltd, based in the United Kingdom and Canada.
The SSR incorporates elements of the molten salt reactor, and aims to have improved safety characteristics (intrinsically safe) and economics (LCOE of $45/MWh or less) over traditional light water reactors. Stable salt reactors would not need expensive containment structures and components to mitigate radioactive releases in accident scenarios. The design of the SSR would preclude the type of widespread radiological contamination that occurred following the Chernobyl or Fukushima accident as hazardous airborne isotopes are chemically bound to the coolant. Additionally, the modular design would allow factory production of components and delivery to site by standard road transportation, reducing costs and construction timescales.
The fuel design is a hybrid between light water reactor fuel assemblies and traditional molten salt reactor approaches in which the fuel is mixed with the coolant. In the SSR design, the liquid salt fuel mixture is contained within fuel assemblies that are very similar to current light water reactor technology. The fuel assemblies are then submerged in a pool of pure liquid salt coolant.
Technology.
The basic unit of the reactor core is the fuel assembly. Each assembly contains nearly 400 fuel tubes of 10 mm diameter with a 1 mm helical wire wrap filled to a height of 1.6 metres with fuel salt. The tubes have diving bell gas vents at the top to allow fission gasses to escape.
An unusual design feature of the reactor is that its core is rectangular in shape. This is neutronically inefficient compared to a cylindrical core but allows for simpler movement of fuel assemblies, and extension of the core as required simply by adding additional modules.
The assemblies move laterally through the core, with fresh assemblies entering at the sides in opposite directions, similar to the refuelling of CANDU reactors. They are raised only slightly to move them into an adjacent slot, remaining in the coolant at all times.
Modular construction.
The reactor core is composed of modules, each with a thermal output of 375 MW, containing 10 rows of 10 fuel assemblies, upper and lower support grids, heat exchangers, pumps, control assemblies and instrumentation.
Two or more of these modules are assembled side by side in a rectangular reactor tank.
A 1200 MWe reactor is possible in a tank that can fit on the back of a truck, making the technology significantly more compact than today’s reactors.
The modules (without fuel assemblies) are planned to be delivered to the construction site pre-assembled and pre-tested as single road-transportable components.
They are installed into the stainless steel tank when the civil works phase is complete during commissioning.
The upper part of the reactor consists of an argon containment dome, incorporating two crane-type systems, a low-load device designed to move fuel assemblies within the reactor core and a high-load device designed to raise and lower fuel assemblies into the coolant, and to replace entire modules should that be necessary.
All reactor maintenance is planned to be carried out remotely.
Fuel and materials.
The fuel in the SSR is composed of two-thirds sodium chloride (table salt) and one-third plutonium and mixed lanthanide/actinide trichlorides.
Fuel for the initial reactors is planned to come from converted conventional spent nuclear fuel from today’s fleet of reactors but in the case of the UK, could come from the stocks of civil plutonium dioxide from PUREX downblended and converted to chloride with added impurities to reduce any proliferation concerns.
Trichlorides are more thermodynamically stable than the corresponding fluoride salts and can therefore be maintained in a strongly reducing state by contact with sacrificial nuclear grade zirconium metal added as a coating on, or an insert within, the fuel tube.
As a result, the fuel tube can be made from standard nuclear certified steel without risk of corrosion.
Since the reactor operates in the fast spectrum, the tubes will be exposed to very high neutron flux and so will suffer high levels of radiation damage estimated at 100–200 dpa over the tube life.
Highly neutron damage tolerant steels such as HT9 will therefore be used for the tubes.
Other steels with fast-neutron tolerance could also be used depending on the local supply chain capabilities such as PE16, NF616 and 15-15Ti.
The average power density in the fuel salt is 150 kW/l which allows a large temperature margin below the boiling point of the salt.
Power peaking to double this level for substantial periods would not exceed the safe operating conditions for the fuel tube.
Coolant.
The coolant salt in the reactor tank is a sodium zirconium fluoride mixture. The zirconium is not nuclear-grade and still contains ~2% hafnium. This has minimal effect on core reactivity but makes the coolant salt low-cost and a highly effective neutron shield. One metre of coolant reduces neutron flux by four orders of magnitude. All components in the SSR are protected by this coolant shield.
The coolant also contains 1 mol% zirconium metal (which dissolves forming 2 mol% ZrF2). This reduces its redox potential to a level making it virtually non-corrosive to standard types of steel. The reactor tank, support structures and heat exchangers can therefore be constructed from standard 316L stainless steel.
The coolant salt is circulated through the reactor core by four pumps attached to the heat exchangers in each module. Flow rates are modest, approximately 1 m/s with resulting low requirement for pump power. There is redundancy to continue operation in the event of a pump failure.
Safety.
The stable salt reactor was designed with intrinsic safety characteristics being the first line of defence. There is no operator or active system required to maintain the reactor in a safe and stable state. The following are primary intrinsic safety features behind the SSR:
Reactivity control.
The SSR is self-controlling and no mechanical control is required. This is made possible by the combination of a high negative temperature coefficient of reactivity and the ability to continually extract heat from the fuel tubes. As heat is taken out of the system the temperature drops, causing the reactivity to go up. When the reactor heats up the reactivity goes down. Such large negative reactivity feedback allows the reactor to always be in a shutdown (subcritical) state when at temperatures exceeding 800 °C. This provides security against all overpower scenarios, such as a reactivity insertion accident. The ability to shutdown is ensured through the removal of fuel assemblies along the core's edge to their storage inside the reactor tank. This renders the system subcritical. For the sake of having diverse and redundant safety systems, there also exist four fast-action boron control blades.
Non-volatile radioactive material.
Use of molten salt fuel with the appropriate chemistry eliminates the hazardous volatile iodine and caesium, making multi-layered containment unnecessary in preventing airborne radioactive plumes in severe accident scenarios.
The noble gasses xenon and krypton would leave the reactor core in normal operation, but be trapped until their radioactive isotopes decay, so there would be very little that could be released in an accident.
No high pressures.
High pressures within a reactor provide a driving force for dispersion of radioactive materials from a water-cooled reactor. Molten salt fuels and coolants have boiling points far above the SSR's operating temperature, so its core runs at atmospheric pressure. Physical separation of the steam generating system from the radioactive core by means of a secondary coolant loop eliminates that driving force from the reactor. High pressures within fuel tubes are avoided by venting off fission gases into the surrounding coolant salt.
Low chemical reactivity.
Zirconium in pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and sodium in fast reactors both create the potential for severe explosion and fire risks.
There are no chemically-reactive materials used in the SSR.
Decay heat removal.
Immediately after a nuclear reactor shuts down, almost 7% of its previous operating power continues to be generated, from the decay of short-halflife fission products. In conventional reactors, removing this decay heat passively is challenging because of their low temperatures. The SSR operates at much higher temperatures so this heat can be rapidly transferred away from the core. In the event of a reactor shutdown and failure of all active heat-removal systems in the SSR, decay heat from the core dissipates into air cooling ducts around the perimeter of the tank that operate continually. The main heat transfer mechanism is radiative. Heat transfer goes up substantially with temperature so is negligible at operating conditions but is sufficient for decay heat removal at higher accident temperatures. The reactor components are not damaged during this process and the plant can be restarted afterwards.
A solution to the nuclear waste legacy.
Most countries that use nuclear power choose to store spent nuclear fuel deep underground until its radioactivity has reduced to levels similar to natural uranium. Acting as a wasteburner, the SSR offers a different way to manage this waste.
Operating in the fast spectrum, the SSR is effective at transmuting long-lived actinides into more stable isotopes. Today’s reactors that are fuelled by reprocessed spent fuel need very-high-purity plutonium to form a stable pellet. The SSR can have any level of lanthanide and actinide contamination in its fuel as long as it can still go critical. This low level of purity greatly simplifies the reprocessing method for existing waste.
The method used is based on pyroprocessing and is well understood. A 2016 report by the Canadian National Laboratories on reprocessing of CANDU fuel estimates that pyroprocessing would be about half the cost of more conventional reprocessing. Pyroprocessing for the SSR uses only one third of the steps of conventional pyroprocessing, which will make it even cheaper. It is potentially competitive with the cost of manufacturing fresh fuel from mined uranium.
The waste stream from the SSR will be in the form of solid salt in tubes. This can be vitrified and stored underground for over 100,000 years as is planned today, or it can be reprocessed. In that case, fission products would be separated out and safely stored at ground level for the few hundred years needed for them to decay to levels similar to uranium ore. The troublesome long-lived actinides and the remaining fuel would go back into the reactor where they can be burned and transmuted into more-stable isotopes.
Other stable salt reactor designs.
Stable salt reactor technology is highly flexible and can be adapted to several different reactor designs. The use of molten salt fuel in standard fuel assemblies allows Stable Salt versions of many of the large variety of nuclear reactors considered for development worldwide. The focus today however is to allow rapid development and roll out of low-cost reactors.
Moltex Energy is focussed on deployment of the fast spectrum SSR-Wasteburner discussed above. This decision is primarily driven by the lower technical challenges and lower predicted cost of this reactor.
In the longer term the fundamental breakthrough of molten fuel salt in tubes opens up other options. These have been developed to a conceptual level to confirm their feasibility. They include:
With this range of reactor options and the large global reserves of uranium and thorium available, the Stable Salt Reactor can fuel the planet for several thousands of years.
Economics.
The overnight capital cost of the stable salt reactor was estimated at $1,950/kW by an independent UK nuclear engineering firm.
For comparison, the capital cost of a modern pulverised coal power station in the United States is $3,250/kW and the cost of large-scale nuclear is $5,500/kW.
Further reductions to this overnight cost are expected for modular factory-based construction.
This low capital cost results in a levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of $44.64/MWh with substantial potential for further reductions, because of the greater simplicity and intrinsic safety of the SSR.
Given the pre-commercial nature of the technology, the figures for capital cost and LCOE are estimates, and completion of the development and licensing process may result in upward or downward adjustments.
The International Energy Agency predicts that nuclear will maintain a constant small role in global energy supply with a market opportunity of 219 GWe up to 2040.
With the improved economics of the SSR, Moltex Energy predicts that it has the potential to access a market of over 1,300 GWe by 2040.
Development.
The fundamental patent on the use of unpumped molten salt fuel was granted in 2014, and further implementation-related patents have been applied for and granted since.
The SSR-W is currently undergoing Vendor Design Review Phase 1 review with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Both the US and Canadian governments are supporting development of elements of the SSR technology.
Moltex Energy will build a demonstration Stable Salt Reactor (Wasteburner) at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant site in Canada under an agreement signed with the New Brunswick Energy Solutions Corporation and NB Power.
Recognition.
As well as the selection for development support by the US and Canadian governments noted above, the SSR has been identified as a leading SMR technology by a 2020 Tractebel analysis, and the SSR was selected as one of two SMR candidates for further progression by New Brunswick Power out of a field of 90 candidates. It has also been selected as part of the UK government's Phase 1 Advanced Modular Reactor competition.


History of electricity sector in Canada

The history of electricity sector in Canada has played a significant role in the economic and political life of the country since wide-scale industrial and commercial power services spread across the country in the 1880s. The development of hydropower in the early 20th century has profoundly affected the economy and the political life in Canada and has come to symbolize the transition from "old " industrialism of the 19th century to a "new", modern and diversified, Canadian economy.
As early as 1873, an electric arc light was demonstrated in Winnipeg Manitoba. But Canada's use of electricity as mass-market service began in earnest in 1881, when Ottawa entrepreneur Thomas Ahearn installed Canada's first water-powered generator at the Chaudiere Falls, and later that year a steam generator lit a public skating rink in downtown Toronto. By 1883, the Houses of Parliament and Toronto's Central National Exhibition were illuminated by electric lights. And by 1885, public street lighting had been introduced in many Canadian Cities, including Hamilton, Quebec, Montreal, and Ottawa - which became the first city in the world to electrically light all of its streets.
In the 1890s, three competing firms in Ontario engaged in a competition to develop the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. After several years of delays, construction began on the two sites in 1902 and on a third in 1904. At the same time, a group of municipalities in southern Ontario set up utilities joined their efforts to obtain a stable supply of hydropower. Despite his initial reluctance, Ontario Premier George William Ross organized the Ontario Power Commission in 1903 to coordinate efforts.
After the private companies refused to negotiate power deals, the government responded by setting up an enquiry headed by Adam Beck, who recommended the establishment of a publicly owned distribution system. The province established the Hydro Electric Commission of Ontario in 1906 and voters approved municipalization of power distribution a year later. The Commission began delivering power to cities and towns in October 1910. By World War I, 59,000 customers were connected to the grid in Ontario.
In Manitoba and British Columbia, private companies were also quick to develop hydropower. The Nelson Electric Light Company was the first company to build a hydro site in British Columbia. February 1, 1896 it commenced operation producing power for the City of Nelson. The Sandon plant was second in March 1897. In Winnipeg, railroad tycoon William Mackenzie built the first plant built on the Winnipeg River to supply the Ogilvie mill. Mackenzie soon faced competition from the city of Winnipeg, after voters backed the construction of a $3.25 million publicly funded dam on the Winnipeg River in 1906.
State control and rural electrification.
Development of the electric sector accelerated after the First World War with the creation of provincial utilities in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, in the 1920s. Publicly owned electric companies put a strong focus on rural electrification and hydroelectric development.
The Quebec government was a latecomer as far as its involvement in the electricity sector is concerned. After an anarchic period, the industry consolidated into a duopoly of investor-owned utilities. In Quebec's largest city, Montreal Light, Heat & Power (MLH&P) became the dominant player through mergers with competitors.
In the rest of the province, Shawinigan Water & Power Company (SW&P) attracted large industrial customers, aluminium smelters, carbide plants and pulp and paper mills, with an hydroelectric complex built on the Saint-Maurice River. In 1930, SW&P had grown to become the leading power company in Quebec, and one of the largest hydroelectric companies in the world.
Calls for nationalization of the industry began during the Great Depression, after a political scandal surrounded the construction of the Beauharnois Hydroelectric Power Station, on the Saint Lawrence River, west of Montreal. Critics attacked the "electricity trust" for their abusive rates and excessive profits. The campaign, masterminded by Philippe Hamel and T.-D. Bouchard, led to the nationalization of MLH&P and the creation of Hydro-Québec by the liberal government of Adélard Godbout in 1944. The other electric companies were taken over by Hydro-Québec in 1963, following a snap election on the issue of electricity spearheaded by René Lévesque, the provincial minister in charge of Natural Resources in the Jean Lesage government.
Hydroelectric developments.
Under government leadership, provincial power companies invested heavily in the power sector to stimulate economic development. Premiers Joey Smallwood in Newfoundland, W. A. C. Bennett in British Columbia, Ed Schreyer in Manitoba and Robert Bourassa in Quebec shared this vision of hydropower as a major part of their provinces' industrial development policies.
Hydroelectric mega-projects were undertaken by most provinces during the 1960s and 1970s. BC Hydro developed power stations along the Peace and Columbia Rivers. Manitoba Hydro undertook the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project. In Labrador, the controversial Churchill Falls Generating Station was built after 20 years of negotiations, and NB Power undertook the construction of the Mactaquac Dam, near Fredericton.
But hydroelectric development was most active in Quebec. Between 1965 and 1984, Hydro-Québec built 7 large power stations on the Manicouagan and Outardes rivers and the first 3 plants of the 16,000-MW James Bay Project on La Grande River. The 5 plants of the second phase were built between 1987 and 1996.
But ample supply and increased opposition to large hydroelectric projects by environmentalists and First Nations forced the postponement or cancellation of several proposed developments during the 1980s and 1990s, such as the Site C dam on the Peace River in British Columbia or the Great Whale project in Quebec.
Nuclear energy.
Canada has a long and storied nuclear history. The area of Great Bear Lake has provided uranium for the Manhattan Project and the first Canadian nuclear reactor, the ZEEP, was built in 1945. Two years later, the National Research Council of Canada began operations on the NRX (National Research Experimental) heavy-water reactor at Chalk River Laboratories, near Ottawa. In 1957, it was followed by the National Research Universal Reactor (NRU).
In the meantime, Ontario Hydro, Canadian General Electric and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited began working on an experimental nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Power Demonstration, in Rolphton, Ontario, not far from Chalk River. The 22 MW reactor generated Canada's first nuclear energy to the grid on June 4, 1962.
The first full-scale nuclear power plant, the Douglas Point Nuclear Generating Station, entered commercial service on September 26, 1968. Douglas Point generated 220 MW and was built for $91 million. The CANDU reactor was then built at three locations in Ontario in the next 25 years, in Pickering, Bruce County and Clarington.
Of the 20 nuclear reactors operational in Canada, only two are located outside Ontario: Gentilly-2, near Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and Point Lepreau, west of Saint John, New Brunswick. Both became operational in 1983.


GRID Alternatives

GRID Alternatives (GRID) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California. GRID Alternatives installs solar power systems and provides job training for under-served communities and operates in the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Nepal.
History.
GRID was founded during the 2001 California energy crisis by Erica Mackie, P.E., and Tim Sears, P.E., two engineering professionals.
According to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program profile, GRID "piloted its flagship Solar Affordable Housing Program in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2004, and subsequently expanded to other parts of the state."
In 2008, GRID was selected by the California Public Utilities Commission to serve as the statewide program manager for its Single-family Affordable Solar Homes (SASH) incentive program, prompting an expansion across California.
In 2013, GRID expanded its work outside of California for the first time in Colorado.
GRID Mid-Atlantic, serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, was launched in September 2014. In 2017, GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic was selected to administer Solar Works DC, a program of the Washington, D.C. Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) and Department of Employment Services (DOES).
Regional Affiliates.
GRID has 9 regional affiliates; 7 serving California and offices in Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C.
In September 2017, regional affiliate GRID Alternatives Tri-State, serving New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, closed.


Diagonal compressor


Thunder Bay Generating Station

Thunder Bay Generating Station is a defunct biomass-fired thermal power station owned by Ontario Power Generation ("OPG"). It is located on Mission Island in Thunder Bay, on the shore of Lake Superior.
Thunder Bay GS was in operation from 1963 to 2018. It was the last coal fired station in Ontario. The plant was initially shut down in April 2014 as part of Ontario's phase out of coal-fired electricity generation, before being converted to run on advanced biomass (wood pellets) and recommissioned on February 9, 2015.
Historic operations.
Thunder Bay GS began operation in 1963, with one 100 MW coal-fuelled generating unit. Two additional coal-fuelled units were added in the early 1980s, and in 1984 the original 100 MW unit was removed from service. This plant is connected to the power grid via 115 KV and 230 KV transmission lines. The station occupies on Mission Island, at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River delta on Thunder Bay. The plant's chimney is tall.
The two coal-fuelled boilers provided a peak output of 326 MW fuelled by low-sulphur lignite coal from the Ravenscrag Formation in Southern Saskatchewan and low-sulphur sub-bituminous coal from the Powder River Basin in the United States.
While operating as a coal plant, annual production was approximately 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (KWh), enough energy to supply over 100,000 households for one year.
Conversion from coal.
There were multiple announcements on the future of Thunder Bay GS over a 10-year period. The Ontario government initially proposed a conversion to natural gas in 2004 but subsequently cancelled that plan in 2006.
Then, as part of the 2010 Long-Term Energy Plan, Ontario's Ministry of Energy announced that Thunder Bay GS would be converted from coal to natural gas by the end of 2014. This was part of the Ontario government's commitment to phase out all of its coal-burning power generation.
On 1 November 2012, OPG announced that the Ontario Power Authority requested that the conversion to natural gas be suspended until the Ontario Power Authority could assess generating needs in northwestern Ontario. The next announcement on the generating station's fate was made in November 2013 when the Ministry of Energy announced that Thunder Bay GS would be converted to advanced biomass.
Ontario’s Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli outlined the broad terms of the conversion in a directive to the Ontario Power Authority dated 16 December 2013. Chiarelli noted that the station will have only one unit operating as a peaking plant and that OPG is only permitted to purchase 15,000 tonnes of fuel annually. It was estimated that the 15,000 tonnes of fuel will permit the single unit to operate at 2% of capacity.
The generating station will have a five-year contract to produce electricity starting in January 2015.
, the plant burns steam treated wood pellets (biocoal) from Arbaflame in Norway.
On July 27, 2018 OPG and IESO announced the closure of Thunder Bay Generating Station due to having a leak in the boiler causing the station to be shut down since May. Estimated repair costs would be about $5 million and the contract expiration in 2020 was not intended to be renewed.


DPL Inc.

DP&L Inc. is a subsidiary of AES Corporation. Through its subsidiaries The Dayton Power and Light Company and DPL Energy Resources, DP&L sells to, and generates electricity for, a customer base of over 500,000 people within a area of West Central Ohio, including the area around Dayton, Ohio; its namesake. Electricity for DP&L's 24 county service area within Ohio's Miami Valley is primarily generated at eight coal-fired power plants, but DP&L also provides service to its clients via the use of combustion turbines, diesel peaking units, and solar powered properties.
History.
The Dayton Power and Light Company was incorporated in 1911 under the laws of Ohio. DP&L is the principal subsidiary of DPL providing approximately 99% of DPL's total consolidated revenue and approximately 92% of DPL's total consolidated asset base. DPL and its subsidiaries employed over 1,500 people as of January 31, 2008. Prior to 2000, DP&L also distributed natural gas within its service area; its gas operations were divested in the Fall of 2000 to Vectren, an Evansville, Indiana-based company that formed earlier that year. DPL was acquired by AES in 2011. The transaction was valued at $4.7 billion and it enabled AES to acquire all of the outstanding shares of DPL for $3.5 billion in cash, or $30 per share.
In 2018, DP&L, aiming at a restructure of the company, announced that 160 jobs (60 in Ohio and 100 in Indiana) would be cut in the second quarter of the fiscal year. DP&L would also shut down two coal plants it operated in Southern Ohio, J.M. Stuart and Killen. Later that year, DP&L announced it would invest up to $1 million in investments to support the installation of electric vehicle charging stations within its coverage territory in Ohio.
Operations Within Puerto Rico.
Following the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, DP&L began taking an active role in America's recovery efforts; working alongside AES to renovate the central power grid that was damaged by the storm.
Currently, AES and DP&L have provided Puerto Rico with 6 megawatts of battery based storage units, provided by its Tait Energy Storage Station, in order to expedite the recovery process. Additionally, DP&L would also play a role in AES’ proposed construction of a series of autonomous “micro-grids”. The goal of said micro-grids would be to provide reserve power to small public locations, such as schools and hospitals. These grids, if greenlit, would be equipped with solar panels and powered by batteries, thereby alleviating the island's dependency on imported fossil fuels.


Punjab Solar Summit

Punjab Solar Summit was a Government of Punjab hosted event in Chandigarh on July 23, 2015 to bring prospective entrepreneurs, investors and other stake holders on a common platform.
Making farmers' entrepreneurs.
The New and Renewable Energy Minister, Bikram Singh Majithia, elected in Punjab had announced when he took over as Minister for New and Renewable Energy (Punjab) that he has a dream to make Punjab a solar state and the state is now in sniffing distance from realising its dream. The dream encompasses a major agenda for investors to invest in Punjab and for farmers to become entrepreneurs because they can sell extra energy so generated at assured rates to Punjab State Power Corporation and supplement their incomes.
Who will participate?
Executives from major companies like Punj Lloyd Limited, LancoInjfratech Limited, Azure Power India Limited, Welspun Renewables Limited, Essel Infra Projects Limited, Solairedirect Energy India Private Limited, International Switchgears Private Limited, Madhav Solar Private Limited, Northstar Solar Power Private Limited, IK Energy Private Limited, Aditya Medisales Limited from Sun Pharma Group, Focal Energy India Private Limited, NextgenSolux Power Private Limited, Atma Power Private Limited, Abundant Ventures LLC, T.R.Energy& Agro Private Limited, Earth Solar Private Limited, Allianz Eco Power Limited and Mokia Green Energy Private Limited are expected to attend the Summit.
Green Power Revolution.
The Green Revolution changed the face of agriculture and now it is the turn of Green Power Revolution to catapult power scenario because solar power is both clean power and green power. One unit of thermal or coal power emits about 825 grams of carbon dioxide. However, in case of solar power, no carbon dioxide is emitted. The Punjab Solar Summit 2015 is the foremost step towards the Green Power Revolution.
References.
1. Punjab inks pacts five bio-ethanol plants for solar projects-Business Standard February 16, 2015.
2. Punjab to generate 4,200 MW solar power by 2022: Bikram Singh Majithia
3. Provide easy credit for solar power projects: Bikram Singh Majithia
4. Punjab’s dream of a solar state: 200 MW by March 2015
5. Punjab State to generate 2,000 MW solar power.
6. Punjab Solar Summit: Lease out your land for renewable energy's sake: Sukhbir to farmers.
7. Solar summit would be a booster for Punjab economy.
8. Punjab to encourage farmers for mini-solar plants.


Ancillary services (electric power)

Ancillary services are the services necessary to support the transmission of electric power from generators to consumers given the obligations of control areas and transmission utilities within those control areas to maintain reliable operations of the interconnected transmission system.
Ancillary services are specialty services and functions provided by actors within the electric grid that facilitate and support the continuous flow of electricity, so that the demand for electrical energy is met in real time. The term ancillary services is used to refer to a variety of operations beyond generation and transmission that are required to maintain grid stability and security. These services generally include active power control or frequency control and reactive power control or voltage control, on various timescales. Traditionally, ancillary services have been provided by large production units such as generators. With the integration of more intermittent generation and the development of smart grid technologies, the provision of ancillary services is extended to smaller distributed generation and consumption units.
Types of ancillary services.
Six different kinds of ancillary services:
Scheduling and dispatch.
Scheduling and dispatch are necessary because in most electrical systems energy storage is nearly zero, so at any instant, the power into the system (produced by a generator) must equal the power out of the system (demand from consumers). Since production must so closely match demand, careful scheduling and dispatch are necessary.
Usually performed by the independent system operator or transmission system operator, both are services dedicated to the commitment and coordination of the generation and transmission units in order to maintain the reliability of the power grid.
Scheduling refers to before-the-fact actions (like scheduling a generator to produce a certain amount of power the next week), while dispatch refers to the real-time control of the available resources.
Reactive power and voltage control.
Consumer loads expect voltage within a certain range, and the regulators require it be within a certain percent of the nominal voltage (for example, in the US it is 土5%).
Reactive power can be used to compensate the voltage drops, but must be provided closer to the loads than real power needs (this is because reactive power tend to travel badly through the grid). Notice that voltage can be controlled also using transformer taps and voltage regulators.
Operating reserves.
Since production and demand must match so perfectly (see Scheduling and dispatch), operating reserves help make up the difference when production is too low.
An operating reserve is a generator that can quickly be dispatched to ensure that there is sufficient energy generation to meet load. Spinning reserves are generators that are already online and can rapidly increase their power output to meet fast changes in demand. Spinning reserves are required because demand can vary on short timescales and rapid response is needed. Other operating reserves are generators that can be dispatched by the operator to meet demand, but that cannot respond as quickly as spinning reserves, and grid battery storage that can respond within tens of milliseconds, generally faster than even spinning reserve.
Frequency control.
Frequency control refers to the need to ensure that the grid frequency stays within a specific range of the nominal frequency. Mismatch between electricity generation and demand causes variations in frequency, so control services are required to bring the frequency back to its nominal value and ensure it does not vary out of range.
If we have a graph for a generator where frequency is on the vertical axis and power is on the horizontal axis:
formula_1
where P is the change in power of the system. If we have multiple generators, each might have its own R. Beta can be found by:
formula_2
The change in frequency due to a change in power can be found with:
formula_3
This simple equation can be rearranged to find the change in power that corresponds to a given change in frequency.
Renewable generation.
The grid integration of renewable generation simultaneously requires additional ancillary services and has the potential to provide ancillary services to the grid. The inverters that are installed with distributed generation systems and roof top solar systems have the potential to provide many of the ancillary services that are traditionally provided by spinning generators and voltage regulators. These services include reactive power compensation, voltage regulation, flicker control, active power filtering and harmonic cancellation. Wind turbines with variable-speed generators have the potential to add synthetic inertia to the grid and assist in frequency control. CAISO tested the 131 MW Tule wind farm's synchronverter in 2018, and found it could perform some of the grid services similar or better than traditional generators. Hydro-Québec began requiring synthetic inertia in 2005 as the first grid operator, demanding a temporary 6% power boost when countering frequency drop by combining the power electronics with the rotational inertia of a wind turbine rotor. Similar requirements came into effect in Europe in 2016.
Electric vehicles.
Plug-in electric vehicles have the potential to be utilized to provide ancillary services to the grid, specifically load regulation and spinning reserves. Plug-in electric vehicles can behave like distributed energy storage and have the potential to discharge power back to the grid through bidirectional flow, referred to as vehicle-to-grid (V2G). Plug-in electric vehicles have the ability to supply power at a fast rate which enables them to be used like spinning reserves and provide grid stability with the increased use of intermittent generation such as wind and solar. The technologies to utilize electric vehicles to provide ancillary services are not yet widely implemented, but there is much anticipation of their potential.


Stephanie Cooke

Stephanie S. Cooke is a journalist who began her reporting career in 1977 at the Associated Press. In 1980 she moved to McGraw-Hill in New York as a reporter for Nucleonics Week, NuclearFuel and Inside N.R.C. In 1984 she transferred to London and two years later covered the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster for Business Week and Nucleonics Week. In 2004, Ms. Cooke returned to the United States to complete her book "." Cooke lives with her son in Kensington, Maryland, and is currently editor of Nuclear Intelligence Weekly.