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Coal Is Back
Machine Learning in the
Energy Sector
How to Prevent Circulating
Water Flow Reversal
Entergys 550 Megawatt Ninemile 6 CCGT power plant
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41M042017H
ON THE COVER
Arc-rated/flame-resistant (FR) clothing
can go a long way toward improving
safety. In the past, workers may have
complained about discomfort or poor
fit, but new, lightweight and breathable
fabrics are making FR clothes attractive in
Established 1882 Vol. 161 No. 6 June 2017 more ways than one. Courtesy: Workrite
Clothing Co.
SPEAKING OF POWER
Coal Is Back 6
GLOBAL MONITOR
A Double Whammy for Coal Power in Europe 8
THE BIG PICTURE: Generation Transition 10
Geothermal Drilling in Iceland Reaches Supercritical Target 11
SCE, GE Debut Battery-Gas Turbine Hybrid System 12
IRENA: Solar and Bioenergy See Record Growth in 2016 13
Validation Wraps Up for GE, Ansaldo Gas Turbines 14
POWER Digest 16
FOCUS ON O&M
Youre Never Fully Dressed without Flame-Resistant Clothing 18
PID Loop Tuning Pocket Guide Released 21 12
LEGAL & REGULATORY
Offshore Wind Contract Conundrum Heads to Supreme Court 22
By Rebecca Williams and Ben Lamble, Watson Farley & Williams
34
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 1
SPECIAL REPORT: TECHNOLOGY
Energy Generation from A-to-Z with Machine Learning 38
Machine learning and artificial intelligence may seem more like futuristic
sci-fi movie topics than current power generation matters, but computer al-
gorithms are already being used to produce advanced solar cells, forecast
renewable generation, and operate at least one cogeneration plant. Although
implementing machine learning programs can be a challenge, the effort
might be worthwhile.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The Deep Dispute over Deep Decarbonization 48
Several scenarios have been developed outlining the power supply mix that
would be necessary to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The mag-
42 nitude of the task seems daunting and some would argue unnecessary. One
naysayer is President Trump. Under his administration, the prospects for
deep decarbonization seem remote, at best.
ELECTRIC POWER
Power Market Operators and Participants See a Glimmer of Optimism in
Current Chaos 52
The wholesale power market model, the struggles faced by traditional base-
load power plants due to cheap natural gas and the proliferation of renew-
ables, and the rollback of regulations under the Trump administration were
all topics of discussion during the ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibi-
tion this year. The CEOs of North Americas two largest regional transmission
organizations, along with other power leaders, offered insight on how the
industry is being affected.
COMMENTARY
Evolving Workforce and Safety Practices for Wind Farms 64
46 By Jack Rawcliffe, JDR Energy
2 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
Rugged communications
G42223/H892/R:42/X4/9822
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wvknkv{"eqoowpkecvkqpu"uqnwvkqpu"qp"vjg"octmgv0"Qwt vjcv"cp"KGF"ecp"uwtxkxg0
TWIIGFEQO"rqtvhqnkq"kpenwfgu"rtqfwevu"vjcv"ctg"hwnn{ Gzrgtvkug"kp"kpfwuvtkcn"pgvyqtmu0
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EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION Visit POWER on the web: www.powermag.com
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POWER June 2017
Everything you need.
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worlds largest rental leet. It takes a lot to get the job done right. Were here to help.
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SPEAKING OF POWER
Coal Is Back
lthough Im sure some readers will silient grid. But Perry suggested in the everyone of the need for baseload elec-
6 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
Combustion Turbine
Capital Parts
MD&A stands ready to serve your gas turbine fleets. We are a premier worldwide supplier
of replacement gas turbine parts and components.
Through the breadth and depth of our engineers expertise, these master craftsmen can
reverse engineer your components to exacting industry specifications. You can count on
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8 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
Long lasting
partnerships
result in great
achievements
MONT.
N.D.
VT.
MAINE
COAL
ORE. MINN.
WIS. N.Y.
N.H.
States with the greatest change
IDAHO S.D. MASS.
MICH. CONN. R.I.
WYO.
N.J.
NEB.
IOWA
OHIO
PA.
Pennsylvania: 50,281 GWh
NEV. ILL. IND. MD.
UTAH
W.VA.
DEL.
Ohio: 44,588 GWh
COLO.
VA.
CALIF.
KAN.
MO.
KY. Indiana: 35,611 GWh
ARIZ.
TENN.
N.C.
Georgia: 31,186 GWh
OKLA.
N.M. ARK. S.C.
Illinois: 30,377 GWh
MISS.
ALA. GA.
N. Carolina: 27,377 GWh
LA.
TEXAS
Michigan: 25,811 GWh
FLA.
ALASKA
Alabama: 20,985 GWh
HAWAII
Texas: 17,876 GWh
Kentucky: 17,148 GWh
Change in net power generation between 2009 and 2016 (TWh)
Little to +3.5 0 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40 40 to 50 50 to 60
no change
WASH.
MAINE
NATURAL GAS
MONT.
N.D.
VT.
States with the greatest change
ORE. MINN. N.H.
IDAHO
WYO.
S.D. WIS.
MICH.
N.Y. MASS.
CONN. R.I.
Florida: +39,543 GWh
NEB.
IOWA PA.
N.J.
Pennsylvania: +37,881 GWh
NEV.
UTAH
ILL. IND.
OHIO
MD.
DEL. N. Carolina: +34,339 GWh
W.VA.
COLO.
KAN.
MO.
KY.
VA.
Georgia: +32,415 GWh
CALIF.
TENN.
N.C. Texas: +28,686 GWh
ARIZ.
N.M.
OKLA.
ARK. S.C. Virginia: +28,062 GWh
MISS.
ALA. GA. Mississippi: +26,802 GWh
TEXAS
LA.
Alabama: +25,803 GWh
FLA.
Ohio: +24,026 GWh
ALASKA
HAWAII New Jersey: +23,074 GWh
Change in net power generation between 2009 and 2016 (TWh)
Little to 20 to 10 10 to 0 0 to 10 10 to 20 20 to 30 30 to 40
no change
IOWA PA.
N.J. California: +25,370 GWh
NEV.
NEB.
ILL. IND.
OHIO
MD.
DEL.
Oklahoma: +16,846 GWh
UTAH
COLO.
KAN.
MO.
W.VA.
VA. Iowa: +12,663 GWh
KY.
CALIF.
N.C.
Kansas: +11,315 GWh
TENN.
ARIZ.
N.M.
OKLA.
ARK. S.C. Illinois: +7,725 GWh
ALA. GA.
Colorado: +6,791 GWh
MISS.
TEXAS
LA. Minnesota: +5,627 GWh
FLA. N. Dakota: +5,082 GWh
ALASKA
HAWAII Nevada: +4,876 GWh
10 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
but also protections so that existing assets get a fair deal and
are treated in a fair way. EURELECTRIC is working with European
governments to help recalibrate the power market and make it
work better than it does today, he said. One of the things were
looking at is basically to make sure that the services provided by
conventional generation assets are valued in the market.
Ruby specifically urged more European support for hydro-
power, which he said was an attractive source of energy for
the energy transition owing to its cost-effectiveness,flexibility,
and storage capacity. He called attention to the potential for
improving the efficiency of Europes existing hydropower fleet,
and exploiting the continents resources via new large- and
small-scale installations.
But because it was one of the first technologies to produce
power, and its expansion happened in waves throughout the 20th
century,it is generally seen as an older source of conventional
power generation, Ruby said. I think its not unfair to say that
people may have forgotten a bit about it.
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 11
By extending the available economic
2. A deep investigation. A consortium of Icelandic power companies and the Icelandic reservoir downwards, we can extend the
government in January drilled a geothermal well that is 4,659 meters deepdeep enough to lifetimes of existing producing fields, it
reach fluids at supercritical conditionsat the Reykjanes geothermal field, which is a region char-
added. Also, fewer turbines may be re-
acterized by high volcanic activity and submarine hot springs. Courtesy: DEEPGS Geothermal
quired for a given power output as higher
enthalpy fluids have greater power con-
version efficiencies. And, as fewer wells
are needed for a given output, this could
technically increase the productivity of
a geothermal field without increasing its
environmental footprint, it noted.
For now, at least, the IDDP will focus its
efforts on the IDDP-3 project at Hellishei-
di, where work is slated to begin in 2020,
as soon as the IDDP secures funding.
12 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
However, according to GE, the heart pacity surged 161 GW in 2016, marking its notes that Africas renewable installations
of the Hybrid EGT is the groundbreaking strongest year ever for new capacity addi- doubled during 2016 compared to 2015,
control system, which seamlessly blends tions, the International Renewable Energy growing 4.1 GW.
output between the battery and the gas Agency (IRENA) said in a new report re- The report also shows that solar led re-
turbine. The batterys storage capacity leased at the end of March. newable capacity growth, increasing by a
has been designed to provide enough time IRENAs Renewable Energy Capacity record 71 GW in 2016, outpacing wind en-
coverage to allow the gas turbine to start Statistics 2017 suggests that the surge ergy, which spurted by 51 GW. Almost half
and reach its designated power output, was spearheaded by countries in Asia, of the new solar capacity was installed in
GE said. It essentially allows SCE to oper- which accounted for 58% of new renew- China (34 GW). The U.S. added 11 GW, Ja-
ate the turbine in standby mode without able additions in 2016. Asian countries pan increased its capacity by 8 GW, and
using fuel or water, allowing operators to now host 41% or 812 GW of total installed India by 4 GW. Europe also boosted its
dispatch power the second demand surg- global renewable capacity. The report also capacity by 5 GW, mostly all in Germany
es, and enabling an immediate response
to changing energy dispatch needs.
GE and SCE developed the system in col-
laboration with construction firm Wellhead
Power Solutions as a response to the cata-
Hawkeye
Videoscopes
strophic natural gas leak at the massive
Aliso Canyon gas storage facility above
Fast, Reliable, Affordable, Visual Inspection!
the Porter Ranch section of Los Angeles in
the fall of 2015. The gas leak left regional
gas-fired generators in a lurch, but rather
than reestablishing gas supplies, the Cali-
fornia Public Utilities Commission in May
2016 expedited the approval of around
100 MW of battery storage in SCE and San
Diego Electric and Gas territories. By the
end of February, most of these contracted
projects had come online, many of which 90 Prism &
were large four-hour systems (for more, Close-Focus
see Battery Storage Goes Mainstream, in tips available!
POWERs May 2017 issue). Sharp, Clear Photos & Video
While the companies announced the Large 5-inch LCD Monitor
first Hybrid EGT project in October 2016,
it was up and running about six months Easy-to-Use Controls
later. We worked with SCE to address a
Annotation Feature
very specific need, but this solution has
applications that go far beyond, noted Rugged Tungsten Sheathing
Paul McElhinney, president and CEO for
GEs Power Services, in April. Interest in
Quality Construction
the project has especially surged in Cali- Precise 4-Way Articulation
fornia, which wants to use renewables for
half of its power consumption by 2030. Starting at only $8,995
SCE President Ron Nichols said that the
solution would provide stellar environ- VIDEO BORESCOPES In stock, ready for overnight delivery!
mental benefits and greater integration Hawkeye V2 Video Borescopes are fully
of renewables. Think of this as a big ver-
portable, finely constructed, and deliver clear,
sion of a plug-in hybrid, he said on April
17 during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. bright high resolution photos and video! The 5
If we dont have to drive very far, we LCD monitor allows comfortable viewing, and
dont have to use gas. If we need to go intuitive, easy-to-use controls provide photo and
further, the gas engine is there to meet Quickly inspect cooling
our needs. It provides ready power to meet tubes inside heat exchangers,
video capture at the touch of a button! V2s have
expected and sometimes unexpected en- turbineblades, and much more! a wide, 4-way articulation range, and are small,
ergy needs. SCE is now looking to add lightweight, and priced starting at only $8995.
Hybrid EGTs at three other existing peaker V2s are available in both 4 and 6 mm diameters.
plants, he said.
TRY
BEFORE Optional 90 Prism and Close-Focus adapter tips.
YOU BUY! Made in USA
IRENA: Solar and
Bioenergy See Record
Growth in 2016 800.536.0790 gradientlens.com
Global renewable energy generation ca-
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 13
the end of 2016 (Figure 4).
4. A gust for wind. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) IRENA said that hydro capacity increased by 30 GW, driven
forecasts that wind capacity worldwide is set to grow exponentially by Brazil and China, though it also noted substantial capacity
over the next five years despite competition with solar, fueled by more
increases in Canada, Ecuador, Ethiopia, and India. Meanwhile,
interest from corporate buyers and a decline in offshore wind prices.
Courtesy: GWEC, Global Wind 2016 Report
bioenergy increased by 9 GWalso marking its best year ever for
growthled by Asian countries. Geothermal capacity also saw
growth of just under 1 GW. Last year, Kenya added 485 MW, Turkey
150 MW, Indonesia 95 MW, and Italy 55 MW.
Its called
5. Company crowdsourcing. Development of the 9EMax gas
turbine took just three years under GEs FastWork process, where en-
gineering groups around the world worked on upgrade goals in paral-
lel, rather than waiting on one another to complete each stage, GEs
EPIC Power Services said. The global nature of GEs team also allowed them
to work around the clock, passing jobs from one time zone to the next.
Courtesy: GE Power/GE Reports
for a reason
3 EPIC quality
3 EPIC convenience
3 EPIC value
14 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
A new generation is born
New products.
New technologies.
New service capabilities.
Ansaldo Energia: a global player
in the power generation market.
www.ansaldoenergia.com
force in global energy trends, with all
6. A new turbine is born. Ansaldo Energia in May completed initial validation for its modern fuels and technologies playing a
GT36 gas turbine at a test plant in Switzerland. This rendering shows the GT36-S5, a 50-Hz part. The Indian government said in a
scaled version. Courtesy: Anasaldo separate statement that it would richly
gain from the IEAs data gathering pro-
cesses, survey methodologies, and range
of energy data, which could enable India
in the near future to set up its own ro-
bust integrated database agency. Asso-
ciation countries arent IEA members. The
organizations membership is comprised
by 29 countries, all of which are part of
the 35-nation Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development. However,
the IEA works with a number of major
energy-consuming nations. Other IEA as-
sociation countries are China, Indonesia,
Thailand, Singapore, and Morocco. With
India as its newest association country,
the IEA said its operations now account
for about 70% of the worlds total energy.
tomers that expressed a variety of desires. tion energy projects are also capable of Siemens to New Build Cogeneration
Some asked for a turbine with more gen- generating peak power on demand, allow- Plant in Berlin. Siemens received an or-
eration power, some wanted efficiency, ing for shifting loads for gas and power der to build a new natural gasfired com-
and others wanted a model that could be supply, it said. bined cycle power plant with district heat
directly swapped out for the earlier tur- Ansaldo Marks Milestone for GT26. extraction in the Marzahn district of Ber-
bine module, the 9E.03. GE noted that On May 5, Ansaldo Energia, a company lin from Vattenfall Europe Wrme AG, the
development of the 9EMax, which is part 45% owned by the Italian state-owned company said on May 3. The 260-MW plant
of its Fleet360* platform of total plant Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Group and 40% is scheduled to begin operations in 2020.
solutions, was completed by the concur- by Shanghai Electric, announced it had Siemens scope of supply includes the ma-
rent engineering (Figure 5) of a team of successfully completed the first phase jor componentsthe gas turbine, steam
300 employees around the world, includ- of a comprehensive validation program turbine, and two electrical generatorsall
ing engineers in the U.S., Poland, India, of its GT36 gas turbine at the Birr Test to be fabricated at Siemens manufactur-
and France, ultimately reducing time to Power Plant in Switzerland. Power from ing plants in Berlin, Grlitz, and Erfurt,
complete the new turbine development the full-scale simple cycle power plant Germany. It will also supply the heat re-
project from four years to three years. completed in 2016 is dispatched to the covery steam generator. The unit is to be
The validation test took place at an Swiss power grid. erected in a multi-shaft configuration and
installed unit at an unnamed utility cus- Ansaldo said the tests, which included will achieve a fuel efficiency rating of ap-
tomers site in Asia. We completed the stress testing of the two stages of the proximately 90%. Siemens will also sign a
first fire milestone with the unit success- sequential combustion system, part- and long-term service agreement covering the
fully reaching full speed at no load, and it full-load mapping, transient operation, gas turbine generator set.
proved to deliver significantly more power and performance testing, fully confirm the Indonesian Court Revokes Permit
and efficiency compared to current 9E gas high performance, low emissions over the for Coal Plant in West Java. Objections
turbine operations, said Eric Gray, general entire load range, and resulting very wide from local villagers on April 19 prompted
manager of Gas Plant Solutions for GEs operation window of this engine. The test an Indonesian regional court in Bandung,
Power Services. results reported for the GT36-S6 (60-Hz West Java, to revoke an environmental
First Fire for a New F-Class Model. rating) confirmed power output above 340 permit for a 1-GW expansion of the 660-
GE on May 8 also celebrated first fire of a MW at 41% efficiency, Ansaldo said. In MW Cirebon coal-fired power plant (Cire-
60-Hz 6F.01 gas turbine at the Huaneng combined cycle this corresponds to per- bon 2) backed by Japanese firm Marubeni
Guilin Distributed Energy Project in the formance exceeding 500 MW at 61.3% net and the Japan Bank for International Co-
city of Guilin, Guangxi province, China. efficiency in ISO conditions and 720 MW operation (JBIC). The administrative court
The project owned by China Huaneng at 61.5% efficiency for the GT36-S5 (the case was filed in December 2016 by
Group features an innovative combined 50-Hz scaled version), it said (Figure 6). six plaintiffs, including environmental
cooling, heating, and power configura- groups, which argued that the West Java
tion that will be fueled by natural gas government inappropriately issued the
upon completion. The plant uses three POWER Digest permit because it lacked an amendment to
6F.01 gas turbine units, which can achieve India Joins IEA as an Association Coun- a spatial plan and did not engage with the
a fuel efficiency of 81.15% and a total in- try. India joined the International Energy community in the environmental impact
stalled capacity of 210 MW, GE said. Agency (IEA) as an association country assessment process. The JBIC reportedly
GE added that the turbines can deliver a on March 30, marking a significant move led a coalition of banks that signed a loan
rapid startup, synchronizing to grid within for the country into global energy affairs. agreement to provide $1.74 billion for the
as little as eight minutes, achieving to full The IEA said in a statement that the Cirebon expansion. While the decision may
load in less than 30 minutes. Gas distribu- country is emerging as a major driving still be appealed, the Cirebon 2 plant was
16 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
slated to begin operation in 2020 as an ultrasupercritical unit de-
veloped by PT Cirebon Energi Prasarana. Marubeni in May 2016
also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Korea
Midland Power, Samtan, and PT Indika Energy Internasional,
to build Cirebon 3, another 1-GW ultrasupercritical plant at the
site in Cirebon.
Indias BHEL Ramps Up Capacity Additions. Indias Bharat
Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) in late March commissioned the
second 250-MW unit based on circulating fluidized bed com- Experts in Heat Exchange since 1920
bustion technology at Bhavnagar Energy Co.s thermal power
project in Gujarat. Like the first unit, which was completed in
May 2016, the second unit uses lignite as its primary fuel. On
April 12, meanwhile, BHEL kicked off commercial operation of
YOU GENERATE
the second 800-MW supercritical unit at the two-unit Yeramarus
Thermal Power Station owned by Raichur Power Corp. in Karna- ENERGY
taka. BHEL commissioned the first 800-MW unit in late March.
BHEL said in an April 5 statement that these projectsalong WE MAKE SURE
with several othersare part of a renewed thrust on accelerated
project execution. The company said that it achieved capacity IT HAPPENS
additions of 45,274 MW of utility sets during the 12th five-year
plan (20122017), comprising 46% of all capacity additions dur- EFFICIENTLY
ing that period. Last year alone, BHEL installed 6,317 MW in the
utility segmentwhich is nearly four times of the next highest Urbanization, the scarcity of resources, and
achievement by any other manufacturer, it noted. climate change present major challenges
Irish CAES Project Gets EU Grant. Irish renewable energy
and energy storage group Gaelectric will get a 90 million grant when it comes to even greater efficiency in
from the European Union (EU) to develop the 330-MW Larne com- generating energy. Kelvion is the experienced
pressed air energy storage (CAES) project near Larne in Northern partner at your side for all heat exchange-
Ireland. The project in 2013 won designation as a European Proj-
related processes in both conventional and
ect of Common Interest under the EUs program to promote trans-
boundary energy infrastructure. It will store energy in the form alternative energy systems with outstanding
of compressed air in specially engineered caverns created within reliability, availability, and an unyielding pur-
geological salt deposits that are unique to the east Antrim coast suit to cut your life-cycle costs to the core.
on the island of Ireland, in other locations in the UK, and on the
European mainland. The project received 15 million in EU grants www.kelvion.com
in 2015 and 2016 for the environmental impact assessment and
planning activities, as well as front end engineering design.
ABB Wins Orders for HVDC Technology in DRC, UK,
and France. ABB won two orders for high-voltage direct cur- Meet the Experts in
rent (HVDC) lines during April and May. On May 4, it won an Heat Exchange:
order worth more than $30 million from Socit nationale Power-Gen Europe,
dlectricit (SNEL), the national electricity company of the Booth: J28
June 27 29, 2017
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for a partial upgrade of
the Inga-Kolwezi HVDC power transmission link to increase its
transmission capacity from 520 MW to 1,000 MW. Refurbishment
of the line, which ABB built in 1982 and upgraded with new
thyristor valves, high-voltage apparatus, and its MACH control
and protection system in 2009, will transmit power from the Inga
hydropower station on the Congo River to the mining district of
Katanga in the south-east of the country. The upgraded 1,700-ki-
lometer link will also export excess power from the plant to power
strapped Southern African Power Pool countries. The contract is
part of the FRIPT project financed by Glencore and managed by
Congo Energy, a subsidiary of Forrest Group International.
On April 7, ABB also won a $295 million order from UK grid Wherever low investment, operat-
operator National Grid and Rseau de Transport dElectricit ing, and maintenance costs are
key, the new plate generation of
(RTE), the French network owner and operator, to provide two the NT series always proves its
HVDC converter stations to a line that will interconnect the worth and thats just one of the
French and UK grids. The 1,000-MW subsea link will run from product solutions Kelvion offers
Chilling, Hampshire, on the southern coast of England to Tourbe the energy market!
in northern France, covering a distance of 240 km across the
English Channel.
Sonal Patel is a POWER associate editor
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 17
Youre Never Fully Dressed
without Flame-Resistant 1. Dressed for success. Wearing properly rated flame-resistant clothing and other ap-
propriate personal protective equipment is a must for workers in the power generation industry.
Clothing Courtesy: Workrite Uniform Co.
Lesson Learned
A power generation plant worker named
Brian experienced the difference FR cloth-
ing can make firsthand. Brian was working
on a 480-V motor control center bucket
and his screwdriver slipped, ultimately
causing an arc flash. He was not wearing
gloves, and although he was wearing an
arc-rated shirt, the sleeves were rolled up.
When the arc flash occurred, Brian suf-
fered burn injuries to the uncovered parts
of his hands and arms, but the areas of
his arms that were protected by the shirt
remained uninjured. the extent of injury. It goes on to state ronments with a risk of flash fire.
As a result of the accident, Brian was the employer shall ensure that the outer When electrical workers choose to forgo
hospitalized for three days and out of work layer of clothing worn by an employee, FR clothing, it is not only dangerous, but
for three months. He now shares his story with some exceptions, is flame resistant also potentially costly for their workplac-
with other electrical workers to spread the under various conditions. es. That is because OSHA fines, general
message that accidents can happen to In addition to those OSHA rules, the liability costs, lost productivity, workers
anyone and to emphasize the importance National Electrical Safety Code and the compensation, reputational damage, and
of wearing the proper PPE. National Fire Protection Association other losses a burn injury inflicts, can cost
(NFPA) 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety companies millions of dollars.
Regulations and Standards Safe- in the Workplace provide guidance on the
guard Workers specific types of PPE and arc ratings that Choosing the Right
A variety of standards require the use of are necessary for various environments Flame-Resistant Clothing
protective clothing during electrical work. and arc-flash energy exposure levels. The While safe work practices should always
For instance, OSHA 1910.132 requires em- NFPA 70E standard also outlines four PPE be considered the first line of defense, FR
ployers to assess the workplace for hazards categories based on the circumstances clothing can help reduce burn injuries by
and ensure each affected employee wears and level of protection needed. These PPE providing some insulation against heat,
the appropriate PPE. OSHA 1910.269 pro- requirements take into account the task and either self-extinguishing or resisting
vides additional regulations that apply to being performed as well as the condition ignition when exposed to flame or electric
those operating and maintaining electric and type of equipment being used (Figure arc. However, despite these benefits, FR
power generation, transmission, and dis- 2). Meanwhile, NFPA 2112 specifies the clothing is not always worn compliantly.
tribution lines and equipment. It requires minimum performance requirements for There are a variety of reasons workers
employers to ensure that employees who flame-resistant fabrics and components, may choose not to wear FR clothing or
may be exposed to flames or electric arcs as well as the garment design require- wear it incorrectly, such as rolling up the
do not wear clothing that could increase ments for protective apparel used in envi- sleeves of an FR shirt. These reasons range
18 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
ance of the clothing. Fortunately, if a per- help improve comfort and functionality
2. Style and safety. Following require- son knows what to look for, it is possible across the board, it is also important to
ments prescribed in various standards and to find FR clothing that addresses many of keep individual differences in mind and
regulations helps keep workers safe and can
the most common complaints. select FR clothing that provides the best
save companies money. Courtesy: Workrite
Uniform Co.
For instance, a variety of recent inno- fit possible for each individual. For in-
vations in FR fabrics and manufacturing stance, certain FR clothing manufacturers
techniques are making FR apparel more now offer workwear designed specifically
comfortable than ever. For the greatest to provide a more comfortable fit for
possible comfort, fabrics that are light- women. The styles include shirts with
weight (while still offering the appropri- vertical darts and contoured seams, as
ate level of protection), breathable, and well as pants with a lower rise and im-
built for improved moisture management proved fit through the seat, waist, and
should be chosen. thighs.
In addition to choosing comfortable Regardless of gender, FR clothing
fabrics, workers should look for garment should not be too baggy or too tight,
styles that provide a good fit and support and wearers should be able to easily bend
job performance (Figure 3). For instance, down and reach their arms out. In ad-
action backs on coveralls offer more ease dition, shirt sleeves and pant legs that
of movement, and extra-long shirttails can are too long can lead to injuries from
help ensure shirts stay tucked in during tripping or excess fabric getting caught
tasks that involve reaching and bending. on something. If stock sizes do not pro-
Additionally, adjustable cuffs can prevent vide the proper fit, find an FR clothing
loose sleeves from getting in the way manufacturer that can work with you to
of work or compromising safety. When develop custom garments.
it comes to pants, workers should look Along with improved comfort and func-
for options with ample storage space in tionality, many FR clothing manufacturers
the pockets and leg cuts that are wide have also developed new styles that are
from not understanding the importance of enough to fit easily over work boots. designed to imitate off-the-job favorites.
PPE to discomfort or disliking the appear- While the aforementioned features For instance, in recent years, significant
www.fluor.com
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 19
Conference: March 19-22, 2018 Exhibition: March 19-21, 2018
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nashville, TN
www.electricpowerexpo.com 30093
PID Loop Tuning Pocket Guide
3. Sharp-dressed man. Long-sleeved Released
shirts and leather gloves are appropriate safe- Please visit us:
Proportional-integral-derivative (PID)
ty gear throughout power plant environments. Valve World Americas
control is one of the most common types
Courtesy: Workrite Uniform Co. Houston, June 20 - 21
of automatic control used in the power
Stand 1022
industry. A PID controller continuously
calculates an error value as the differ-
ence between a measured process vari-
able and a desired setpoint.
By tuning three parameters, a PID
controller can deal with specific process
requirements. The proportional term re-
fers to the amount added to the output
based on the current error, the integral
term refers to the amount added to the
output based on the sum of the error, and
the derivative term refers to the amount
subtracted from the output based on the
rate of change of the error.
Even though it has a relatively simple
algorithm, there are many subtle varia-
tions in how the structure is applied in
the industry. This has probably resulted
in confusion for plant engineers and op-
erators, who are often happy to leave
control loops in a suboptimal configura-
tion rather than spend time improving
the process. The mentality can be, Lets
FLEXIBILITY
leave well-enough alone.
According to ControlSoft Inc.a FIRST
provider of advanced process control,
performance monitoring, and process
diagnostic toolsabout 80% of control Electric actuators for all types
loops in plants today are not optimally of industrial valves
tuned. The company says it finds around Reliable and long-term service.
25% of control loops have factory-default AUMA offers a comprehensive
settings in place and some 65% have less
variation in manual mode than they do in actuator portfolio.
strides have been made in the area automatic. Customised solutions for all
of FR denim. A variety of FR denim op- However, there are some relatively types of power plants: from
tions are now available, offering the look easy ways to improve the situation. Con- CHP to large-scale power
and feel workers have always appreciated trolSoft recently released an updated PID
plants
about a good pair of jeanswithout sac- loop tuning pocket guide. The twelve-
rificing safety. Beyond these advances in page pamphlet includes a short, easy- Variable speed for high
FR denim, FR clothing manufacturers are to-use guide for tuning PID loops, along precision control
continuously creating a variety of other with updated controller references for Interfaces to all conventional
new shirt, pant, and outerwear styles to many of the more common controllers
ieldbus systems
bring current apparel trends and prefer- on the market today. The pocket guide
ences to the FR workwear market. is available for free at: bit.ly/PID-Guide. Service worldwide
If workers like the way their FR cloth- Visitors are required to enter contact in-
ing looks, fits, and feels, they are more formation prior to viewing or download-
likely to wear it consistently and cor- ing the guide. Discover our solutions for
rectly. And since PPE is the last line ControlSoft also markets INTUNE tun- the power plant industry
of defense against painful, potentially ing software to assist with PID control
www.auma.com
costly injuriesand can even be the loop tuning. The tool is said to reduce
difference between life and deathit is the time required to tune PID loops by
worth investing in options that deliver up to 70%. It connects to most input/
the protection workers need along with output devices and their associated con-
the comfort, functionality, and style they trollers using OPC technology. A full year
want. of technical support is provided with the
Mark Saner is FR technical manager software purchase.
for Workrite Uniform Co. (www.workrite. Edited by Aaron Larson,
com). POWERs executive editor.
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 21
Offshore Wind Contract
Ben Lamble Rebecca Williams
Conundrum Heads to
Supreme Court
he English Supreme Court is due to hear an appeal on the nine parts, ranked in order of precedence. Some parts required
22 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WHEN THE APPLICATION AND
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C
ompliancewhy do we need it? The one of three categories. The categories are: mal part of company growth. Program focus,
simple answer is that a well-executed however, can never waiver in its attempt to
compliance program and do-it-right Organizations with command-and-con- avoid major misses or intentional wrongdo-
culture can help drive business growth; re- trol-based principles, policies, and strict ing. Values- or integrity-based governance
duce business interruption, fines, and repu- discipline and compliance programs generally have
tational damage; andperhaps surprising- Rules-based and process-driven organiza- the highest return on investment (ROI) for
lyfacilitate an empowered and dedicated tions a company (Figure 1). GE uses an integrity-
workforce. In short, it can be a true business Values-based organizations that operate based compliance program, along with clear
advantage that should not be overlooked in on a set of core principles rules and expectations, to drive its speak-
todays economy. up compliance culture and maximize its
Getting there, however, is not easy. The Misses often occur when a top-down, one- own Compliance ROI.
following case study explains how GE and size-fits-all approach is utilized, as employ- GE and GE Powers integrity-based com-
its Power divisionrecognized by the Ethi- ees do not feel empowered to speak up, but pliance program and structure drive a speak-
sphere Institute as one of the most ethical rather, simply follow mandates. In addition, up culture through a very large and matrixed
companies for the past 11 yearsgot there, a program based on rules alone cannot flex to organization. For perspective, GE is the
and how others can too. address grey situations that do not squarely worlds largest digital industrial company
fit within the rules, and without a strong cul- with $123.7 billion in revenue in 2016. It has
Compliance Strategies tural net behind it, can result in major misses more than 300,000 employees and operations
Most energy companies, big and small, glob- if employees do not fully understand, wont in about 170 countries.
al or not, have compliance programs. As de- follow, or disregard the rules. GE Power is GEs largest industrial busi-
scribed in LRNs The HOW Report, most Any compliance program will have oc- ness, with approximately $26.8 billion in
compliance or governance structures fall into casional minor misses, but these are a nor- revenue in 2016. Headquartered in Sche-
24 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
1. Values lead the way. This chart, adapted from LRNs 2016 The How Report, shows
that employee loyalty, business results, corporate reputation, and customer satisfaction all ben- POWER POINTS
efit from a values-based compliance program. Courtesy: GE Power with approval from LRN
Command/control Rule-based Values-based
Key Takeaways
100% Large or small, U.S. or global, a
companys compliance culture
90%
driven by its leadersmust stay
80% consistent and expectations
must be clear
70%
A strong program must
60% flexsome aspects call for
centralization while others must
50% remain local
40%
A speak-up culture mixed
30% with a program of prevention,
detection, and response provides
20% benefits well beyond traditional
compliance and is a true business
10% advantage
0%
Employee loyalty Business results Corporate reputation Customer satisfaction
driven solely from GEs code of conduct and
nectady, New York, it has more than 55,000 structurecombined horizontal and verti- compliance principles (called The Spirit &
employees serving customers in more than calto do more with less. The Letter or S&L).
150 countries. As seen repeatedly, many companies with
Within GE Power, there are five sub-busi- Setting Expectations with excellent codes of conduct and good paper
nesses (P&Ls), each operating with its own Employees programs have triggered multimillion dollar
business strategy and model: Gas Power Sys- In addition to the right structure, GEs global fines for noncompliance. At GE, the S&L is
tems, Steam Power Systems, Nuclear, Power program is seated on a consistent expectation important, but it is how the company opera-
Services, and Power Digital Solutions. In that all employees own compliance, rather tionalizes compliance into its everyday op-
short, GE is big, and getting everyone on the than simply a designated compliance team erations, talks about it, makes the tough calls,
same page is no easy task. But it can be done, being responsible. That is one of the keys to and sets expectations in the organization
and a GE-style program could be similarly avoiding a siloed approach, which often re- (starting with its business leaders) that drive a
applied to smaller organizations. sults in misses. And this expectation is not rhythm and culture of compliance (Figure 2).
With such a large organization, the right
structure is keyget it wrong and a gap or 2. Get the message? Compliance starts with clear policies and expectations, but engag-
miss may result from structure alone. In ing employees, leveraging metrics and data analytics, sharing lessons learned, and keeping
training fresh all play a role in successful programs. Courtesy: GE Power
many cases, scale can be leveraged within
GE and GE Power, in areas such as partner
due diligence, investigations, third-party
management, training, communications,
global programs initiatives, monitoring, and
more. GE calls this a horizontal approach
to compliance, and it is similar to how base
cost is maximized via unit operational scale.
In other circumstances, however, the
structure must be localizedtied to and fo-
cused on the risks of a certain division and
its specific go-to-market strategy and busi-
ness model, or to a certain region and its
specific set of risks, such as regulatory risks
in the U.S. For example, GE has chief com-
pliance officers assigned to the five differing
GE Power P&Ls and in select regions, while
Corporate Centers of Excellence provide
training, investigations, and other horizontal
compliance services across the companys in-
dustrial divisions. In short, companies should
be ready to flex. Applying this dynamic ap-
proach, GE Power uses a hybrid compliance
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 25
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
noted, has both horizontal and vertical ele-
3. It starts at the top. GE Power President and CEO Steve Bolze welcomes new employ- ments. Probably one of the best examples of
ees and explains compliance expectations as part of an orientation video. Courtesy: GE Power
a compliance program applied horizontally
within GE Power is what the company calls
the Risk Roll Up (RRU). The RRU can be
accomplished within any organization re-
gardless of size, location, or scope. In short,
the RRU is a risk assessment done from the
bottom up, with various advantages.
How does it work? First, the training team
goes through GEs 16 compliance policies
including anti-bribery, cybersecurity, work-
ing with governments, and competition law,
from the employee code of conduct (as pre-
viously mentioned, GE calls this S&L). For
each topic, the team prepares a one-page
summary, a short two- to three-minute vid-
eo, and a one-page description of a real-life
GE or external near miss or challenge that it
wants employees to be particularly aware of
so it is not repeated. The company also trans-
4. A leaders guide to integrity. GEs expectations for its leaders are simple, but ef- lates all of its materials.
fective. Courtesy: GE Power Next, training is given to GE Powers
roughly 6,100 managers on how to lead RRU
sessions. The managers pick three of the 16
compliance topics that impact their everyday
operations, schedule an RRU session, use the
slides and videos, and discuss the issues with
their employees. In this way, the manager be-
comes the face and message of compliance
for the company, rather than the compliance
team itself.
The manager will answer all questions
he or she feels comfortable answering from
team members. Questions can be forwarded
to subject matter experts (SMEs), if neces-
sary. The SME will respond back to the em-
ployee and manager with the correct answer
Culture, more than any rule book or code, many times, a few individuals or a small or recommended action. Because of employ-
will allow employees to speak up when team, acting improperly with intent, can de- ee recommendations from GE Powers 2016
something seems wrong, drive compliance stroy years of operating profit through fines RRU, managers can now certify their ses-
ownership beyond the compliance team it- and lost business. sions via the GE Power mobile compliance
self, and help an organization avoid the big Probably the best litmus test for measur- app (Figure 5).
misses that impact financial and reputational ing a companys speak-up compliance cul- After the RRU team meeting, the man-
bottom lines. In short, culture can promote ture is its concern-raising program. At GE, ager will meet with his or her manager, and
doing the right thing. its called Open Reporting. Employees that manager will meet with his or her man-
Whats more, such a compliance cul- are strongly encouraged to raise issues, even ager, and so on, until the entire division rolls
ture will never get off the ground without potential or unconfirmed issues, via the up the major themes and concerns to the GE
buy-in from organizational leaders (Fig- Open Reporting program hotlines, ombuds Power division CEOs. By using this bottom-
ure 3). This is because employees follow (about 600 GE-wide), or other channels, up approach, employees often identify con-
their leaders; this sounds obvious, but it is such as human resources, legal, compliance, cerns that are different than were previously
often overlooked when rolling out a com- or their manager. perceived, and even some that may not have
pliance program. Leaders hire employees, Trust is key. Employees will only raise previously been realized, that is, the un-
fire them, promote them, compensate them, issues if they believe action will be taken known, unknowns.
and more, so leaders are powerful forces and that there will be no retaliation for The five GE Power division CEOs and
for employee motivation. their inquiry. Failure to do either of these their staffs then report to GE Powers leader,
A leader that speaks about compliance, will quickly sink an open reporting pro- President and CEO Steve Bolze, on the major
but then cuts corners with the law will drive gram and potentially result in a self-inflict- compliance concerns flagged by employees
a similar team. In contrast, a leader that sup- ed miss that would have otherwise been and the steps proposed to remedy the prob-
ports an employee who walks away from stopped or even avoided. lems. Major compliance issues identified by
a third party asking for a last-minute deal employees are then relayed back to workers,
graft will resonate through the organization Keeping It Global, Keeping It Local along with an action plan, to show employees
(Figure 4). As we have seen in the news GEs compliance program and rhythm, as that their input matters (Figure 6). Change
26 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
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WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
5. Smart phone, smart compli- 6. Listening and responding. GE Powers General Counsel Keith Carr and Chief Com-
ance. GE Powers mobile compliance app pliance Officer Joseph Suich relay results and actions of the RRU to all GE Power employees via
allows managers to certify their Risk Roll Up a video message. Courtesy: GE Power
(RRU) sessions and provides on-the-go com-
pliance support. Courtesy: GE Power
to be knowledgeable and engaged on the integrity culture is neither perfect nor ho-
compliance topics discussed, and provide mogenous throughout, its program of pre-
solutions to issues raised. Members of the vention, detection, and response, mixed with
corporate legal and compliance team also a speak-up, empowered workforce, provides
attend, providing insight and provocative both GE and its customers with compliance
questions. These sessions cannot be global, and associated business benefits.
but rather are effective due to their regional
flavor and engagement. Extending the Culture of Compli-
ance Outward
Is Compliance a Competitive The GE Power compliance program gives
Advantage? customers comfort that the company is genu-
happens based on their input. Compliance matters, plain and simple. It ine and trustworthy, making compliance a
This process is applied globally. In 2016, drives a speak-up culture that has clear busi- competitive advantage for both GE and its
GE Power rolled up about 37,000 employees ness value. While compliance programs have customers. To strengthen this partnership,
with 99% target population participation. obvious benefits, such as helping to prevent GE holds compliance outreach sessions
That is an example where, despite differing fines, law violations, and reputational dam- with its customers, where its global team
regions, states, countries, or business mod- age, a culture of compliance also allows goes to customer sites to benchmark perfor-
els, the program works horizontally, drives employees to feel empowered, challenge the mance and share mutual best practices. Cus-
the culture, and identifies issues not previ- norm, demand simple and clear programs, tomers decide the agenda and the location.
ously spotted via the other numerous compli- and raise concerns without fear of retaliation. Past agendas have included topics such
ance rhythms and programs. The RRU allows For example, GEs open reporting pro- as how to create a compliance speak-up cul-
GE to have a simple, practical, and effective gram has thousands of compliance issues ture, facilitate open reporting and concern
compliance culture, led by its leadership entered each year. While only a small portion raising processes, conduct investigations,
team, driven by the managers and employees, of the issues raised are confirmed, even the manage third parties, institute anti-bribery
and facilitated by the compliance team. unconfirmed concerns can result in business measures, utilize audits, establish RRU
There are other examples, however, where benefits, as they often lead to process, speed, practices, analyze and monitor data, develop
it pays to stay local. As part of its overall or cost changes. compliance mobile apps, and more. GE then
compliance rhythm, GE holds regional com- GE has been successful applying and brings compliance specialists in from across
pliance operating reviews, or CORs. CORs flexing many of these proven compliance the globe for a meeting to share compliance
are unique to each region. The CORs involve measures used at the companys service, best practices.
all GE businesses in the regionGE Avia- manufacturing, or office sites to other busi- Often, there are follow-ups and custom-
tion, GE Power, GE Healthcare, etcetera. ness endeavors, such as its customer proj- ers may visit GE sites or meet with other
Business leaders from each GE division ect sites, where different compliance risks teams to help strengthen their programs.
in the region are invited to attend and par- may arise. The company calls this Access GE and
ticipate in a variety of region-specific com- In addition, the benefits of such a culture the service is complimentary. All customers
pliance topics. Attendance is limited and all go well beyond compliance. A workforce need to do is request a session and GE does
invited must participate. that feels empowered can also challenge out- the rest. GE feels success is measured by the
The COR topics are selected by the re- dated business practices, customer relation- success of its customers, and the Access GE
gional compliance team, but the sessions ships, or old designs. It pushes employees to program helps drive a mutually beneficial
are led and driven by the business leaders. select at least one or two projects they will relationship.
The local business leaders, not the lawyers stop doing to allow them to focus on more Joseph Suich (joseph.suich@ge.com) is
or compliance professionals, are expected important business objectives. While GEs chief compliance officer for GE Power.
28 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
An intrinsically motivated safety culture does not usually emerge fully formed. De-
cisions and actions affecting behaviors are often linked to entrenched attitudes and
beliefs within companies. Commitment and accountability are required throughout
the organization to recognize, challenge, and resolve issues, thereby providing true
safety benefits to work groups.
James M. Hylko
A
ccurate workforce performance The innermost layer represents the core
measurement requires reliable, Safety Culture component of culture, which is invisible and
quantifiable, and reproducible per- Scrutiny increases dramatically after a disas- effectively unconscious. It is inferred from
formance indicators. Often, the indicators trous event, which can flesh out some impor- espoused values (middle layer) and artifacts
can be divided into historical (lagging) or tant lessons learned. Using the Fukushima (outermost layer). The artifacts are visible
predictive (leading) metrics that provide a accident as an instructive example, the prin- and easily measured, but they can still be
snapshot of performance at a given point cipal causes that contributed to the severity of hard to interpret without digging below the
in time. the event, as identified by an independent in- surface to uncover why a group behaves a
Accidents, or system failures, which vestigation commission, were organizational certain way.
can appear technical in nature, often result culture and regulatory systems that supported Organizational climate is used to measure
from an accumulation of weak signals. faulty rationales for decisions and actions. selected employee perceptions and character-
Performance indicators might not even rec- The commission said an insular group mind- istics of their environment, that is, an overt
ognize those weak signals, if the immediate set had developed at the site, which resulted manifestation of culture within an organiza-
consequences are not serious. However, the in the larger-than-projected tsunamis signifi- tion. These abstract conceptsthat climate is
inability to take action because of too much cance being minimized, allowing flooding culture in the making and organizational cul-
information, or lack thereof, can yield ma- and a station blackout to disable reactor- ture expresses itself through organizational
jor accidents or system failures. cooling functions, leading to disaster. climateare often used interchangeably and
Simply adding more safety devices, a Organizational culture is considered to be the risk becoming virtually meaningless unless
standard response to an unanticipated fail- shared perception of the organization, including properly defined (Table 1).
ure, may paradoxically reduce safety mar- traditions, values, and socialization processes Organizational culture and climate, spe-
gins by adding system complexity. That that endure over time. Various models have cifically applied to safety, form subsets re-
fact means abandoning a program may not been developed to explain the phenomenon. ferred to as safety culture and safety climate,
be justified, but instead, suggests focus One example is known as Scheins model. It respectively. These are common constructs to
should be shifted to the organization and divides organizational culture into three lay- discuss safety events (see sidebar).
its employees. ersinnermost, middle, and outermost. Safety culture and climate have been ex-
30 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
Table 1. Culture versus climate. In his article The nature of safety culture: a review of
theory and research published in Safety Science, F.W. Guldenmund suggests that there are several Safety Conscious Work
characteristic differences between organizational culture and climate. Source: F.W. Guldenmund
Environment, Chilling
Characteristic Organization Culture Organization Climate Effect/Chilled Work En-
Type of Information Qualitative Quantitative vironment, and Report-
How information is Administered through observations and Self-administered questionnaires ing Concerns
administered and interviews reporting beliefs, values, and reporting characteristics of behavior,
Some common terms used to evaluate
collected patterns about the organization attitudes, and/or job satisfaction
workforce conditions, particularly in the
Reflects middle management and
Company level Reflects senior management nuclear industry, include: safety con-
shop-floor employees
scious work environment (SCWE) and
tensively researched creating numerous defi- not labeled safety culture at the time, the chilling effect/chilled work environ-
nitions, theories, and models, some of which TMI investigation report concluded that the ment. The Nuclear Regulatory Commis-
even conflict. The diversity of the conclu- principal deficiencies in commercial reactor sion (NRC) addressed SCWE by issuing
sions results from the variable ways in which safety were not hardware problems, but man- a policy statement titled Freedom of
safety culture and climate can be framed and agement problems. Employees in the Nuclear Industry To
studied. Although no single definition, theo- In the late 1990s, the NRC incorporated Raise Safety Concerns Without Fear of
ry, or model has been universally accepted; risk-informed elements into its oversight Retaliation (61 FR 24336) in May 1996.
many of them discuss tentative relationships process. The NRC defines risk-informed as
NRC Regulatory Issue Summary 2005-18
following layered models. an approach where risk insights, engineer-
Guidance for Establishing and Main-
ing analysis and judgment, and performance
Safety Culture Goes Nuclear history are used to align activities with areas taining a Safety Conscious Work Envi-
The term safety culture as part of the nu- posing greater risk. That decision led to the ronment followed it in August 2005.
clear lexicon can be traced back to the Cher- NRCs reactor oversight process (ROP) re- The 2005 publication defined a SCWE
nobyl-4 graphite-moderated nuclear reactor placing the systematic assessment of licensee as an environment in which employees
post-accident review in 1986. An autopsy of performance (SALP) evaluations that had feel free to raise safety concerns, both
the accidenta steam explosion and fire that been held less frequently. to their management and to the NRC,
released radioactive reactor core fragments The ROP makes use of both inspection without fear of retaliation. Although
and fission products into the atmosphere information and monitored performance in- 2005-18 stated that SCWE and safety
determined that the event was caused by the dicators to identify widespread issues rather culture are distinct concepts, the em-
concurrence of rector physical characteris- than just isolated incidents, and it encourages
ployees willingness to identify safety
tics; control element design features; an un- licensees to take action before significant per-
concerns is an important attribute of a
authorized state not specified by procedures formance degradation occurs. Crosscutting
or investigated by an independent safety areas, such as human performance, problem strong safety culture.
body; and communication inadequacies be- identification and resolution, and safety- Furthermore, if there is a perception
tween operators and regulators, coupled with conscious work environment are considered that the raising of safety concerns is
a lack of clear lines of responsibility. conceptually related to safety culture. The being suppressed or discouraged, the
The International Nuclear Safety Adviso- framework supports seven cornerstones occurrence is described as a chilling
ry Group, an advisory group to the Director reflecting essential safety and safeguard as- effect. If the occurrence has created a
General of the International Atomic Energy pects of facility operation (Figure 1). work environment where the willingness
Agency, was tasked with investigating the ac- The ROP action matrix has five columns of a group of employees, or the entire
cident. It found, The vital conclusion drawn of increasing oversight. Individual plants are facility, is inhibited, it is referred to as
is the importance of placing complete au- organized in the matrix based on their ef-
a chilled work environment.
thority and responsibility for the safety of the fectiveness in meeting objectives measured
NUREG/BR-0240 Reporting Safety
plant on a senior member of the operational quarterly by performance indicators and in-
staff of the plant. Formal procedures properly spection findings. Findings are color-coded Concerns to the NRC describes how
reviewed and approved must be supplement- using green, white, yellow, or red in increas- concerns are received, evaluated, and
ed by the creation and maintenance of a nu- ing significance (Figure 2). closed by the NRC.
clear safety culture. This is a reinforcement Licensees in column one are subject to the
process which should be used in conjunction NRCs baseline inspection program. As licens- healthy safety culture (Table 2). Stakeholder
with the necessary disciplinary measures. ees move to higher columns, they are subject to feedback later identified an additional trait
The Chernobyl accident demonstrated that supplemental inspections focusing on areas of decision-makingto be of equal importance
lessons learned from the Three Mile Island declining performance including regulatory ac- to the NRC-identified items.
(TMI) accident in 1979 had not been imple- tions ranging from management meetings up to
mented. Following TMI, the Nuclear Regu- and including orders for plant shutdown. Assessing Safety Culture
latory Commission (NRC) and U.S. nuclear The NRC published its definition of a nu- Safety culture is distinct from compliance-
industry, under the heading of human factors, clear safety culture in 2011. It said, The core based control. To explore the relationship
focused on improving operator qualifications values and behaviors resulting from a collec- between safety culture and performance
and training, staffing levels and working tive commitment by leaders and individuals indicators, the NRC conducted a survey in
conditions, man-machine interfaces, emer- to emphasize safety over competing goals to 2010 involving 97% of the operating U.S.
gency operating procedures, and organiza- ensure protection of people and the environ- nuclear plants. General results of the sur-
tional/management effectiveness. Although ment. It included nine traits important to a vey, as reported in the article Exploring
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 31
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
Procedural adherence
1. Reactor oversight framework. The Nuclear Regulatory Commissions (NRCs) mis-
Continuous organizational learning
sion is to protect public heath and safety in the use of nuclear power. The framework shown
here is used to help it meet that objective. Source: NRC Corrective actions are implemented in a
timely manner with minimum extensions
Scanning for unintended consequences/
worst-case scenarios
Suspending assumptions about past activ-
ity practices
Recognizing ambiguity, because newly
emerging safety issues may not be clear
Visualizing near-miss situations develop-
ing into accidents
An environment that rewards safety issue
identification
32 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
the station had improved since the previous assessment conducted
Table 2. Traits of a healthy safety culture. The Nuclear approximately three years earlier. Overall, Palisades has seen the
Regulatory Commission (NRC) identified the nine items shown in number of allegations decrease from 11 in 2013 to two in 2016. Im-
this table as important traits for developing a positive safety culture. provements were certainly made, and by the end of 2016, the NRCs
Source: NRC end-of-cycle performance assessment concluded that Palisades over-
Trait Description all performance preserved public health and safety.
Leadership safety values Leaders demonstrate a commitment to safety in their In addition, the NRC determined that performance during the most
and actions decisions and behaviors. recent quarter fell within the licensee response columnthe highest
Issues potentially impacting safety are promptly
performance category of the NRCs ROP action matrixbecause all
Problem identification inspection findings had very low safety significance and all perfor-
identified, fully evaluated, and promptly addressed
and resolution mance indicators were within expected ranges. Thus, Palisades elic-
and corrected commensurate with their significance.
Personal accountability All individuals take personal responsibility for safety.
ited the lowest level of regulatory scrutiny and only regular baseline
inspections are required.
The process of planning and controlling work activi-
Work processes Palisades has demonstrated how a facility can refocus its efforts on
ties is implemented so that safety is maintained.
maintaining the health and safety of the public as its number one prior-
Opportunities to learn about ways to ensure safety ity, with the expectation for all employees to embrace the Institute of
Continuous learning
are sought out and implemented.
Nuclear Power Operations traits of a healthy nuclear safety culture.
A safety conscious work environment is maintained Palisades employees chose the theme Palisades ProudExcellent to
Environment for raising where personnel feel free to raise safety concerns Elite as a philosophy adopted for the final months of operation.
concerns without fear of retaliation, intimidation, harassment
Its peers currently regard Palisades as an excellent plant, but its
or discrimination.
employees are striving to finish with elite status. The idea is that ex-
Effective safety cellent individuals and organizations have great success, but some-
Communications maintain a focus on safety.
communications
times stop short of their full potential. The elite are constantly driven
Respectful work to achieve that next goal with extraordinary results. Over the next 18
Trust and respect permeate the organization.
environment months, Palisades hopes that by conducting successful operations and
Individuals avoid complacency and continually supporting its employees through the upcoming transition, standard
challenge existing conditions and activities in order metrics will confirm that it is an elite organization.
Questioning attitude
to identify discrepancies that might result in error or James M. Hylko (JHylko1@msn.com) specializes in safety,
inappropriate action.
quality, and emergency management issues and is a frequent
is expected to continue operating with current staffing levelsabout contributor to POWER.
600 employeesuntil it suspends operations. The plant will then
transition to a decommissioning crew.
In any work environment, a plant closure announcement can be a
major disruption, impacting a plants safety culture. The management
at Palisades would like to avoid such distractions, because it knows
how difficult it can be to enact change.
In 2012, the NRC placed the plant under an intensified inspec- Others simply sell you a product
tion program following yellow and white inspection findings. we offer a solution.
The biggest issue leading to the change in oversight stemmed from
OHL Gutermuth
A control and shut off technique you can rely on.
an event in which the left train of the plants direct-current bus lost
power, resulting in a reactor trip in the fall of 2011.
Furthermore, the NRCs allegation program annual trends report in
2013 indicated that a chilled work environment existed in the plants se-
curity organization following the termination of some security supervi-
sors. The NRC determined that members of the workforce perceived the
terminations as retaliation for the supervisors having raised concerns.
Although it appears the licensee did not recognize the breadth of the
condition of the weakening work environment until the NRC brought
the problem to its attention, management had independently engaged a
third-party investigator to reevaluate its actions regarding the termina-
tions, and it had communicated the results to several concerned indi- Customized
viduals. The investigator confirmed that the actions taken against the Valve Design
supervisors were not discriminatory. Nonetheless, in response to the MADE IN GERMANY
NRCs observations, the licensee developed an action plan to further
address the perceptions of the workforce in the areas of communica- alves
tions, training, process improvements, and monitoring activities.
ESD Best V 0
5
Following a safety-conscious work environment issue of concern
SOLAR since r1s
follow-up visit during the last quarter of 2015, no findings were iden- POWER Yea
tified. Interviews and a licensee-initiated safety culture survey indi- OHL Gutermuth Industrial Valves GmbH
cated that most individuals felt free to raise safety or regulatory issues
Helmershuser Str. 9+12 63674 Altenstadt / Germany
without fear of retaliation. Also, the inspectors did not identify any Phone +49.60 47. 80 06-0 Fax +49.60 47.80 06-29
further indications of a chilled work environment. www.ohl-gutermuth.de og@ohl-gutermuth.de
The safety culture assessment survey indicated that the culture of
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 33
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
Scaffolding typically ranks near the top of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health
Administrations most-frequently cited standards. However, developing a strong
safety culture and implementing an effective scaffold safety program could help
companies avoid costly fines, and more importantly, prevent deadly accidents.
Matt Skidmore
G
oing to work in a controlled and safe are trained to install scaffolding, but it is not
boiler pendant area can require unusual modi-
environment is not an unreasonable uncommon for scaffolding contractors to be
fications to account for blown tubes, slag, and
expectation for any power industry brought in for large jobs too.
other obstructions. Courtesy: StructSure Scaf-
worker. In a power plant, a level of danger The scaffolding industry as a whole has fold & Insulation
is expected because it is inherent to the job, made great strides in improving employee
but this is only more reason for companies safety records. This positive trend can be at-
to take employee safety seriously. The best tributed to not only government regulations,
organizations are those that understand that but also to more companies understanding
a safe workplace is not only right for their the importance of building a strong safety
employees, but also for their bottom line. culture. Top performers in the industry real-
The Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ize that implementing a safety program that
ministration (OSHA) releases a list of the 10 becomes imbedded in the culture of the or-
most frequently cited safety and health vio- ganization not only benefits its workers, but
lations each year. The list is developed from also helps the organization become more
nearly 32,000 inspections of workplaces by competitive in the marketplace.
federal OSHA staff. One surprising thing
about the data is that it rarely changes; fall Hazards in the Workplace
protection and scaffolding are usually near Coal-fired power plants present several oc-
the top of the list. cupational hazards to workers during routine
Dangers associated with scaffolding work activities. Occupational hazards include
should not be overlooked by the power in- extreme heat stress, toxic chemical exposure,
dustry. It is safe to say that every power plant falls, and tight working conditions (Figure 1).
in the world uses scaffolding in some way, Working in a coal-fired power plant can even
shape, or form. It is a critical component prove deadly in some cases, due to the risk of
for many maintenance activities where per- fires, explosions, and serious respiratory is-
manently installed access is not possible or sues. Because coal dust is combustible, it is
practical. Often, plant maintenance personnel critically important to take safety precautions
34 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
for the protection of the plant workforce and damage a workers lungs, prevent sufficient Additionally, working in tight proximity
nearby communities. breathing, and cause painful eye irritation. around boilers, piping, electrical cables, and
Extreme heat exposure is a prevalent issue Fly ash poses another health hazard in coal other power plant equipment presents an oc-
for workers. Temperatures can exceed 150F in power plants. Fly ash consists of small par- cupational hazard. Contractors, who may not
some plant locations. Heat from a boiler will ticles of unburned coal or ash dust that mi- be familiar with specific plant systems, have to
rise to the top of the unit and get trapped by grate through units during operation. Fly ash navigate around these utilities to properly com-
the roof, creating even higher temperatures as can eventually coat some surfaces in the plant plete assigned repair or maintenance tasks.
workers approach the top floor of the facility. with a small layer of dust, including deck In many power plants, the 3-foot-wide
Implementing the correct precautions is im- grating and equipment. Some older or poorly electrical cable trays that carry cables across
portant for anyone working in close proxim- maintained plants can have ash accumulation the plant obstruct large areas where scaffold-
ity to the boiler and at high levels. Working in measured in inches in some spots. In addi- ing needs to be erected (see sidebar). Often-
these extreme conditions is a very real threat tion to eye irritation concerns and difficulty times, scaffolding contractors have to build
to employee safety and health. breathing, fly ash can result in an increased scaffolding around pipes and electrical lines
Employees can be exposed to danger- risk of slipping or falling. Fly ash is increas- in both vertical and horizontal orientations
ous chemicals and toxicants including acid ingly dangerous, because it is easily agitated (Figure 3). Working in tight proximity to the
gas and fly ash. Acid gas is a byproduct of and becomes airborne when stepped on. plant equipment increases the risk of inju-
burning coal that is normally removed us- Falls are a prevalent hazard for workers and ries from chemical and heat burns, respira-
ing air quality control systems prior to flue are among the most common causes of seri- tory harm, eye irritation, and electrical shock,
gases and water vapor being discharged to ous work-related injuries and deaths. The risk which could result in death.
the stack. However, if a line, duct, or boiler is particularly high when installing, working
wall begins to leak, acid gas can escape into on, or disassembling scaffolding. Power plant Safety Protocols and Training
an area that could potentially be occupied employees can be at risk from falling off of Programs
by plant employees and contractors. The overhead platforms and elevated workstations Implementing a scaffold safety program (SSP)
gas, which is several hundred degrees, can or through holes in floors and walls. is one way to promote a safer working envi-
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 35
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
workplace, including:
3. Tricky geometrics. When constructing scaffolding, workers have to work with the
space they have. Unfortunately, in power plants that space is often full of pipes, electrical lines,
and other obstacles that have to be built around. Courtesy: StructSure Scaffold & Insulation Providing employees with sanitary and
safe working conditions
Assigning safety and health responsibili-
ties
Giving safety and health designees author-
ity to correct hazards
Ensuring employees may voice safety and
health concerns without fear of reprisal
Informing employees of worksite hazards
Coordinating hazard communication with
other employers on site
Posting the OSHA state or federal poster
Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers
to protective clothing, helmets, goggles,
cut-resistant gloves, respirators, or other gar-
ments and equipment designed to protect a
power plant workers body from injury, ex-
posure, or infection. PPE addresses physical,
electrical, heat, chemical, biohazard, and air-
borne particulate matter hazards.
When engineering control measures are
not feasible to protect workers from breath-
ing air contaminated with harmful dusts,
fogs, fumes, mists, gases, smokes, sprays,
or vapors, workers must wear an appropri-
ate respirator. The type of respirator required
ronment. However, an SSP cannot be success- The success of a SSP depends on the will- varies based on the hazards present in the
ful unless a company has an effective safety ingness of top management to demonstrate work environment. In atmospheres that are
culture. A strong safety culture is a behavior- a long-term, serious commitment to protect immediately dangerous to life or health, a
based program that stresses leading indicators every employee from injury and illness on self-contained breathing apparatus might be
versus lagging indicators. To achieve a suc- the job. Managers need to display leadership required, while in a less dangerous area an
cessful safety culture, it is important to con- through effective accountability and recogni- air-purifying respirator might suffice. Under-
tinuously promote safety values within the tion of behaviors and results. standing the hazards is vital to selecting the
workforce. Below are a few recommendations OSHA and the American National Stan- appropriate respirator.
for building a strong safety culture: dards Institute (ANSI) develop and enforce Additionally, eye protection, such as safe-
most of the training and safety regulations ty goggles or safety glasses, is used to pro-
Implement a standard training and operat- related to injuries from hazardous chemical vide protection in instances where exposure
ing program (S.T.O.P.) and physical exposure. OSHA requires all to fly ash, acid gas, and other hazards could
Perform regular jobsite visits by corporate scaffolding companies to furnish employees cause an eye injury. Safety goggles provide
safety department personnel who erect or work on scaffolds with appro- better protection than safety glasses in pre-
Develop a proactive, behavior-based safe- priate training. OSHA mandates the devel- venting eye injuries. To prevent fogging,
ty incentive program opment and implementation of an effective safety goggles should have high airflow or
Provide regular and consistent messages formal SSP. have an anti-fog spray applied.
from management According to OSHAcademy Occupation- Fall protection systems are another neces-
Maintain a well-trained and experienced al Safety & Health Training and the Scaf- sary aspect of worksite protection. Personal
workforce and leadership team fold Safety Program Management course, fall-arrest systems should be used for work-
Employ a firm disciplinary policy employers in the construction industry are ers on suspended scaffolds. The system usu-
required to provide a safe and healthful ally consists of a full-body harness, lanyard,
36 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
WORKFORCE & SAFETY CONCERNS
It is important to note that fall protection tractors should have their own sets of safety
4. Dont look down. Large scaffolds,
such as the one in the boiler shown here,
is only as good as its anchorage. Anchorage precautions and employee guidelines. The
require well-designed support points and ac- points are independent points on structures safety department and company management
curate load calculations. Courtesy: StructSure where lifelines are securely attached. These should provide periodic training on these
Scaffold & Insulation points should be able to support at least 5,000 company-wide regulations and for relevant
pounds per employee and preferably 5,400 topics as dictated by the needs of the work
pounds for a fall of up to six feet or support site and any changes in hazards associated
at least 3,000 pounds for a fall of two feet. with the scope of work (Figure 4).
Additionally, the project manager and
Preplanning general manager should maintain regular, pe-
The preplanning process requires the evalua- riodic visits to all of the job sites. As with the
tion of each job on a case-by-case basis to de- corporate safety department, management
termine the safest possible way to complete should make employee safety observations
a project. Scaffolding contractors conduct a and give immediate feedback and corrective
job safety analysis (JSA), during which they action, when necessary.
examine the job site and make a list of each Most employees in both the power and
environmental factor that could be a potential scaffolding industry want to be part of an or-
harm. JSAs include the identification of exit ganization that invests in a safety program. If
routes, eyewash stations, and other safety re- employees perceive that safety is not a prior-
sources for employees. ity for the company, their behaviors and at-
Once a JSA is conducted, the safety de- titudes are adversely affected. An investment
partment will conduct a safety meeting with in a safety program that focuses on hazard
employees and give them the opportunity to identification, training, prevention, and as-
discuss any potential issues directly with the sessment will not only help reduce losses and
corporate safety department. Permitting em- increase overall safety compliance records,
ployee feedback during safety meetings has but it could be the difference between being
proven to be a vital part of promoting an ex- an industry leader or just another company.
rope grab, independent vertical lifeline, and cellent safety culture. Matt Skidmore is regional safety direc-
an independent lifeline anchorage. Beyond the required JSA, scaffolding con- tor at StructSure Scaffold & Insulation.
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 37
TECHNOLOGY
Energy Generation from A-to-Z
with Machine Learning
The human brain is an amazing thing, but it has limitations. However, with the
advent of machine learning, the limitations of the human brain no lon-
ger have to be the limitations of civilization. Machine learning has been
integrated into many aspects of human life, including the power sector,
resulting in increased efficiency and ease of operation.
Abby L. Harvey
T
he term machine learning sounds like 1. Its whats inside that counts. The internal chemistry of solar cells is extremely
something out of a sci-fi novel, but in complex, but can be optimized using machine learning. Courtesy: IBM
reality, this relatively new computer
science, related to artificial intelligence,
stands to improve human life by allowing
progress on many frontsincluding power
generationbeyond what was thought pos-
sible just a few years ago.
Machine learning is a complex term.
Boiled down, it refers to a type of artificial
intelligence that allows computers to learn
from data. As new data is presented, machine
learning models and algorithms self-adapt.
The very broadest definition of machine
learning is using computers and algorithms
to discover patterns within data, Greg
Mulholland, CEO of advanced materials
and chemicals company Citrine Informat- For example, he noted, the ideal car body Mulholland said. Our products actually
ics, told POWER. More specifically, Mul- would be light and strong, but typically strong serve to accelerate your ability to achieve
holland continued, machine learning uses materials are heavy, and light materials are those milestones.
relatively large-scale data to find highly weak. The same thing is true in batteries, Looking at a solar cell (Figure 1), Ci-
complex patterns. you want it to store a lot of power, but you trines machine learning models are able to
Machine learning itself has been around want it to be safe, and you want it to recharge ingest massive amounts of data, including the
for decades and is already being used in a lot of times, and you want it to be very ef- chemical formula of the materials in use in
the energy sector in several ways, but there fective over and over again. Same with solar the cell, the processing history of that mate-
remains great opportunity for increased uti- cells, you want them to capture a lot of light, rial, how the device is structured, and how
lization for everything from materials opti- but you want them to get the energy out ef- the cell performs.
mization, advanced weather forecasting for fectively, he said. All of that data is then analyzed. We ac-
solar and wind installations, and predictive Since its inception in 2009, Citrine Infor- tually use machine learning to couple those
operation of conventional power plants. matics has been working with customers to together, to help identify, to look for patterns
improve their existing products using machine that say [for example] when this particular
Better Materials, Better Operation learning, quicker than would be possible using crystal structure is there, you keep better per-
When it comes down to it, a product is only as traditional means. We actually use machine formance, Mulholland explained.
good as the materials its made out of. Opti- learning to understand the underlying physics According to Mulholland, using machine
mizing the makeup of a solar cell or battery is and chemistry about whats going on in these learning has allowed Citrine to help customers
a long, complex process, a problem perfect for devices, and help identify materials and chem- optimize their solar cells far faster than pos-
a machine learning solution. istries that are going to push those devices in sible using conventional processes.
One of the big problems in the devices the right direction along many fronts, Mul- Its not so much that were trying to set
that are on the market today is, and this is true holland said. a one-time record, were trying to use ma-
across everythingwhether its a vehicle, or Generally, Citrine isnt setting goals for chine learning to actually allow the solar cell
whether its a solar cell, or whether its a bat- itself but helping customers reach their own manufacturers to achieve their next generation
teryis youre typically asking the chemistry goals in an expedited manner. If youre a solar cells in about half the time or less, he
inside of those things to do multiple jobs at solar cell company, you know what your said. In the cases of solar cells weve worked
once, and a lot of [the] time those jobs are at next solar cell generation needs to look like. in, its been about that. Weve seen about a
odds with one another, Mulholland said. You understand your product right now, slightly greater than 50% acceleration, or 50%
38 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
TECHNOLOGY
IBMs SMT program is funded in part by
2. Look to the skies. These cloud cameras, installed on the roof of an IBM lab can mea- the Department of Energys (DOEs) SunShot
sure the height of clouds to help the companys self-learning weather model and renewable
forecasting technology make more accurate predictions. Courtesy: IBM
Initiative. While the future of the SunShot
Initiative is murky, IBM continues to work
closely with the DOE, waiting to see how the
cards will fall.
SunShot was launched in 2011 during the
Obama administration to try to drive down
costs of solar energy. The program set goals
for 2020 of $0.09/kWh for residential solar,
$0.07/kWh for commercial solar, and $0.06/
kWh for utility-scale solar. Additional 2030
goals were also set. The 2030 goals are $0.05/
kWh for residential photovoltaics (PV), $0.04/
kWh for commercial PV, and $0.03/kWh for
utility-scale PV.
IBM also recently announced a partner-
ship with ABB. ABB offers a digital solutions
product called ABB Ability, which will be
brought together with IBMs Watson technol-
ogy to unlock new value for customers in
utilities, industry and transport & infrastruc-
reduction, in the amount of time its taken to provide increased accuracy. ture, according to a press release issued on
get through the development process for a par- Forecasts developed by the SMT can be April 25.
ticular class of materials. used for solar, wind, and even hydropower One of the first efforts being pursued under
In short, machine learning enables Citrine generation. In these particular [hydro] ap- the new collaboration will focus on smart grid
to make products better, faster. plications, especially longer term forecasts are optimization. ABB and IBM will apply Wat-
actually of relevance. Sometimes were talk- sons capabilities to predict supply patterns in
Better than a Weatherman ing even about precipitation forecasts out to electricity generation and demand from his-
However, even operators of the best devel- 30 days, Hamann said. torical and weather data, to help utilities opti-
oped solar cells need to know as precisely as SMT, unfortunately, suffers from some mize the operation and maintenance of todays
possible what sort of sun theyre going to get. of the same obstacles as traditional weather smart grids, which are facing the increased
Thats where IBM comes in. For the past few forecasting. For example, some climates are complexity created by the new balance of con-
years, IBM has been working on advanced just less predictable. In the U.S., Florida is a ventional as well as renewable power sources.
weather prediction using machine learning particularly challenging area. This is a gen- Forecasts of temperature, sunshine and wind
(Figure 2). Renewable energy forecasting eral problem known in weather forecasting. speed will be used to predict consumption
obviously has a lot to do with weather fore- Tropical conditions are inherently difficult, so demand, which will help utilities determine
casting in general, because you need to predict you cannot necessarily expect improvements, optimal load management as well as real-time
how much sunshine and you need to predict according to Hamann. However, in areas near pricing, the release says.
how much wind, Hendrik Hamann, senior the center of the country, New England, and
manager and distinguished researcher in the parts of the West coast, SMT has proven to be New Tech, Traditional Generation
physical sciences department at the IBM T.J. up to 50% more accurate than traditional fore- Renewables are not the only source of power
Watson Research Center, told POWER. casting (Figure 3). generation getting a machine learning update.
IBMs self-learning weather model and
renewable forecasting technology (SMT) 3. Not your average forecast. IBMs self-learning weather model and renewable fore-
uses machine learning, big data, and analyt- casting technology develops weather forecasts using machine learning with greater accuracy
ics to develop accurate solar forecasts. SMT than those developed by conventional means. Courtesy: IBM
analyzes numerous weather models while also
taking into account which model has histori-
cally been most accurate in a given location
under a given situation. So, if a high-pressure
system is coming through a particular area in
Wisconsin in early April, SMT will identify
which model was most accurate last time a
similar high-pressure system moved through
that area of Wisconsin in April.
Weve actually used large-scale big data
processing and machine learning to system-
atically learn the different strengths and weak-
nesses of these different prediction systems,
Hamann said That information we use to do
corrections to the existing weather models, or
to create a blend out of all these models, to
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 39
TECHNOLOGY
the other is really making sure and [paying]
4. Old dog, new tricks. Machine learning isnt only for new power generation sources.
close attention to everything, definitely the
Work has been done to integrate machine learning processes into conventional power genera-
tion sources as well. Boston-based machine learning and data analytics startup NeuCo Inc., most conscious driver, in the end, will beat the
which GE acquired in April 2016, has used machine learning to improve the efficiency of fossil- more distracted one. Not to say that humans
fueled power plants. Courtesy: GE Power are distracted, but its very hard for a human to
capture all the complexity.
According to El Ghaoui, developing ma-
chine learning programs is the easy part. Get-
ting the programs put to use is where things
get a bit more difficult. The big challenge is
not essentially the research or the algorithm
because now theres a level of maturity in all
these machine learning algorithms and deci-
sion algorithms. Its not too complicated to
put in place a model that on paper or in simu-
lation that is really better. The big challenge, I
thinkand that touched upon the energy sec-
tor as a wholeis to go to implementation,
he said.
El Ghaoui noted that his team at UC Berke-
ley is trying hard to implement [his algo-
rithm] and push it to production, but its a
Laurent El Ghaoui, a professor of electrical Because the plant runs more efficiently as a complicated situation.
engineering and computer science at the Uni- result of the increased accuracy of generation
versity of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), predictions, energy savings between 6% and Where to Next?
has developed a machine learning algorithm 15% have been realized. While the use of machine learning in the en-
to help manage the operation of a cogenera- While it has only been used at a cogen- ergy sector continues to grow, there remains
tion plant. eration plant, the algorithm would be appli- a fair amount of low-hanging fruit for devel-
While renewables might be a tad flashier cable to many other generation types. The opers to pursue.
than traditional energy generation sources, tra- focus is on cogen, but theres nothing about Although he advocates for the use of ma-
ditional sources should not be ignored when cogen that is specific. In other words, what chine learning in traditional energy genera-
exploring new machine learning processes we do also applies to generation of hybrid tion areas, El Ghaoui suggests that there is
(Figure 4). You know, renewables, no matter energy, including nuclear, coal, hydroelec- a great amount of potential for new machine
how you slice or dice, its going to be a small tric, El Ghaoui said. learning processes in renewables. I think
part of tomorrow, medium-term, composi- there might be very good opportunities in re-
tion of energy, El Ghaoui told POWER. So Sometimes Machines Are Just newables because what happens is that when
I think working hard on the traditional sources Better there is a new system being designed, then
and making them more efficient at least allevi- Shifting the energy industry to rely more [it is] much easier, because its the first time,
ates the brunt of the issue with energy. heavily on machine learning and other forms so there are much [fewer] barriers, and so I
Working with UK-based EDF Energy, El of artificial intelligence can be a hard sell. For expect the innovation along those lines might
Ghaoui has been working to perfect his al- ages, the industry has been run on manpower come from new plants, he said.
gorithm for more than three years. The algo- and change is scary. Hamann suggested that the timing is per-
rithm is not currently in commercial use, but The industry is going to move forward, fect for the use of machine learning in the en-
it is being tested at an unnamed European Mulholland, Hamann, and El Ghaoui all ergy sector to accelerate even more. Massive
cogeneration plant, which serves roughly 800 agreed, because the benefits of machine learn- amounts of data are being collected in nearly
homes. Using machine learning El Ghaouis ing over reliance on humans are too great to every area, from drilling to generation, grid
algorithm helps predict the future demand of deny much longer. operations, and so on. That data, in turn, can
the plant. Machine learning is always measured be used in machine learning applications.
It starts with a model and then tries to es- against what was being done before, and the In general you have now, of course, much
sentially take that model, which is an approxi- reality is that in many fields the type of anal- more instrumentation. We have the smart
mation of the reality, of course, and also make ysis that was being done before was largely grid. Power plants are connected. There are
predictions about the demand for power and driven by human intuition and human skill, people that have their own private weather
heat the next day, El Ghaoui said. Mulholland said. Machine learning does stations. Theres a lot more instrumentation
The algorithm has proved to be significant- something much better than humans do and in oil and gas exploration. They use very
ly more accurate than human operators in its that is dealing with very, very, very large-scale complex measurements, every drill head is
predictions. Every hour it makes some bets, data. The human brain is not built to look at being instrumented, so you have all this data
you would say, its like betting in a way, and it data at an extremely large-scale. from these systems, he noted.
makes bets that are definitely more accurate in El Ghaoui agreed, comparing human plant The next [questions are]: What do you do
average. It doesnt mean that the human on oc- operators to tired drivers who are unable to with that data and can you learn something
casion cannot beat the machine, he explained. process everything going on around them on from that data? he said. So now we can
Its just because its day-to-day, every hour, the road. If you imagine the difference be- actually use machine learning techniques to
its consistently a little better, and in the end, it tween two drivers, one is a little bit asleep and learn systematically.
adds up quite a lot in terms of energy savings. not very efficient and so on and so forth, and Abby L. Harvey is a POWER reporter.
40 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
THE 10 ANNIVERSARY
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30091
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
How to Prevent Circulating Water
Flow Reversal
Flow reversal in piping systems can degrade equipment performance and
cause significant water hammer, potentially resulting in catastrophic fail-
ure. Power plant condenser cooling water systemsor circulating water
systemsare especially prone to reverse flow. The advantages and disad-
vantages of various valves used to prevent reverse flow are presented in
this article to help readers select appropriate solutions to avoid trouble.
Michael F. Czyszczewski
F
low reversal is a serious problem that 1. Two standard configurations. Most power plants use either the cooling tower de-
can occur in piping systems with par- sign or the open cooling design for steam turbine condenser circulating water systems. Source:
allel pumps or in systems that pump Michael F. Czyszczewski
uphill. When one or more pumps trip out
of service, the loss in pressure can cause
reverse flow to form based on the pipings
elevation, slope, flow resistance, and pres-
sure differential.
Circulating water (CW) pumps used for
condenser cooling are normally the largest
pumps at a power station, commonly deliver-
ing flows of 150,000 gallons per minute or
higher. If a CW pump trips, reverse flow, wa-
ter hammer, backwards pump rotation, pump
over speed, pipe over pressure, pipe vacuum
pressure, cavitation, or a forced steam tur-
bine shutdown can occur.
Reverse flow protection requires more
thought than simply installing a conventional
check valve. This article will describe the
problems that reverse flow can cause and
show examples of various effective solutions.
42 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
of flow reversal, but rather, is programmed
2. Effects of check valve closing time differences. This chart shows the effects
to start closing when the pump trips. Once
that different check valve closing times have on the pressure wave created in circulating water
closed, it does not begin to reopen until the systems. In this example, flow reaches zero about six seconds after the pump trips. With no
pump starts. valve installed, reverse flow peaks in 16 seconds and then slowly stabilizes. When the valve
PAVs and some check valves can be speci- closes instantly, no reverse flow occurs. However, in the 4- and 12-second valve closure sce-
fied to close at two speeds. For example, the narios, potentially damaging pressure waves are created in the system. The best real-world
operator can be programmed to close quickly design would minimize the pressure wave while preventing reverse flow. Source: Michael F.
to about the 20% open position and then Czyszczewski
close much slower through the remaining
No valves
distance. The initial fast speed helps to mini-
0 sec check valve closure
mize backflow through the valve, while the
4 sec check valve closure
following slow speed minimizes the water 12 sec check valve closure
hammer potential.
If the valve is opened or closed by a
Velocity (ft/sec)
motor operator, a power source is needed.
High-torque applications may require a hy-
draulic operator. In case of a power failure,
a battery power source, a design that fails
closed, or a pneumatically powered system
could be used.
Due to the large diameter of CW piping,
a butterfly valve is typically the lightest-
weight, lowest-cost PAV option.
Equipment Concerns
If an event occurs that trips one or more
pumps, but not all of the pumps, the amount
of reverse flow that occurs while the valve is Deceleration=4/3.75=1.07 ft/sec2 Time (sec.)
closing may be large enough to cause equip-
ment performance problems. Before select- higher flow rates. Higher flows may result por cavities that collected at system high
ing a valve, the following issues should in operation out of their operating range and points will violently collapse due to the
be considered. off the pump curve, which can lead to cavita- pressure increase. The pressure waves gen-
Condenser Vacuum Loss. CW sys- tion, vibration, and possibly overloading of erated may shake and overstress the piping
tems are designed so that sufficient flow to the motor. and damage it, as well as restraints and con-
the condenser is possible with one or more If pump runout conditions are possible, nected equipment.
pumps out of service. However, backflow valve closing time should be decreased to Computer Modeling. Reverse flow is
through a slow closing valve after a pump minimize backflow through a tripped pump, best studied with the help of a commercial
trip will cause additional loss of condenser or the pump manufacturer should be consult- transient (water hammer) software program.
cooling water flow. Although temporary, this ed concerning the runout condition. Applied Flow Technologys (AFTs) Impulse
loss may be enough to cause the steam tur- Backwards Pump Rotation. Reverse software was used to create the figures for
bine to trip on high backpressure. flow will make an unpowered centrifugal this article, but many other software pack-
The minimum acceptable flow rate to the pump spin backwards. These pumps are not ages are available. Most programs use the
condenser along with the backpressure alarm designed to rotate in reverse, and can be dam- method of characteristics. Incidentally, the
and trip settings (generally 511 inches of aged if they reach a backward speed much models for open cooling and cooling tower
mercury absolute (in-HgA) to alarm and greater than their forward design speed. configurations were constructed for illustra-
812 in-HgA to trip at full load) should be High-vibration, undesirable stresses, and tion purposes only.
obtained from the steam turbine manufac- detrimental loads on the motor, bearings, and
turer. If the allowable flow rate and back- other components could result. Choosing the Right Check Valve
pressure are not available, an estimate of The Hydraulic Institute, a North Ameri- An ideal check valve would close instantly at
condenser performance can be calculated can association of pump industry manu- the time of flow reversal. Real check valves,
by using guidelines from the Heat Exchange facturers, publishes allowable back-speed however, take a finite time to close. During
Institute Standards for Steam Surface Con- limits that could be used, if the original this time, some backflow will occur through
densers or another heat exchanger design pump manufacturer does not provide lim- the valve and a pressure wave will be pro-
guide. It is not uncommon for the alarm pres- its. Higher specific speed pumps are more duced upon valve closure (Figure 2).
sure to be exceeded, but backflow should not tolerant of high back-speed. If the allow- No Flow Restriction. This is a baseline
reduce CW flow enough to trip the turbine. able back-speed is exceeded, a shorter case illustrating unrestricted flow without a
Pump Runout. CW pumps are designed valve closing time should be specified, or check valve. The velocity steadily drops after
to remain operating if one or more pumps the pump should be supplied with a reverse the pump trip and reverses direction after 6
are taken out of service. However, backflow speed prevention (ratchet) device. seconds. At the time of reversal, the flow is
from the operating pumps through a tripped Pump Restart. If tripped pumps are re- decelerating at 1.07 ft/sec2. The reverse ve-
pump will temporarily further reduce system energized before the flow has been given locity reaches a maximum value in approxi-
resistance, causing the performance of the time to stabilize, the up-surge in pressure mately 16 seconds and afterwards begins to
operating pumps to runout on their curves to can trigger water hammer. Any trapped va- slow and stabilize.
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 43
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
The PAV Alternative
3. Reverse velocity versus deceleration curves. In general, check valve slam is
The maximum and minimum acceptable
not a great concern as long as reverse velocity remains less than 0.5 ft/sec. Source: Michael F.
Czyszczewski PAV closing times can be found by making
a series of test runs using a computer model
(Figure 4).
No Flow Restriction. This is the base-
Maximum reverse velocity (ft/sec)
44 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
The PAV closure time is not critical unless
4. Pressure versus time. The chart shown here compares the pressure-time history
there is a possibility that a pump trip could
near the pump discharge for different pressure-assisted valve (PAV) closing times when all
pumps trip in an open cooling system model. Source: Michael F. Czyszczewski develop an oscillating wave in the sump that
will cause the check valve to repeatedly cycle
between open and closed. If the computer
model shows that type of behavior, the PAV
PAV closed when stable - 40 sec should be specified to close shortly after the
PAV closes after reversal - 12 sec
check valve closes.
Clearly, both check valves and PAVs alone
PAV closes at reversal - 6 sec
are capable of preventing reverse flow. Install-
Pressure (psia)
PAV closes before reversal - 2 sec ing both is somewhat redundant. The redun-
No valves dancy may be justified in situations where the
benefit of having high reliability is important
(Table 1). However, this benefit comes with
greater complexity and component cost.
Other Considerations
When the CW pumps trip, the pressure may
drop to near full vacuum at the pump dis-
charge. Adjustments to the check valve or
PAV closing time are not always sufficient
to raise the pressure above full vacuum and
Vaporization is occurring Time (sec.)
prevent cavitation from occurring. In those
cases, a vacuum breaker (air-inlet) valve is
Table 1. The skinny. This table summarizes valve-timing recommendations when using needed to raise pressure by automatically ad-
check valves, power-assisted valves, or both to prevent reverse flow in circulating water sys- mitting air when a vacuum is detected.
tems. Source: Michael F. Czyszczewski
The pump discharge and condenser outlet
Type Situation Timing are areas prone to full vacuum pressure due
to their high elevation. A computer model
Time of flow reversal plus lag time.
is an ideal tool for determining if vacuum
Time that check valve begins Choose a lag time appropriate to the type of check valve breakers are needed and how to size them.
closing used. Use opening velocity requirements given in Crane 410
However, a discussion of vacuum breakers
Check valve for guidance.
and air valves is beyond the scope of this
As quick as possible appropriate for the valve type. article. If these valves are needed, readers
Time that check valve takes
Chose a valve type based on consideration of slam potential should discuss sizing options with a repu-
to close
per Thorley deceleration curves.
table equipment manufacturer.
Time that PAV begins closing Time of pump trip. There are additional methods for mitigat-
Less than the time of maximum back-flow as determined for a ing pump trip and reverse flow transients
test case run without check valves. that are not presented here. They include the
Short enough so that there remains sufficient flow to the use of surge tanks, changes to the pump mo-
Power-assisted tor inertia, adding pump bypass lines, using
condenser when some pumps remain in operation.
valve (PAV) Time that PAV stops closing. pressure relief valves, or installing surge an-
Short enough so that the operating pumps do not run off their
pump curves due to backflow through the tripped pumps. ticipation valves.
Most options offer some cost and per-
Short enough to prevent excessive backflow from exceeding
formance advantages and disadvantages.
pump back-speed limits.
Some installations have unique configu-
Time at which flow becomes stable (constant velocity and rations or operating conditions that may
Minimum pump restart time
pressure). require investigation of these other alter-
Both
Time that valve stops natives. However, it has been the authors
Same as selected closing time.
opening experience that installing a single-speed,
butterfly-type PAV at each CW pump dis-
Combining Options charge is the simplest and most cost-ef-
Some CW installations have both a check Starting a medium-specific-speed pump fective solution for the majority of cases,
valve and PAV installed downstream of each against a closed valve will reduce the pow- which might be encountered. Computer
pump. This arrangement performs primar- er required to start and will also prevent modeling of complex hydraulic transients
ily like a check valve installation. The check pump runout. If there is a concern that is the best way to evaluate the options and
valve is the first line of defense against re- the motor could be overloaded by running ensure a problem free design.
verse flow, and it will passively react and the pump dead headed against a closed Michael F. Czyszczewski (michael.
close based on the fluid velocity and differ- valve, the pump start can be momentarily czyszczewski@sargentlundy.com) is a
ential pressure. The PAV provides backup delayed until the valve is about 10% open. senior-level mechanical engineer with 40
protection against reverse flow in the event The PAV also provides positive flow isola- years of experience working at Sargent &
that the check valve sticks open. Some other tion required for pump maintenance. No Lundy on the design and specification of
benefits of this design include: manual isolation valves are required. power plant components.
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 45
TURBINE GENERATOR MAINTENANCE
Borescope Inspection Saves Time
and Money for Gas Turbine Plant
Inspecting the internal condition of a turbine generator is an important main-
tenance activity, but tearing a unit apart is a long and expensive process.
Borescope inspections offer one way to minimize work while still getting
the information needed to evaluate operability.
Lou Angora
M
ajor gas turbine and generator in-
spections can be very time con- 1. Keeping cool. This image, taken with the Hawkeye V2 videoscope, shows a cooling vent
from a Brush generator rotor. Courtesy: Baseload Power
suming and costly. Equipment can
be out of service for weeks and often in-
spections reveal that the machine is in fine
working condition. If even a handful of steps
can be completed just as effectively but in a
shorter period of time using new tools, it can
shave days off an outage and save owners
many thousands of dollars.
Thats what Corpus Christi, Texasbased
Baseload Power aimed to do for San Diego
Gas and Electrics Calpeak facility in Decem-
ber 2016. Baseload Powerfounded in 2013
by Richard Lowrance and his business part-
ner Robert Walsheis a power generation
parts and services company that provides on-
site original equipment manufacturerlevel
generator maintenance services. Lowrance a series of borescopic visual inspections eliminates literally days of labor that it would
and Walshe gained experience working at inside the rotor. Borescopes offer one time- otherwise take to tear down a system like
Brush Electrical Machines and General Elec- saving measure because visual inspec- this, Lowrance said.
tric, respectively, but they now provide minor tions can be completed less intrusively.
inspections, major overhauls, electrical test- The slots can be viewed to see if any pas- Video Borescope Offers a
ing, training, and emergency outage services, sages are blocked, identify insulation defi- Cost-Effective Solution
as well as parts required to complete repairs, ciencies, locate dirt buildup, and determine In years past, flexible fiberoptic scopes were
to customers around the world through their the overall condition of cooling vents. the industry standard. However, because of
own company. Were looking to see if there are any abnor- the nature of fiberoptics, image quality was
malities, Lowrance said. We want to be not nearly as good as todays video bore-
Routine Major Inspections able to definitively point those things out to scopes. After testing and leasing a number
Baseload brought in a crew of nine workers our client. of borescope options, the Baseload Power
to conduct a major inspection overhaul of the The goal is to determine if any extreme group now uses Hawkeye V2 video bore-
Calpeak generator. The facility supplies pow- deficiencies warrant taking the rotor to a scopes. Lowrance said the Hawkeye scopes
er to the San Diego area, especially during shop to make internal repairs. If the inspec- are very cost-effective, especially in light of
hours of peak usage. The plant operates an tion identifies only minor concerns, the con- the savings in labor.
FT8 Pratt & Whitney Twinpac package with ditions may simply require monitoring for Borescopic inspection allows us to
two Pratt & Whitney gas turbine engines and further deterioration. quickly inspectdeep inside the rotorand
a Brush BDAX 7-290 ER turbine generator. The documentation capability of bore- capture photos and video, which become part
The rotor weighs about 16 tons and ro- scopes comes in quite handy in the moni- of our full report to our client. Every time
tates at 3600 rpm. Typically, as part of an toring process, which can take place over we go through a borescope process, we keep
inspection, the rotor must be extracted from a long period of time. Once the generator those still pictures and they are added to the
the stator in which it rides. Once removed, has operated for a predetermined number of report, he said.
the stator can be inspected and cleaned, and hours, possibly in the hundreds or thousands While the most revealing images are
electrical testing can be conducted. Workers depending on the finding, the team would go placed in the report (Figure 1), the remain-
can also clean the rotor and conduct electri- back in and look at the areas of concern to ing pictures can be given to the customer on
cal testing on it. see if problems have migrated or worsened. a USB drive so that they have all the photos
For the Calpeak job, the team extracted Using flexible, articulating video bore- without overburdening the report with hun-
the rotor from the generator and conducted scopes to conduct the required inspections dreds of pictures.
46 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
TURBINE GENERATOR MAINTENANCE
is needed, we can always rent a metrology sucked into the generator intake. Using the
2. Taking a peek. This image shows a ro- capable borescope for about $150 per day, borescope, Lowrance was able to see what
tor slot entrance. Courtesy: Baseload Power
and not have to charge the client for an in- appeared to be various metallic and semi-
strument like that to be on the job site at all metallic particles inside the generator, which,
times, Lowrance said. of course, is not good.
When asked if the use of borescopic in- For the initial inspection, I went in
spection offered a particular advantage during with the borescope, saw what was going
a major overhaul like the Calpeak assignment on, took some photographs, and was able
(Figure 2), Lowrance responded, It is most to put all of that into a report to give to the
valuable on these types of major overhauls, customer and say, Here is what is inside
because you have the rotor out and youre your generator, Lowrance said. So the
able to look under the caps on the rotor, look customer was able to see the issues first-
at the insulation, the pegs, the blocking, the hand, and that, of course, helped them to
windings, and visually inspect the crossover. make the decision to spend the money to
Youre able to see everything internally that pull the rotor before the situation became a
you simply cant see externally. much bigger problem.
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 47
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The Deep Dispute over
Deep Decarbonization
It began as an academic argument over how the world could meet a goal of
90% reductions in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, known as deep
decarbonization. Underneath the academic language is a fight among
renewable energy advocates on the one hand and defenders of a role for
conventional generating technologies, particularly nuclear, on the other.
Kennedy Maize
I
n late 2015 in Paris, most of the nations 1. What will it take to make the Paris Agreement a reality? A core scenario
in the world, including the U.S., commit- proposed by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that would be compatible with limiting the
ted to taking measures to reduce carbon rise in global mean temperature to 2 degrees Celsius by 2100 with a probability of 66% could
dioxide (CO2) emissions enough to prevent require that renewables and other low-carbon technologies make up more than 80% of global
a rise of global temperatures by 2 degrees installed capacity by 2050. The IEAs New Policies Scenario assumes climate pledges made as
Celsius (C). That meant stabilizing the at- part of the Paris Agreement are fulfilled. Courtesy: Chapter 2 of Perspectives for the energy
mospheric CO2 concentration at 450 parts transitioninvestment needs for a low-carbon energy system OECD/IEA 2017
per million (ppm) or less.
The Paris Agreement is remarkably ob-
tuse, abstract, and difficult to parse. Its
ambiguities, of course, allow the various
national governments to agree to the goals
without requiring countries to actually meet
specific targets. The Obama administration
even said it did not view its Paris commit-
ments as a treaty, requiring Senate ratifica-
tion, although it argued that the executive
agreement had the strength necessary to
succeed. The administration knew that a Re-
publican-controlled Senate would not ratify
the agreement as legally binding.
In the U.S., the agreement triggered a deforestation would have to fall steadily and storage.
series of academic analyses aimed at figur- to zero, while the worlds population Pushing the all-renewables case is
ing out how to reduce CO2 emissions, both grows. Feeding a growing world with Stanford professor Mark Jacobson (Figure
in the U.S. and across the globe, by 70% to diminishing CO2 emissions is a conun- 2) and his The Solutions Project, which
90% by 2050. Thats a dauntingperhaps drum. says on its website (www.thesolutionspro-
impossiblereach called deep decarbon- Technologies to remove and store CO2 ject.org), The world can transition to 100%
ization. (not including geoengineering, see side- clean, renewable energy. The project is
Six European scientists outlined the mag- bar), which only exist on a tiny scale to- funded by a range of renewable energy en-
nitude of the task in an article published in day, would have to explode beyond any thusiasts including the foundations of actor
the journal Science last March. Heres the known growth pattern. Leonardo DiCaprio and entrepreneur Elon
heavy lifting required to hit the Paris target Musk.
(Figure 1): While the decarbonization goals ulti- The Solutions Project accelerates the
mately may not be achievable, various hy- transition to 100% clean, renewable energy
Each decade, the world would have to cut pothetical claims have emerged about how for all people and purposes, according to
CO2 emissions from energy use in half. to meet them in a detailed way. The analyses its website. To achieve this mission, we
That may be easy from 2017 to 2020. of how to implement such deep cuts in CO2 engage the public, celebrate and convene
It gets much tougher for 2020 through emissions have led to competing camps. On leaders, and advance partnerships and poli-
2030, and even more difficult for 2040 one side are advocates of 100% renewables cies to make strides on the road to 100%.
through 2050. This requires enormous in- to achieve deep CO2 reductions. On the We implement this integrated model at the
creases in energy efficiency, deployment other are those who believe the claims of state level. To maintain our national reach,
of large-capacity and long-duration ener- the 100% group are impractical and costly. we develop inspired content, amplify sto-
gy storage, and other energy technologies They want to preserve technologies that are ries and media, and create opportunities to
not yet known. not just wind, solar, hydro, and biomass, but celebrate and activate leadership across the
Land use emissions from agriculture and also nuclear, and fossil with carbon capture country.
48 www.powermag.com |
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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 49
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
is achievable, there is no empirical or his- tional negotiations in Japan in 1997, spear- would reduce CO2 emissions by 80% by
torical evidence that such systems are in fact headed by former Vice President Al Gore. 2050. Renewables would make up 55% of
feasible. The Kyoto Protocol, where developed coun- the energy supply, and nuclear 17%. The
tries pledged to meet legally binding emis- remaining 28% would be fossil-fueled en-
The Roots of Deep sions reductions, was the result. It was never ergy, with 20% of that cohort using CCS. A
Decarbonization ratified by the U.S. and was acknowledged carbon price with an unspecified mecha-
The United Nations Framework Convention as a worldwide failure, as was a 2009 con- nism to collect it would incentivize the U.S.
on Climate Change (UNFCCC)adopted ference in Copenhagen, Denmark, aimed private sector to cut its carbon dioxide emis-
in 1994 as a result of the 1992 Earth Sum- at developing a more inclusive agreement. sions. Many skeptics viewed the outgoing
mit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazilstarted the That led to the Paris conference in 2015. administrations plan as impractical and
world on the path to the 2015 Paris Agree- The Paris deal abandoned the legally bind- costly.
ment. Climate policy analyst Roger Pielke ing policy illusion, calling on nations to Even then, the Obama plan said, the mea-
Jr. observed that the UNFCCC serves as make nonbinding, and in many cases hor- sures it proposed wouldnt be enough to
the overarching framework under which the tatory, commitments to do something to achieve deep decarbonization, so the plan
Paris Agreement was negotiated. The UN- prevent a 2-degree-C temperature increase. called for reforestation on a massive scale
FCCC has as its ultimate objective the sta- Specificity would come later. to suck CO2 out of the air, more efficient use
bilization of greenhouse gas concentrations That commitment ultimately requires the of cropland, and bioenergy with CCS. The
in the atmosphere at a level that would pre- 90% global reduction of CO2 emissions. price tag for the U.S. would be in the tril-
vent dangerous anthropogenic interference The world stands very far away from this lions of dollars by many estimates.
with the climate system. level, writes Pielke. According to the BP
Pielke offers the metaphor of a bathtub, Statistical Review of World Energy, in 2014 Decarbonization in the Trump Era
with water flowing in faster than it flows more that 86% of the worlds energy con- That Obama decarbonization plan was then.
out. He says the danger is that the water in sumption came from fossil fuels. From Donald Trump is now. What will a Trump
the metaphorical bathtub overflows and 1994 to 2014a period under which the administration mean for plans to slash U.S.
floods the house. When will that occur with [UNFCCC] was in effectthe worlds to- (and worldwide) CO2 emissions to the bone,
regard to CO2? Most experts target about tal energy consumption increased by 50%, at the expense of fossil fuels?
450 ppm, which could lead to a 2 degree but the proportion of that consumption from It doesnt look promising for those who
C increase in global temperatures. Current carbon-free sources increased only from want to see deep decarbonization, and par-
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- 12.8% to 13.7%. At that rate, it will take ticularly for those who want to see a 100%
istration estimates put the current level of about 1,700 more years for the worlds en- renewables future. While Trump has not re-
CO2 at about 400 ppm. ergy supply to become more than 90% car- jected the Paris deal, he has made it clear he
To prevent this concentration, global bon free. does not view global warming as a national
emissions (not just from the U.S.) must fall The Paris Agreement nations met in Mar- or international problem.
to close to zero. Reducing global emis- rakech, Morocco, in November 2016, just During his campaign, Trump claimed,
sions by 20% or 40% or even 60% is not as U.S. voters elected climate skeptic Don- hyperbolically, that global warming is a
enough, Pielke writes, just as reducing the ald Trump as president. A group of Obama hoax, invented by the Chinese to damage
rate at which water is flowing into a bathtub administration environmental staffers pre- the U.S. economy. He also said his admin-
by those amounts would not end the risk of sented the Obama plan for implementing the istration would revitalize the coal industry,
the tub overflowing. It would just delay the Paris Agreement, even though it was clear while supporting domestic production of
inevitable. that the election could derail the proposal. oil and gas. His Office of Management and
The UNFCCC, which won unanimous It was titled United States Mid-Century Budget chief, former South Carolina Repub-
U.S. senate approval and the signature of Strategy for Deep Decarbonization. lican congressman Mick Mulvaney, said the
President George H.W. Bush, led to interna- The stillborn Obama plan said the U.S. Trump administration would not be spend-
ing money combating global warming.
In November, just days after Trump won
the presidential election, the U.S. Environ-
From 1994 to 2014a period under which mental Protection Agency (EPA) issued
a request for applications for research on
the [UNFCCC] was in effectthe worlds deep decarbonization. The notice was titled,
total energy consumption increased by Anticipating the Environmental Impact and
Behavioral Drivers of Deep Carbonization.
50%, but the proportion of that consump- The closing date for the solicitation was
February 10.
tion from carbon-free sources increased only In typical bureaucratic verbosity, EPA
from 12.8% to 13.7%. At that rate, it will said it is seeking applications proposing
research that will contribute to an improved
take about 1,700 more years for the worlds ability to understand and anticipate the pub-
lic health and environmental impacts and
energy supply to become more than 90% behavioral drivers of significant changes in
carbon free. energy production and consumption in the
United States, particularly those changes as-
Roger Pielke Jr., climate policy analyst sociated with advancing toward the deep de-
carbonization necessary to achieve national
50 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
and international climate change mitigation obtained by the E&E news site, from acting the development of the budget request.
objectives and avoid the most significant Chief Financial Officer David Bloom, said, The White House doesnt determine the
health, environmental, and economic im- To provide additional clarity on priorities, EPAs budget. Thats a matter for Congress
pacts of climate change. as well as deliberation on options and im- to determine. Its unlikely that the draco-
POWER requests to the EPA to comment pacts, I am asking you to provide details nian cuts that the Trump administration has
signaled in its preliminary budget plan will
persevere. But it is likely that a Republican
legislature will cut the EPA budget signifi-
Many experts say that U.S. CO2 emissions cantly, and that the agencys climate pro-
grams will be a major target.
will continue their recent steady decline, Many experts say that U.S. CO2 emis-
sions will continue their recent steady de-
despite the intentions of the Trump cline, despite the intentions of the Trump
administration to boost fossil fuels. Thats a
administration to boost fossil fuels. function of bottom-up market forces, trump-
ing any top-down initiatives from Washing-
Thats a function of bottom-up market ton. But the decreases wont come close to
the targets set in the Paris Agreement.
forces, trumping any top-down initiatives And that means deep decarbonization
doesnt have a realistic chance of imple-
from Washington. mentation, at least not in the U.S. and prob-
ably not anywhere else. Those policies were
a long shot before the Trump election. Since
on the status of this project have not re- on those activities that will be supported, Trumps ascent to the White House, deep
ceived a response. But it doesnt look good reduced and eliminated at this level of fund- decarbonization may have become a dead
for the future of the EPA initiative, given ing relative to [fiscal year] 2016 activities. end.
the Trump administrations view of global These responses will be provided to leader- Kennedy Maizeis a long-time energy
warming and its desire to cut deeply into ship for review and concurrence or follow journalist and frequent contributor to
the EPAs budget. An internal EPA memo, on discussions, as appropriate, to support POWER.
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 51
ELECTRIC POWER
Power Market Operators and
Participants See a Glimmer of
Optimism in Current Chaos
The conversation at the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, as
underscored by comments made in its keynote address and at the an-
nual events executive roundtable, was optimistic yet cautious, owing to
regulatory uncertainty and turmoil in power markets.
Sonal Patel
C
ompared to just five years ago, todays 1. Changing power profile. In 2016, for the first time in history, the U.S. consumed
U.S. power landscape has been trans- more electricity generated from natural gas than from coal, and more from non-hydro renew-
formed. Low natural gas prices, mar- ables than from hydro. Source: EIA
ket dynamics, technical issues, and policies
that favor renewables precipitated the closure
Percent share Net generation (GWh)
of five nuclear reactors since 2013, seven
others are slated to shutter soon, and at least 50% 2,000,000
five will remain open owing only to state
45% 1,800,000
programs that deem them too economically
and environmentally significant to close. 40% 1,600,000
Concerns about the long-term viability of the
wholesale market model in the face of politi- 35% 1,400,000
cal intervention are drawing to a crescendo, 30% 1,200,000
prompting the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC)which may finally 25% 1,000,000
have its quorum restored following President
Trumps nomination of two candidates to fill 20% 800,000
vacant leadership seatsto set up a technical 15% 600,000
conference as an outlet for these issues.
Havoc has been unleashed in some tradi- 10% 400,000
tional markets too. The Westinghouse finan-
5% 200,000
cial debacle has left the future of the four
costly AP1000 nuclear projects uncertain. 0% 0%
And while the Trump administration has be- 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
gun rolling back key Obama-era rules along
with key climate policies, average annual elon Nuclear, who gave the annual events linois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York,
net generation from coal-fired unitswhich keynote speech on April 11, provided a glim- and Maryland. Over the years, its profit-mak-
reached an annual high of 2 billion kWh in mer of optimism. Despite recent setbacks ing strategy has been transformed alongside
2007plunged to 1.2 billion kWh in 2016. that have rattled the nuclear industry, he said, efforts to modernize, which have required in-
In 2016, notably, natural gas generations the future of the sector was sound. novation and technology, and new approach-
share of the U.S. mix soared to 33.8%, for Facing stiff competition from cheap gas es to operation and maintenance to improve
the first time surpassing coals share, which power and an influx of renewables, U.S. efficiency and reduce costs to make its fleet
was 30.4%. Also, for the first time, non- nuclear generators in competitive wholesale as competitive as possible.
hydro renewables share of total U.S. genera- markets are forced to grapple with rising Yet, Exelons reinvention efforts would
tion surged to 8.4%, surpassing hydros 6.5% costs and falling wholesale power prices, have fallen flat if measures it backed on the
share in 2016 (Figure 1). along with more stringent regulatory man- public policy front hadnt succeeded, Hanson
dates, and a lack of federal and state energy said. As early as 2014, we were looking at
A Silver Lining policies that value our product, said Hanson. potentially having to shut down more than
At the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and And then, there are the political and legal a third of our nuclear fleet simply because
Exhibition in Chicago in mid-April, concerns issues but Ill stop there. the plants were losing money. Two stations
about wide-ranging uncertainty afflicting the Exelon, he noted, stakes the core of its in Illinois (Clinton and Quad Cities) and two
power sector were echoed by several speak- business on its nuclear fleet, generating 20.2 more in New York (Ginna and Nine Mile
ers and attendees. Yet, Bryan Hanson (Figure GW of nuclear power from 23 reactors at Point) were at risk, he said. The prospect
2), president and chief nuclear officer of Ex- more than a dozen plants scattered across Il- of shutting the plants downand putting
52 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
ELECTRIC POWER
in critical infrastructure exposure. More se-
2. Optimism on the nuclear front. Bryan Hanson, senior vice president for Exelon rious than the organizations past concerns,
Generation and president and chief nuclear officer for Exelon Nuclear, gave the keynote speech at
the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition on April 11. Source: POWER/ Mark Campbell
which were centered on weather-related out-
ages or equipment failure, are cyberthreats
and terrorists, he said. Ott later revealed
that the organization is so concerned about
system corruption that it created a second-
ary, constantly updated energy management
system that it calls its Golden Image, and
which it keeps in a dark room.
If we find our control systems are un-
manageable because theyre corrupted and
we just cant use them anymore, we have
the ability to jettison that whole system and
bring on the [Golden Image] system within
an hour within the current online structure,
he said.
But Ott also suggested there was palpable
anxiety about how exposed fuel delivery and
power systems are, and, inevitably, about
how sturdy efforts to restore systems can be.
Theres a lot more risks that were facing as
a power industry, he said. The question is
Are we really accounting for all those risks
in our operations?
One way to do it is to factor in resiliency,
which in the context of the power system in-
cludes the ability to harden the system against
thousands of our talented, hard-working em- An Era of New Threats and rapidly recover from high-impact, low-
ployees out of workbroke my heart. Policy Yet, according to Andrew Ott, who is presi- frequency events. We need to look at resil-
reforms were the only thing that could save dent and CEO of PJM Interconnection, a re- ience, Ott said. We need to start pricing
them, he said. gional transmission organization (RTO) that resilience and flexibility into our markets.
Thats why Exelon embarked on a hard- operates a competitive wholesale electricity Resiliency should also be a factor driving
fought campaign to underscore nuclear pow- market within 13 states and the District of Co- transmission planning, he said. But rather
ers value to local stakeholders, state policy lumbia, competitive markets are working. than rely on state action, such as Illinois
makers, elected officials, and state legisla- PJM has seen 30 GW of new gas-fired ca- measures to prop up its nuclear plants as
tors, and with the crucial backing of a broad pacity come online over the past six years, an environmental and economic measure,
coalition of more than 200 business, labor, 85% of which was on competitive invest- that action should occur on a regional level.
environmental, and even religious groups, mentand most are without long-term Its certainly more logical that if were see-
the company managed to help enact the Fu- power purchase agreements, said Ott, who ing regional benefits to these types of assets
ture Energy Jobs Act in Illinois in December was one of three panelists at the ELECTRIC we should price it in. Of course, the most ef-
2016. A similar measure had previously been POWER executive roundtable (Figure 3) on ficient way to do that is through a regional
adopted in New York to preserve the at-risk April 11. What were seeing ... is a fairly carbon price, he said. That may not be
Nine Mile Point and Ginna reactors upstate. significant fuel swap, where we have in that politically attainable but we think there are
For Hanson, the measures were pivotal for same period about 24,000 MW of coal plants ways to look at the way energy prices are
Exelon and the larger nuclear industry. We retiring, he said. Its more than just a fuel formed, look at the way certain aspects of
had to take action, he said. swap. Its actually a technology swap. resources are valued.
But the fight isnt over. The states mea- Today, PJM has about 300 MW of grid- One example would be to think about
sures are being challenged in court by a con- scale storage, and an assortment of resources pricing commodities. Maybe we should
sortium of non-nuclear merchant generators, and provided services, like frequency regu- price flexibility separately and maybe we
including Dynegy, Eastern Generation, NRG lation, that is requiring it to interact and co- should price energy dispatch and balanc-
Energy, and Calpine Corp., which argue that ordinate with the distribution system or ing of supply and demand a little bit differ-
they interfered with FERCs jurisdiction over distribution companies, he noted. The rapid ently, he said. The commodity itself then
wholesale electric rates and unlawfully in- ramp up of gas capacity in PJMs system would price out based on just the supply and
terfered with interstate commerce. Even so, from 4% in 2008 to 30% todayhas actu- demand balance.
Exelon is confident about the future, Han- ally served to boost fuel diversity in the PJM
son said. One driving factor certain to under- space rather than being a liability. Ott added: The Complexity of Regional
score nuclears value is that The transition I think the legitimate question is if this is a Operations
to a lower-carbon economy is irreversible, sustainable approach. Will we build ourselves For John Bear, president and CEO of the
he said. Market forces, technology advance- into a problem? A report PJM compiled to Midcontinent Independent System Operator
ments, and consumer preference show an answer that, he said, basically says, We think (MISO), another panelist on the roundtable,
overarching shift towards energy that is we are fine from a reliability perspective. the recent state nuclear incentives posed a
clean and affordable, Hanson added. For now, PJMs biggest worries are rooted conundrum: Weve got kind of this crazy
|
June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 53
ELECTRIC POWER
One issue plaguing MISO, for example,
3. Executive roundtable. This years executive roundtable, titled Making the Connec- is that it doesnt have the right transmission
tion was moderated by Barry Worthington, executive director of the United States Energy
Association (far left). Its panelists (left to right) were Andrew Ott, president and CEO of PJM
system for its projected power mix as indus-
Interconnection, John Bear, president and CEO of the Midcontinent Independent System Op- trial load ramps up in the south and slightly
erator, and Cindy Crane, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, a Berkshire Hathaway shrinks in the north. It still also grapples with
Energy company. Source: POWER/ Mark Campbell resource adequacy,though were learning a
lot from [PJM] and whats going on in New
England, Bear said. Ensuring adequate gas
supplies has prompted MISO to look at re-
source adequacy on a seasonal basis, he said:
What does it look like in the winter and
whats it look like in the summer and how do
we accredit assets across those two dimen-
sions and make it work?
54 www.powermag.com |
POWER June 2017
ELECTRIC POWER
selves. While smaller self-generators may He also suggested that getting pipelines The System Reliability Challenge
rely on solar, some of the firms larger indus- built and built quickly would be pivotal to Asked by the moderator whether the U.S.
trial customers are mulling self-generation, those efforts. power system was introducing too much
which has become more economical with the Crane agreed that the Clean Power Plans risk by increasing its reliance on natural
gas and renewables rather than on baseload
coal and nuclear plants, Crane observed that
But in the West, the company is also We have continued to be amazed and sur-
tussling with profitability risks posed prised at the true resiliency that our system
already has. We just never tested it as ex-
by customers who want to bypass the tensively as were testing it today. She also
noted that her firm is today seeing a true
meter and generate power for value of capacity. Even with an exponen-
themselves. tial ramp up in rooftop solar, for example
in Utah, Berkshire Hathaway Energy was
finding efficiencies and ways to manage, all
flood of cheap natural gas, she said. Thus apparent demise would have little impact, while achieving emission reductions with-
the reason rates are so important and critical though she noted that it eliminates com- out being saddled with mandatory ways
to us. plexity in the management of our business to comply. It may not be the same in the
because the rule allowed states to choose be- California market, she cautioned, because
The Regulatory Fog tween curbing carbon emissions by rate or by theres just not enough redundancy in the
The panelists addressed a number of policy mass, and there was no real consensus that gas supply chain and because gas leaks have
issues poised to upend the industry. One spe- the states in Rocky Mountain Powers foot- restrained the system.
cific concern was that the Trump adminis- print would elect the same method. Ott and Bear both responded that their
tration had not filled three vacancies at the State policies were having a more pointed operations are rooted in a mission to pro-
five-person FERC, months after the commis- impact on Western generators, Crane said, vide reliability at the lowest possible cost.
sion lost the quorum it needs to issue major and it was likely that Western states would Essentially, the point is, are we looking at
decisions. FERC had been hobbling along continue clean energy policies in defiance those operational risks and are we manag-
with only two members, both Democrats, of Washington. She also said that her com- ing the system to account for it? Ott asked.
since Commissioner Norman Bay resigned pany was used to seeing negative prices when Because, again, blackouts dont happen be-
on February 3. President Trump formally hydro runs in the Northwest, but starting last cause of an n minus one. They dont happen
submitted nominations for Neil Chatterjee year they arrived earlier than usualin Feb- because of an n minus two. Its usually the
and Robert F. Powelson to fill two seats on ruary rather than in spring or early summer event you never thought of.
May 10. Another seat will open when Colette affecting all three western markets. The Ott pointed to a September 2016 blackout
Honorable steps down on June 3. way we dealt with that is ... we literally took suffered by South Australia, an Australian
I think as time goes on itll become more five of our coal units down. Then we had to state which recently shuttered all of its coal
and more difficult, so certainly as we look deal with voltage support issues in the Salt plants owing to a ramp up of renewables (for
forward, if it continues for many months into
the future I think it will become more and
more critical that we dont have the ability
to get a new action, or new activities, or fil-
This year, the company is armed with
ings, Ott said. Bear lamented the uncertainty new tools to assess the energy and
that the lack of leadership poses: I think the
thing we cant understand is the uncertainty
balance market, and it has found ways
of the long-term plan because we dont know
what the priorities are going to be. All we
to flex that coal fleet like theyve
know is that there will be a new chair, so never flexed it before.
[Cheryl] LeFleur, the acting chair now, prob-
ably wont be the chair going forward.
For Bear, a bigger concern is that the new Lake Valley, Crane said. But we learned a more, see After Blackout, South Australia
administration had slowed down the Clean lot from the process, she added. This year, Wrests Control of Its Power Security in
Power Plan (on April 28, the D.C. Circuit the company is armed with new tools to as- POWERs May 2017 issue). The event was
stayed litigation on the Obama-era rule for sess the energy and balance market, and it prompted after two tornadoes damaged a
60 days while the EPA reviews it). We dont has found ways to flex that coal fleet like single circuit 275-kV transmission line and
know in which direction it will go, what the theyve never flexed it before. a double circuit 275-kV transmission line,
priorities are going to be going forward, and Still, from the standpoint of a regulated some 170 kilometers apart, causing them to
that uncertainty is concerning, he said. To utility, Crane added that once a FERC quo- trip, and the system decayed too quickly,
that, Ott responded that, while the Clean rum is established, she hoped that the com- Ott noted.It sounds like an issue where that
Power Plan was likely dead, gas generation mission would work to repeal or reform same vulnerability can happen anywhere
was already driving a significant reduction the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act because all of us are seeing change on the
in carbon emissions. But sustaining that mo- (PURPA), a 1978 law that requires utilities system, where traditional resources react a
mentum will require both cost guarantees to buy power at a fixed rate from qualifying certain way to faults and to disturbances.
and revenue certainty, especially for genera- facilities that otherwise do not have access to Sonal Patel is a POWER
tion assets exposed purely to the market. a competitive market. associate editor
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 55
EUROPE
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POWER June 2017
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June 2017 POWER www.powermag.com 57
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COMMENTARY
Evolving Workforce and
Safety Practices for Wind
Farms
Jack Rawcliffe
he renewable revolution has been a catalyst for the wind Ultimately, its about a shift in attitudes, working to instill a
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POWER June 2017
4th Annual