That 700 MW that was installed brought the first half U.S. total to 1239 MW, a level similar to 2007. Even with over 5,500 MW now under construction, AWEA projects that 2010 installations will likely be 25%-45% lower than 2009 installations. Beyond 2010, the amount of construction in the pipeline also drops off.
One bright spot was that wind turbine orders saw a slight uptick in Q2, mostly for 2010 delivery. Only two new wind manufacturing facilities came online in the first half of 2010, compared to seven in 2008 and five in 2009. Total installed U.S. wind capacity stands at 36,300 MW. See the AWEA press release and the AWEA Mid-Year 2010 Market Report (PDF 541 KB).
$43 Million Loan Guarantee for NY State Energy Storage
On August 9, DOE announced it finalized a $43 million loan guarantee for Beacon Power Corp's 20 MW flywheel energy storage plant in Stephentown, New York.
The $69 million plant-the first of its kind in the world-will improve the stability and reliability of the state's electric grid by acting as "shock absorbers", using the flywheel to absorb and discharge energy to balance power generation and consumption. The flywheel plant will provide about 10% of NY's total capacity to regulate frequency on a typical day.
Flywheel-based frequency regulation is fast and efficient, ramping up or down 10 times faster than conventional fossil fuel generators. The plant will be online and earning revenue by Q1 2011. Beacon is developing two more similar sized plants, one in the PJM Interconnection grid- which encompasses parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia-will be partially funded by a $24 million DOE Smart Grid stimulus grant. The other in Glenville, NY, is the subject of a second loan guarantee application that DOE is currently evaluating. See press releases from DOE and Beacon Power.
On August 5, DOE announced it would extend the application deadline for July 2009 loan guarantees for clean energy projects to October 5. The Part II application deadline is still December 31, 2010. See the DOE press release and the DOE Loan Guarantee Program Web site.
On August 2, AES Energy Storage received a conditional commitment for a $17.1 million loan guarantee for construction of a 20 MW energy storage system using advanced lithium-ion batteries. The Johnson City, New York project will help provide a more stable and efficient electrical grid for the state's high-voltage transmission network.
Power plants typically maintain the "grid frequency regulation" needed to balance generation and consumption by burning more fossil fuels. The AES project eliminates the need to burn fossil fuels by using battery technology and software to provide the same grid frequency regulation at a lower price. This advanced frequency regulation capability will allow renewable electricity generation to play a larger role in New York's transmission network. The AES technology reduces carbon emissions by 70% compared to frequency regulation provided by fossil energy suppliers.
DOE has now offered conditional commitments for loan guarantees to support 14 clean energy projects. See the DOE press release and the DOE Loan Guarantee Program Web site.
Xcel Energy's Wind-to-Battery Test Shows Promising Results
Xcel Energy has reached a milestone in preliminary tests of a 1 MW battery-storage system to store wind energy and move it to the grid.
