Workshop Notes – Q & A
November 18, 2003 St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands DE: The National Perspective
Presentation by Anne-Marie Borbely-Bartis, Battelle at U.S. Department of Energy
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
What do you mean when you say “six 9s” of reliability? This refers to the amount of “uptime” of the electric power system, “six 9s” or 99.9999 percent. How does the U.S. Dept. of Energy determine which programs get allotted more money? This is a question of Washington D.C. politics. There are Presidential Initiatives and also Congressional Initiatives. How do you know if your certain project will be chosen for funding by the government? The Federal government does not necessarily choose specific projects. Hiring a consultant who is trained on these types of issues could help. Or linking with an association (e.g., American Lung Association with funding for clean energy projects). Being a member of an industry consortium can often be helpful. The U.S. Virgin Islands is a member of the Southern States Energy Board.
Comment:
Comment: Comment: Q: A:
What codes do the U.S. Virgin Islands use now? National Electrical Code® (NEC® ) and Uniform Building Code (UBC); no International Code Council (ICC) electric codes yet. There are also draft energy building codes. Is there a program/mandate for inspectors to go somewhere to get training? No. But we have been talking about this at the U.S. Department of Energy, and we now plan on dedicating a full-time staff person to do 8-hour training sessions. The U.S. Department of Energy’s regional offices are in charge of implementation of projects (more so than headquarters in Washington DC). If you have questions, you can ask the Atlanta regional office for more details.
Q: A:
Comment:
1
Energy Issues on the Virgin Islands
Presentation by Bevan R. Smith Jr., Virgin Islands Energy Office
No questions asked Energy Issues on the Virgin Islands
Presentation by Gregory Willocks, U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA)
Q:
A: Q: A:
Why does the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA) want to know, precisely, how much energy is produced? Doesn’t it only matter how much energy is going to the grid? With a finite size, the energy produced is less than the nameplate. VIWAPA wants to know how much energy is produced. What is the purpose of the 2% cap on small power producers? This accomplishes two things: maximum allowable IPP (amount can give up before it affects operation) and also safety is the other issue. This fits well with VIWAPA’s mode of operation.
Comment: Q: A:
Are you equating a small power producer to a net consumer? No, not considered a small power producer.
DG Electrical Interconnection & Metering
Presentation by Steve Hester, National Hydrogen Association
Comment: Q: A:
The new IEEE standards deal with technical issues. An installer should not have to prove that the equipment is good every single time.
Has any of the new equipment been islanded? UL1741 – it is anti-islanding equipment. The answer is no. You need to show that it is UL certified.
Comment:
DG Electrical Interconnection & Metering
Presentation by Beecher Higby, West Indies Solair
Comment:
There are safety issues to consider, but one cannot compromise the grid through interconnection. The inverter will blow up before it backfeeds into the grid. Public Utility Commissions have to work with utilities to create friendly accounting systems.
Comment:
2
Photovoltaics: Installation and Operation
Presentation by Onaje Jackson, Sustainable Systems & Design International
Q: A:
Please provide clarification on the trackers. Are they useful? They can be useful but they are also vulnerable to the elements. On the U.S. Virgin Islands, salt gets into the mechanism. Also, high winds can be problematic. A U.S. Virgin Islands project is currently looking at the feasibility of tracking vs. stationary.
Comment: Q: A:
What is the advantage of placing the solar panels on the roof vs. standing them on the ground? Safety reasons. Electricity is produced, so the panels must be out of the way for safety reasons in many cases. Goats chewing wires is also another safety consideration on the islands.
Comment:
Fuel Cells: Installation and Operation
Presentation by Wayne Surdoval, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
Does your analysis assume that the hydrogen is made from fossil fuels? The hydrogen economy is another issue that will be discussed with our next speaker, Steve Hester from the National Hydrogen Association. What about the efficiency of propane? The efficiency of propane should be similar to what is up on the slide, which is showing the efficiency of natural gas. What is the quality of the water that is the “waste” from the fuel cell? It is drinkable; distilled water. This [the fuel cell] looks like a simple process. It is amazing it has taken this long.
Comment: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
So it’s not the inverter that’s the problem? No. The science is already there. What is the manufacturing price? $400/kW What is shown on the left-hand side of the slide? A vent. Where is the stack? In the middle.
3
Q: A:
What brand is this? Plug Power.
Hydrogen Safety
Presentation by Steve Hester, National Hydrogen Association
Q: A:
What is carbon sequestration? Instead of putting CO2 into the air, carbon sequestration is “capturing” it.
Landfill Gas Energy Applications: Microturbines, Reciprocating Engines, and Gas Turbines
Presentation by Chris Voell, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
How far away from source (location)? Happened to be 9½ miles. Was it a cost-sharing venture? Ameresco – a third party – capitalized entire project. Is the gas pumped in? Vacuumed? Landfill gas is lighter than air. Its natural tendency is to rise. It is an art. Can you utilize the gas even after the landfill is closed? Definitely. It’s at its peak when it is closed, and decreases from there. What about siliconzaines from soap, shampoo, etc.? It is not an over-riding concern, but you should be aware of it. What about the odor from the gas? If you have a landfill-gas-to-energy project, you are capturing the gas, so you are using it and preventing the odor. Can you drill into a capped landfill? Yes.
4
November 20, 2003 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands DE: The National Perspective
Presentation by Anne-Marie Borbely-Bartis, Battelle at U.S. Department of Energy
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
With nuclear energy, what are the losses? Typical plant is 33%-35% efficient. Why did BPA stop installing the fuel cells? The process was taking too long – their business model didn’t work. Was it the code that stopped the installations? The code inspectors were very uncomfortable. What types of informational materials are available? Checklists are being written, Neil Rossmeissel of the U.S. Department of Energy is available as a reference. (See presentation for Neil’s contact information.) What about the International codes? Yes. The ICC codes now include fuel cells. The U.S. Department of Energy plans on going back and training areas such as New England. Let us know when you start using I-Codes in the USVI. We’ll come back and train you for free.
Energy Issues on the Virgin Islands
Presentation by Bevan R. Smith Jr., Virgin Islands Energy Office
Q: A:
Where is the installation shown in the slide located? In Miami, at a state park near the ocean. Electric vehicles are charged at this location.
Energy Issues on the Virgin Islands
Presentation by Gregory Willocks, U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA)
Q: A:
How close are we on interconnection policy? We want a policy that will address everything and that is a result of agreement among all parties. New wind technology under 1 MW is quieter today as compared to the older technology of 10 years ago. True; but new technology not always used on these islands.
Comment: Comment: Q: A:
Are the new bi-directional meters digital? Yes.
5
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
So, the meters currently used today are not bi-directional? Correct. Have you noticed the Westin advertising a cogeneration plant (on St. Croix)? Yes. What are T&D charges? T&D is “transmission and distribution.” Can you better define reliability? Are you referring to the intermittent nature of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.)? No. That is not the definition of reliability in this case. If WAPA receives more power from me than I use from them, what is the cash transfer rate? It is a two-way street. There’s a distinction between very small DG and DG. Billing cycle – when is it credited? Every month you pay the difference. At the end of year it is all settled out/audited. Am I going to be charged on the total amount I consume? Everyone will be charged net. What’s the current minimum bill? $4.00 What you see today is not necessarily the finished interconnection policy.
Comment:
DG Electrical Interconnection & Metering
Presentation by Steve Hester, National Hydrogen Association
Comment:
1547 is a standard. Other documents, for example, IEEE 929-2000 (PV), are recommended practices. A utility can mandate use of these recommended practices.
Q: A:
On the “Benefits & Costs of Net Metering” slide, does the last Benefits point (“reduces metering and administrative costs for utility”) really apply if it is an expensive bi-directional meter? Good point. Not necessarily. It is determined on a case-by-case basis.
DG Electrical Interconnection & Metering
Presentation by Beecher Higby, West Indies Solair
No questions asked
6
Photovoltaics: Installation and Operation
Presentation by Onaje Jackson, Sustainable Systems & Design International
Comment: Comment:
Storage enables load management capability. After Hurricane Georges, Coral World was the only place in the area that had power (due to PV). Every building code official/inspector has taken an active position on such renewable energy projects.
Fuel Cells: Installation and Operation
Presentation by Wayne Surdoval, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
Fuel processor with polymer membrane – would it be electrolysis? Yes. To do electrolysis, you need energy. We will discuss this more in the next presentation. What kind of a fuel processor are you looking at? High temperature fuel cell. Currently, $2 Million/year is being put into diesel fuel processing research. Efficiency in a diesel – you gain a lot in the reforming. What is the difference between high temperature and low temperature? High temperature fuel cells are great because you can use H2. If someone could figure out transport, storage, etc., then it would be ideal. However, this still may be 25 years out.
Hydrogen Safety
Presentation by Steve Hester, National Hydrogen Association
No questions asked Landfill Gas Energy Applications: Microturbines, Reciprocating Engines, and Gas Turbines
Presentation by Chris Voell, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Q: A: Q: A: Q: A:
Are internal combustion engines best for the landfill-gas-to-energy applications? Yes. Tend to lean toward IC engines. May be more costly to install “newer” technologies such as Stirling engines, microturbines, etc. So there is 550,000 cubic feet per day? But it is not infinite? Correct. It is like a bell curve. Peak is going to be within 5 years of the last contributions to the landfill. What about the St. John landfill? Is that landfill not a good candidate? I don’t want to say there’s no possibility, but it would be far more difficult to utilize the gas there. There’s definitely gas available at every landfill. 7
Q: A: Q: A:
What about humidity? Rain effects? Typically the USVI receives less rain on average than many of the mainland states, so that should not be a factor. Is there an optimum latitude for such projects? I do not know but I can find out and get back to you. St. Thomas tonnage: 1.5 million tons. Production? 1 MW to 1.5 MW.
Comment:
Structured Discussion and Q & A Q: A: Why wasn’t wind included as a DG option today? In the continental U.S., wind is typically not considered to be small DG. With a little more foresight, we probably should have included wind here on the USVI. There recently was a Puerto Rico and USVI joint meeting on wind. USVI residents can join wind working group; contact USVI energy office for more information.
Comment:
8