China's first wind-solar power storage demonstration project comes on stream

[jpak]

http://www.electroiq.com/photovoltaics/2011/12/1570481038/china-s-first-wind-solar-power-storage-demonstration-project-comes-on-stream.html

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) ?China's first integrated wind-solar power demonstration project has been completed and put into operation on December 25 in Zhangbei county of north China's Hebei province, according to a source at North China Grid Co., Ltd, constructor of the project.

The project is the largest new energy project in the world that integrates wind power generation, solar PV power generation, power storage and intelligent power transmission, said Zhao Yuzhu, deputy general manager of North China Grid.

With an initial investment of 3.3 billion yuan, the project is currently equipped with installed capacity of 100-megawatt (MW) wind power, 40-MW solar PV power and a storage capacity of 20 MW.

The power plant realizes complementary use of solar power and wind power by generating electricity through solar PV power during the daytime and electricity through wind power at night, which has enhanced the utilization rate of wind turbines by 5-10 percent, noted Zhao Yuzhu,

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[Bob Wallace]

1. Looks like storage is sodium-sulfur batteries...

"Zhang noted that SGCC's subsidiary North China Grid Co. Ltd. is constructing a renewable energy complex in northern Hebei province, integrating wind turbines with 100 megawatt (MW) capacity, a 50 MW solar module and a sodium-sulfur battery (NAS) capable of storing 20 MW. Combining wind and solar energy production with storage batteries is one option of creating grid-friendly electricity. SGCC has also requested renewable energy producers to stabilize their electricity output."

http://www.opplandcorp.com/grid-integration/newsletter.html

Looking around I found a page on China's pump-up storage...

http://www.industcards.com/ps-china.htm

[oldhippie]

5. I wonder what is the actual energy storage capacity of the battery?

The article states the the sodium-sulfur battery is capable of storing 20 MW, but that is power capacity, not energy storage. I wonder how long the battery can supply that 20 MW of power? Is it a short term load-leveler similar to a big flywheel, or can it supply MW of power for a number of hours while sun and wind are not cooperative? Big MW-Hrs of energy storage would be a big advantage, of course.

[txlibdem]

2. This could be a model for the US to follow: wind+solar+storage all in one

Rec

[Bob Wallace]

3. Depends on the location...

There are places in the Southwest where wind and solar are abundant in close proximity.

Other places it will make more sense to centralize the storage and import wind and solar.

And in other places it will make sense to put storage close to wind farms in order to minimize the amount of transmission needed.

[txlibdem]

4. True.

There is no cookie cutter solution. We'll need more of our ingenuity to leave Wall Street and move to Main Street.

[Bob Wallace]

7. "Wall Street"...

That's all about businesses large enough to get stuff done.

We're not going to replace fossil fuels with 'mom and pop' scale activity. It's going to take very large business whether we like large businesses or not.

Right now we're seeing a major shakeout in solar panel manufacturing. Those companies which cannot manufacture at lowest rate are failing and those who can produce for 'cheap' are going to grow into monster size. If the price of solar continues to fall as expected the manufacturing of solar panels is going to become a very major part of the world's economy over the next several decades.

Some of the stocks now traded on Wall Street will loose value because their companies will fail to keep up with the transition. Just as happened with very large corporations like Bethlehem Steel. BP failed to implement new panel technology they had in hand and ended up withdrawing from panel manufacturing.

New mega-corporations will rise. And their stocks will be traded.

[txlibdem]

8. You missed my point about Wall Street

They've soaked up too many of our best mathematicians, etc., for over a decade if not two. Now we need the brightest minds working on renewable energy issues, high voltage transmission lines, smart grid technology, energy efficiency in everything we do and use, electric vehicles, etc.

[Bob Wallace]

9. Perhaps...

You've not had the "privilege" of working both in the sciences and in business.

I can assure you that the brightest minds are not working in the business world. Wall Street may have hired away a few statisticians and mathematicians, but it's highly unlikely they got the best.

[txlibdem]

10. Here's some data to help you

The Insitute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) has released a second version of its study titled Energy Self-Reliant States. In it they look at various ways that U.S. states could generate clean electricity locally (rooftop solar PV, onshore wind, offshore wind, etc). Just from the name of the institute, it's pretty obvious that they aren't in favor of centralized solutions to our energy problems, but at least they aren't all ideology: They back up their claims with a lot of data.

...

All 36 states with either renewable energy goals or renewable energy mandates could meet them by relying on in-state renewable fuels. Sixty-four percent could be self-sufficient in electricity from in-state renewables; another 14 percent could generate 75 percent of their electricity from homegrown fuels. [...]

More than 40 states plus the District of Columbia could generate 25 percent of their electricity just with rooftop PV. [...]

much of the West and Midwest can be entirely self-sufficient by harnessing in-state [onshore] wind power [...]

http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/the-100-mile-diet-for-electricity-the-institute-for-local-self-reliance-argues-for-decentralization.html

The above link has a map for onshore wind potential and a separate map for solar potential. For instance, Texas can get over 500% of its electrical energy needs from wind power alone; North Dakota's wind resource is 14,000% of their electrical energy needs.

Note that the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida show zero percent wind resource and yet the article claims that an interstate grid system is not needed. Go figure. So while I disagree on their misguided "distributed grid" philosophy, it's instructive to see how many states could get 100% of their electricity needs from wind and/or solar.

California could get 31% from onshore wind and 52% from rooftop solar PV for a total of 83% of their electricity needs. This does not include offshore wind, nor desert solar farms, geothermal, tidal nor wave power.

[Bill USA]

6. recommended.