News Roundup
News Roundup for June 30
SMART GRID
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The California Public Utilities Commission has launched a plan for modernizing the state’s electric grid. The regulators set out a framework and an overall vision for a smart grid, which uses real-time information to anticipate, detect and respond to system problems in the state. “Moving to a smart grid will allow utilities to help customers save money by reducing their electricity demand, provide consumers with more control over their energy use and help deploy clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
COMPLETE COMMISSION
The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Cheryl LaFleur for a vacant seat on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, bringing the panel back up to its full five-member strength. LaFleur, who worked for New England’s National Grid for more than two decades, will bring an eastern perspective to the panel; her four colleagues all hail from west of the Mississippi. At the same time, the Senate confirmed Philip Moeller, who joined FERC in 2006, for a second term on the commission.
“A” FOR EFFICIENCY
The University of Missouri’s power plant gets an “A” for energy efficiency. The 118-year-old facility was one of only three university plants to receive a 2010 Energy Star Combined Heat and Power award from the Environmental Protection Agency. The 66-megawatt plant uses coal, gas, tire-derived fuel and biomass to produce steam and electricity. Missouri says the plant uses nearly 38 percent less fuel than typical systems by mixing on-site thermal generation with purchased electricity.
SAHARAN SOLAR
Europe is looking to the Sahara Desert as it seeks to derive 20 percent of its energy from renewables by 2020. The European energy commissioner told Reuters that the continent should be importing its first solar-generated electricity from North Africa within the next five years. The European Union is backing the construction of new electricity cables under the Mediterranean to tap the Sahara’s sunlight. Solar pilot projects would provide power initially, the commissioner said, with thousands of megawatts from a nearly-$500 billion project expected over coming decades.
—Based on news and wire reports
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