EC Magazine Probes the Top Challenges of Alternative Energy
BETHESDA, Md.-(Business Wire)-September 14, 2009 - Three major challenges persist in the pursuit of alternative energy poised for rapid growth, according to the latest issue of ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine. In “CTRL-ALT-NRG,” an article by Edward Brown, cost tops the list when compared to traditional fossil-fuel-based systems, but will likely fall when competition stimulates research and economies of scale. The challenges of stabilizing and storing the energy produced by the sun and wind follow cost—and improving the process efficiency along the entire chain. These problems require designing and developing new techniques, as well as improving existing methods.
“Solving the technical challenges of connecting solar and wind farms to the grid will require a serious investment of time, money and resources from government and industry,” said ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR Publisher John Maisel.
After an ideal location is chosen for a wind turbine to maximize its output, Brown said the challenge is to design a mechanical structure efficient enough to take advantage of available wind.
Many would think that efficiency would be the biggest problem, said Brown, an electrical engineer who designed high-power electronics systems for industry, research laboratories and government. According to recent federal reports however, the most important problems involve how we integrate renewables with the existing grid.
Brown said it is crucial that the photovoltaic or wind-generated power not disturb the grid that it’s tied into. Key grid connection issues include the changing condition of the sources—passing clouds for solar and varying speeds for wind; the changing condition of the grid; central station interconnections issues such as whether the renewable source will disturb the grid voltage or frequency; the solar or wind farm’s ability to deal with the grid’s varying conditions; and other issues.
Brown said energy storage is another major concern, not just for an off-grid system. He references the 2008 Sandia National Laboratories report, “Distributed Photovoltaic Systems Design and Technology Requirements,” stating storage can also be used for backup in the event of a grid outage.
For the full article, go to: http://www.ecmag.com/index.cfm?fa=article&articleID=10465
Published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md., ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine delivers 85,300+ electrical contractors and 68,000+ electrical contracting locations, more than any other industry publication. Telephone: (301) 657-3110. Web site: www.ecmag.com
 |
 |
 |
|
||
 |
|
 |
|
||
Search Our News Using Google Search
Can't find what you want? Try using Google:
